Adventures in Vintage Hair Styling-Happy Birthday to The Queen of The Bob-Louise Brooks

November 14 will mark the 131st anniversary of the birth of one of the most stylish women of all time, Louise Brooks.  The queen of the bob, Louise was known not just for her brilliant acting, but her rebellious flapper spirit and her gorgeous, shiny Bob.

Louise's hair was so striking that she was known as "the girl in the black helmet." Perhaps, her look was a little too iconic because she never transitioned out of her flapper image and her film career evaporated in the 1930s.

Louise appeared in just 12   films, yet nearly 100 years later she remains one of the most recognizable stars of the silent era, particularly for the 1929 German film Pandora's Box.

Louise will never be my favorite silent female star, my heart forever belongs to Clara Bow, but I do adore her and I think that in the flapper hair contest she passes the finish line before the others even get out of the opening.  No one has ever looked as fabulous in a Bob as Louise did.  I'm no Louise Brooks, and I'm constantly changing my hair, but for the past 15 years I keep returning to one particular style, the close cropped Brook's style Bob. 

 

 While I'm no Louise, I really think this is my all time favorite hair style and for now at least I've decided to keep it.  Do you have a favorite iconic hair style?

On another note if you read this blog you know we have had some pet health problems this month, though thankfully none too serious yet.   First Fry had a biopsy (benign yeah!), then our cat Ernie had a seizure or cardiac arythmia attack we don't really know which, and now 13 year old Ping has bronchitis.  She started honking and coughing on Election night, perhaps sickened as I was by the turn of events, and I was really afraid that she had pneumonia.  Thankfully, it's just bronchitis, but respiratory issues are always serious in pugs, particularly older pugs, and we are a little concerned.  Thankfully, so far she seems to be coughing a bit less and responding to the antibiotics, but any well wishes are appreciated.

WC Fields and Louise Brooks

Today marks the 136th anniversary of the birth of boozy comedy star WC Fields.  Known for his 1930s classics like My Little Chickadee and It's A Gift.  Fields started in Vaudeville and was already and experienced and established star by the time cinema came around.  In his 40s during the 1920s  he was older then most of the leading men of the period, but he was still a popular star.   In the 1926 film It's The Old Army Game fields worked with flapper icon, Louise Brooks.   Brooks and Fields  had worked together in the follies, and both being iconoclasts and something of outsiders in the Hollywood scene, they were good friends.   In the film Field's plays a put upon drugstore owner, and Brooks is his charming counter girl.

Luring customers to the shop with her charms.

It's a sweet film and fans of Field's will recognize many of the gags from his later works, like It's A Gift.   Field's is funny,  but I think he was still getting used to the new medium of film when this was made, and he is one star whose better, and funnier, with sound.  The best thing about the film is Brooks.  Its nice to see her playing a sweet small town flapper as opposed to a vampy one.    She's charming and adorable in her flapper frocks and I wish the film had more of her.

It's The Old Army Game can be seen in its entirety on you tube.  It's a good example of a silent comedy, with some big stars in the early days of their careers.  

Cinema Spotlight-The Show Off 1926

Before she decamped to Germany to make scandalous films with G.W. Pabst flapper style icon Louise Brooks, whose birthday is November 14, made an American silent comedy that is delightfully still available for viewing today.   The Show Off filmed in 1926 features Brooks in a supporting role. 

It is the story of a self aggrandizing braggart who by way of his over the top lies manages to marry the daughter of a respectable family.  The braggart, Aubrey Piper,  in question is played by Ford Sterling

 



and the daughter he charms and marries, Amy Fisher, is played by Louis Wilson.

While is Amy is utterly oblivious to her fiancés obnoxious ways, her family is not.....and her family includes her smart and observant sister Clara, played by Louise Brooks. 

Clara is a supporting character in the film so Louis is not the star of the picture......But with her commanding presence and charm she steals every scene she's in.

There aren't many costume changes in the film, but what costumes there are our very well done, fantastic examples of every day 1920s clothes.  Louis wears  exclusively black which highlights her graphic Bob.   I love this simple black day dress with the white peter pan collar and interesting buttons and fabric striping:

In the clip below you can see Louise in the lovely dress and also the actress who plays her mother who interestingly is wearing a dress that looks a lot like the Matilda frock from ReVamp Vintage.

In addition to the peter pan collar dress there are two other looks.  A black eveningy dress with sheer arms

and a top with a sailor type tye, paired with a pleated black skirt, and a simple black cloche hat.

The Show Off has been brilliantly restored and the images are crisp and clear.  it is available to rent from Netflix, it comes with the Plastic Age, and on Amazon Instant Video.

 

Silent Film sunday Trailer for Louise Brook's Diary of a Lost Girl

November 14 marks the 108th anniversary of the birth of flapper style icon and silent screen legend Louise Brooks.   An iconoclast Brooks fled Hollywood at the height of her popularity to make films in Germany including the  controversial at the time, 1929 classic Pandora's Box:

Silent Film Sunday-Louise Brooks in Pandora's Box

November 14 was the birthday of the brilliant and beautiful silent film star Louise Brooks.   Here is the trailer from her most famous film, Pandora's Box 1929