Louise Brooks Society
Encyclopedia
The Louise Brooks Society is an internet resource - an online archive
devoted to the silent film
star Louise Brooks
(1906–1985). The Louise Brooks Society, or LBS, was started in 1995 and launched on the web that same year. The stated goals of the LBS are to promote a greater awareness of the life and films of the celebrated actress, dancer, and writer.
According to its website
, "The mission of the Louise Brooks Society is to honor the actress by stimulating interest in Louise Brooks' life and films, as well as her place in 20th century culture; by fostering and coordinating research on her life, films and writings; by serving as a repository for material relevant to the actress; and by advocating for the preservation and restoration of Louise Brooks' films and related material."
The site's online archive contains some 200 pages of material – including extensive bibliographies, a filmography, a chronology, commentary, vintage articles, memorabilia, portrait galleries, links, and contributions from individuals from around the world. The LBS bibliographies – the result of considerable research - are its primary contribution to a growing body of scholarship concerning the actress.
The LBS also has a long-running blog
, as well as its own online radio station, RadioLulu (which is part of Live365).
In its more 15 year history, the LBS has helped bring both the Barry Paris
biography of the actress and Louise Brooks' own book, Lulu in Hollywood, back into print through the University of Minnesota Press. It is so credited in each edition.
The society has also contributed material to various books published around the world, mounted an exhibit at the San Francisco Public Library
and elsewhere, co-sponsored events including screenings and lectures, "inspired" the documentary Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu, and helped generated media interest in the actress.
The efforts of the LBS has been written about in newspapers and magazines around the world including USA Today
, The New York Times
, The Times
, The Guardian
, Melbourne Age, Stuttgarter Zeitung, and Le Temps
. In 1995, at the time of its 10th anniversary, the film historian Leonard Maltin
praised the LBS on his website.
The LBS website also serves as home to an internet-based, international fan club. At last count, its 1750 members hail from 50 countries on six continents. Members of the LBS include film buffs, movie industry professionals, actors, writers, academics, artists, and other interested individuals from all walks of life.
Archive
An archive is a collection of historical records, or the physical place they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime, and are kept to show the function of an organization...
devoted to the silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
star Louise Brooks
Louise Brooks
Mary Louise Brooks , generally known by her stage name Louise Brooks, was an American dancer, model, showgirl and silent film actress, noted for popularizing the bobbed haircut. Brooks is best known for her three feature roles including two G. W...
(1906–1985). The Louise Brooks Society, or LBS, was started in 1995 and launched on the web that same year. The stated goals of the LBS are to promote a greater awareness of the life and films of the celebrated actress, dancer, and writer.
According to its website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
, "The mission of the Louise Brooks Society is to honor the actress by stimulating interest in Louise Brooks' life and films, as well as her place in 20th century culture; by fostering and coordinating research on her life, films and writings; by serving as a repository for material relevant to the actress; and by advocating for the preservation and restoration of Louise Brooks' films and related material."
The site's online archive contains some 200 pages of material – including extensive bibliographies, a filmography, a chronology, commentary, vintage articles, memorabilia, portrait galleries, links, and contributions from individuals from around the world. The LBS bibliographies – the result of considerable research - are its primary contribution to a growing body of scholarship concerning the actress.
The LBS also has a long-running blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, as well as its own online radio station, RadioLulu (which is part of Live365).
In its more 15 year history, the LBS has helped bring both the Barry Paris
Barry Paris
Barry Paris is an author and journalist based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His best-known works include acclaimed biographies of film stars Louise Brooks, Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn. He is a movie reviewer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and co-host of a weekly radio show on WQED-FM. Paris...
biography of the actress and Louise Brooks' own book, Lulu in Hollywood, back into print through the University of Minnesota Press. It is so credited in each edition.
The society has also contributed material to various books published around the world, mounted an exhibit at the San Francisco Public Library
San Francisco Public Library
The San Francisco Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Francisco. Its main library is located in San Francisco's Civic Center, at 100 Larkin Street at Grove. The first public library of San Francisco officially opened in 1879, just 30 years after the California Gold...
and elsewhere, co-sponsored events including screenings and lectures, "inspired" the documentary Louise Brooks: Looking for Lulu, and helped generated media interest in the actress.
The efforts of the LBS has been written about in newspapers and magazines around the world including USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Melbourne Age, Stuttgarter Zeitung, and Le Temps
Le Temps
Founded in 1998, Le Temps is a Swiss newspaper edited in French. Le Temps consists of a daily newspaper , several supplements , thematic special editions, a performing website and digital applications.Le Temps is the...
. In 1995, at the time of its 10th anniversary, the film historian Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
praised the LBS on his website.
The LBS website also serves as home to an internet-based, international fan club. At last count, its 1750 members hail from 50 countries on six continents. Members of the LBS include film buffs, movie industry professionals, actors, writers, academics, artists, and other interested individuals from all walks of life.
External links
- Official website
- LBS blog
- RadioLulu online radio station