Louise Brooks Society blog

Back in 2018, a three second fragment of technicolor film featuring Louise Brooks was discovered at the BFI (British Film Institute) National Archive. The all-to-brief piece is from The American Venus (1926),  Brooks' second film though her first credited role. The American Venus was one of the earlier examples of the use of Technicolor. In fact, the use of Technicolor in the Frank Tuttle-directed film was considerable, as there are at least three scenes -- according to reportage from the time -- which utilize the process. One is the boardwalk parade of beauty contestants at the […]

This past year has been a heck of a year, to say the least. Admittedly, it has been a year of both highs and lows (I won't talk about the latter, for now), as well as accomplishment and even a few disappointments.The Louise Brooks Society marked a significant milestone in 2025. The LBS was launched in 1995, and this past year the website celebrated its 30th anniversary. To describe the Louise Brooks Society as "pioneering" is not a stretch, as few websites on any subject can claim to have been around as long. The Louise Brooks Society is a  labor of love, and I hope to keep going as long as […]

Happy New Year from Thomas Gladysz and the Louise Brooks Society. Here are a couple of 'smarvelous pictures of Louise Brooks in a celebratory mood.More about Louise Brooks can be found on the newly revamped Louise Brooks Society website at www.pandorasbox.comAnd here is where else you can find the LBS:WEBSITE:  The Louise Brooks Society has been online since 1995. It's website & homepage are located at www.pandorasbox.com  BLOG:  The Louise Brooks Society has a long-running blog, where you will find news, announcements, and more. It can be found at […]

New Year's Eve is a significant date in the career of Louise Brooks, especially in regards to her largely lost 1926 film, The American Venus. (The few surviving minutes of footage are included on Focus on Louise Brooks, a Blu-ray disc scheduled for release by Flicker Alley on January 13, 2026.)The American Venus is a romantic comedy set against the backdrop of a beauty pageant, namely the actual 1925 Miss America contest in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 1925 contest was won by Fay Lanphier, the first Miss California to claim the crown. After winning Miss America, Lanphier was selected […]

 Happy Holidays from Thomas Gladysz and the Louise Brooks Society. If Wishes Come True: "When these stars get up Christmas morning, their trees will be a strange sight if their desires are answered.... Louise Brooks, right, hass a weakness for slippers -- and her friends know it. Enough said." -- Picture Play magazine, January 1929More about the one-and-only Louise Brooks can be found on the newlyrevamped Louise Brooks Society website at www.pandorasbox.comAnd here is where else you can find the LBS:WEBSITE:  The Louise Brooks Society has been online since 1995. It's website & homepage […]

Wanted to encourage everyone to check out the latest Louise Brooks Society Substack, "The Street of Forgotten Men and the Little Church Around the Corner: A look at an historic location shoot." It is a free-to-read stocking stuffer to Louise Brooks fans interested in learning a little more about the actress' first film.The piece looks at the historic New York City church and the role it played in Louise Brooks' first film, The Street of Forgotten Men. Much of the material is taken from my 2023 book, The Street of Forgotten Men: From Story to Screen and Beyond, a deep dive into the history of […]

Empty Saddles, featuring Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1936. The film is a B-Western starring one of the biggest cowboy stars of the time, Buck Jones. The somewhat confused plot revolves around Buck, who attempts to convert the seemingly haunted “Empty Saddles” ranch into a resort, but soon discovers a group of crooked sheep ranchers have other plans. Louise Brooks plays Boots Boone, Bucks’ love interest, who helps out on the ranch.More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website filmography page. In 1930, Brooks turned down an offer to appear in […]

Just Another Blonde, featuring Louise Brooks, was released on this day in 1926. The film is a romantic drama about two small-time gamblers and the two Coney Island girls they romance. For the film, Louise Brooks was loaned out by Paramount to First National. Of the four principals, Brooks has the smallest role, playing a supporting role as the brunette to blonde Dorothy Mackaill, the star of the film.More about the film can be found on the Louise Brooks Society website filmography page. And what's more, this is one of the four films featured on the forthcoming Flicker Alley Blu-ray, […]

The first ever e-book edition of Lulu in Hollywood by Louise Brooks is set to be released on February 3, 2026 by the University of Minnesota press. The print edition has just recently been re-released with a bold new front and back cover, shown below. (I have seen the back cover, but it hasn't yet been made public.)I am pleased to report that both the e-book edition of Lulu in Hollywood and its re-release as a print edition has come about through behind-the-scenes efforts of Thomas Gladysz and the Louise Brooks Society.The book description on amazon.com, as of now, reads: "Essential writings […]