splash  Welcome to the LOUISE BROOKS SOCIETY, a pioneering fan site and online archive dedicated to the life & times of the silent film star Louise Brooks (1906 – 1985). A famed beauty & Jazz Age celebrity, the actress is best known for her bobbed hair as well as for her legendary role as Lulu in the 1929 silent, Pandora’s Box. Launched online in 1995, the Louise Brooks Society (or LBS) celebrates this multifaceted personality who was not only an acclaimed actress, but also a Denishawn dancer, Ziegfeld Follies showgirl, and later the bestselling author of Lulu in Hollywood. Once almost forgotten, Brooks has emerged from obscurity and become a 20th century icon, and muse. This site has it all.

The mission of the LBS is to honor the actress & her legacy by stimulating interest in her life and films. The filmography found here is the most detailed ever compiled on the actress. The are also articles and ephemera, a biography, chronology, image galleries, feature stories, trivia, links, and more. This longstanding, information rich website is just one of the many things we do — along with helping with the restoration of Brooks’ films, conducting research, writing articles, curating exhibits, and sponsoring the occasional screening or event. The LBS keeps a long-running blog (since 2002), helped bring Lulu in Hollywood and the definitive biography of Brooks by Barry Paris back into print, and has published five books, with more in the works. And that’s not all it has done to champion the actress…. It has also helped others with their projects. The LBS is a community, both a scholarly fan site and home to a virtual fan club of like-minded individuals. Please explore the LBS and all that it has to offer. And please consider supporting its efforts! Visitors to the LBS come from 50 countries on six continents — this site’s followers comprise a world wide web of silent film fans and Lulu enthusiasts. More about the LBS, including its mission statement and its history, can be found on its ABOUT page. [ The Louise Brooks Society is proud to be a retro website: in this day and age, authenticity and accuracy still matters. The LBS is a clickbait, colorized, and A.I. free zone. ]

Thomas Gladysz
Director, Louise Brooks Society

SOME CONTENT ON THIS WEBSITE HAS BEEN REMOVED AGAINST THE WISHES OF ITS LAWFUL RIGHT HOLDER
following yet another false claim. Apologies to this site’s followers, but that’s the way it is until certain matters are resolved.

For the record: The Louise Brooks Society™ website was established by Thomas Gladysz in 1995. This website and the term / XXXXXXXX “XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXX” are under XXXXXXXXX and XXXXXX XXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX. Additionally, the Louise Brooks Society operates with the written consent of the Estate of Louise Brooks (Louise Brooks Heirs, LC) and have its permission to use the name and likeness of the actress. Content original to this site is © Thomas Gladysz.
Update 1/1/2024: Following yet another patently FALSE allegation of trademark infringement, my ISP,  Bluehost, insists I remove the XXXed out sentence above referring to the intellectual property protections which this website has rightfully claimed. I do so, under protest, not because I admit to having infringed the intellectual property rights of the dude who filed a complaint (with whom I am involved in a dispute), but because I wish to avoid the hassle that Bluehost has threatened me with if I didn’t remove the “offending” sentence. It’s ridiculous, I know, but that’s the kind of {insert word here} I have to deal with. BTW, even if not so stated, the demonstrable facts remain.
 
====== NEW PAGE ======

♦ This new page on the LBS website, “Louise Brooks and Rudolph Valentino: Behind the Black Velvet Curtain,” details the little known links between Lulu and The Sheik. READ MORE

Rudolph Valentino

====== NEW BOOK ======

♦ Our newest publication is The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond, a deep dive into the history of a single film – which was Brooks’ first time on screen. LEARN MORE

The Street of Forgotten Men : From Story to Screen and Beyond

====== NEW PAGE ======

♦ A big new page on the LBS website, “Louise Brooks and Charlie Chaplin: Two Happy Summer Months,” documents with surprising detail their brief romance in the summer of 1925. READ MORE

Charlie Chaplin

====== BIOGRAPHY ======

♦ Explore the “Life & Times” tab on the main menu above to discover pages detailing the remarkable life of the one and only Louise Brooks. There is a brief biography and a F.A.Q., articles & essays, quotations, links, etc…. FIND OUT

Louise Brooks

====== CHRONOLOGY ======

♦ What was she doing? Who did she know? What was she reading? A chronological look at the actress’ daily life which is full of little known details. Praised by the Irish Times as “extraordinary”, and exclusive to the LBS website. EXPLORE

Louise Brooks

====== FILMOGRAPHY ======

♦ The LBS filmography is the most detailed ever compiled on just about any actor, surpassing the AFI and IMDb regarding credits, bit players, alternative titles, shooting locations, reviews and more. Exclusively on the LBS website. DISCOVER

Pandora's Box poster

====== LBS BLOG ======

♦ Since 2002, the LBS has been blogging about the actress, silent film, and the Jazz Age, as well as fashion, dance, books, music, art and other topics related to the one-and-only Lulu. CHECK IT OUT

Louise Brooks Society

====== EXPLORE HERE ======

♦ The always changing, always growing LBS website features nearly 200 pages, or distinct URLs of rare, unique, & original content. Visit the WHAT’S NEW page for updates or chance upon a RANDOM PAGE

Louise Brooks Society

====== PUBLICATIONS ======

♦ The Louise Brooks Society has published five books to date, with three more in the works. Each is the product of original research, and each features dozens of images. READ MORE

6 books by thomas gladysz

====== FEATURED PAGE ======

♦ Louise Brooks spent two seasons touring with Denishawn, then the leading modern dance company in America. This section includes an account of her time with the troupe, their tour schedules, links, pics, etc…. LEARN MORE

Louise Brooks

====== FEATURED PAGE ======

♦ “Writings of Louise Brooks” details the actress’ published, unpublished and uncollected works, including her self-published booklet on dance, her articles on film, her notebooks, as well as her bestselling memoir, Lulu in Hollywood. LEARN MORE

Lulu in Hollywood

====== FEATURED PAGE ======

♦ Louise Brooks is at the heart of one of the most important works of 20th century literature. The Invention of Morel is not only an oblique homage to the actress, but also a means to preserve the memory of one writer’s desire for its elusive star. READ MORE

Invention of Morel

====== ESSENTIAL READING ======

♦ From Portrait of an Anti-star to the Barry Paris biography to Peter Cowie’s pictorial to Jan Wahl’s Dear Stinkpot, the “Louise Brooks Bookshelf” is an opinionated guide to the best and worst books about the actress and her films. FIND OUT

Dear Stinkpot: Letters from Louise Brooks

====== RESOURCES ======

♦ From Louise Brooks bibliographies to browseable vintage movie magazines to Youtube videos, silent film festivals and other related movie websites, the LBS resource page is a great place to start your journey of discovery. BEGIN HERE

Smart Set magazine

====== HOMAGE ======

♦ Movies, music, literature, comics & the visual arts have all paid homage to Louise Brooks – a 20th century icon & 21st century muse. Pictured here is one recent example, White Lotus star Haley Lu Richardson as Brooks in The Chaperone. DISCOVER

Haley Lu Richardson