Who was Louise Brooks?
So much has previously been written
about Louise Brooks on other websites, I can't hope to add much new.
However, I would be remiss in not at least providing a brief
autobiographical sketch of the actress, particularly for those who, by chance,
may have stumbled upon this site before checking out "The Louise Brooks
Society" and "Louise Brooks Stuff."
Mind you, "My Take on
Louise" strives to present Louise in a more human light, without all the
fluff that's floating around out there. I
have been in contact with a childhood friend of Louise, and, with her
permission, hope to provide some anecdotes which may shed some insight on Mary
Louise Brooks, the woman--not the goddess--who fascinates so many of us.
That said, here is a capsule sketch on
Louise's life and career:
Silent film star, Louise Brooks, also
affectionately known as "Brooksie", began her life on November 14,
1906 in Cherryvale, Kansas, as Mary Louise Brooks, the second child of Myra and
Leonard Brooks. Louise was precocious and showed a flair for glamour at an
early age. At age 4, she made her
dancing debut playing a pint-sized bride in a church production of "Tom
Thumbs' Wedding. " Her mother,
Myra, later recalled how, as Louise came down the aisle, she adjusted her
bouquet and veil with all the assurance of a grown-up bride.
Louise's upbringing had an enormous
influence on her lifelong love affair with books and the arts.
Her father was a lawyer and his library was stocked with classic books.
Louise read voraciously at a young age, a habit she continued throughout
her life. Her mother was an
accomplished pianist, filling the house with strains of DeBussy's Clair de
Lune, later to become one of Louise's favorite pieces of music.
On the
other hand, a childhood playmate (now 97) attests that Louise was also a pretty
normal kid. She loved making mud
pies, and many a time, while in the throes of their mud pie making sessions,
Louise's mother would fetch her for a dance lesson. Louise didn't want to go--she just wanted to stay and make
mud pies. Her friend always wished
she could be the one taking dancing lessons.
Ah, the grass is always greener.
The pivoting point in Louise's life
was probably her acceptance into the Denishawn dance company when she was 15.
An equally important "pivot" was a humiliating dismissal from
the same company in 1924. Seems
Brooksie had a mind of her own and wasn't about to fit into the mold Ruth
Denishawn designed for her students. A
whirlwind time in New York City came next with a stint in the Ziegfeld Follies,
The George White Scandals, and a two-month affair with Charlie Chaplin, followed
by movie-making in New York and Hollywood, the classic "Pandora's Box"
and "Diary of a Lost Girl" in Germany with G. W. Pabst, one film in
France (Prix de Beaute), and a downtrodden return to Hollywood and humiliation
in "B" westerns.
During all this, in addition to developing a problem with alcohol, Louise
found time for two marriages. Her
first was to Eddie Sutherland, a director of delightful comedies who worked
frequently with W.C. Fields and actually met Louise during the filming of the
1926 silent comedy, "It's The Old Army Game" starring Louise and W.C.
Fields. Her second marriage was to
Deering Davis, a wealthy Chicagoan whom Louise purported was a divine dancer.
Both marriages were short-lived and produced no children.
Interestingly, Louise reportedly never asked for any financial support. Apparently she just wanted her freedom.
This brief bio can't possibly do
justice to this woman. Barry Paris' book, "Louise Brooks," is an
excellent, meticulously researched account of her colorful, stormy life.
I highly recommend it. A new
edition has recently been released and can be purchased through The Booksmith in
San Francisco (check out the LBS web site for purchasing info).
Also, "The Louise Brooks Society" and
"Louise Brooks
Stuff" web sites are excellent resources on the actress, each with an
extensive filmography and photos galore.