Mary Louise Brooks, also known by her childhood name of Brooksie, was born in the midwestern town of Cherryvale, Kansas, on November 14, 1906. She began dancing at an early age with the Denishawn Dancers (which was how she left Kansas and went to New York) and then with George White's Scandals before joining the Ziegfeld Follies, but became one of the most fascinating and alluring personalities ever to grace the silver screen. She was always compared to her Lulu role in Pandora's Box, which was filmed in 1928. Her performances in A Girl in Every Port and Beggars of Life, both filmed in 1928, proved to all concerned that Louise had real talent. She became known, mostly, for her bobbed hair style. Thousands of women were attracted to that style and adopted it as their own. As you will note by her photographs, she was no doubt the trend setter of the 1920s with her Buster Brown-Page Boy type hair cut, much like today's women imitate stars. Because of her dark haired look and being the beautiful woman that she was, plus being a modern female, she was not especially popular among Hollywood's clientle. She just did not go along with the norms of the film society. Louise really came into her own when she left Hollywood for Europe. There she appeared in a few German productions which were very well made and continued to prove she was an actress with an enduring talent. Until she ended her career in film in 1938, she had made only 25 movies. After that, she spent most of her time reading and painting. She also became an accomplished writer, authoring a number of books, including her autobiography. On August 8, 1985, Louise died of a heart attack in Rochester, New York. She was 78 years old.



Overland Stage Raiders (1938): $300
The Canary Murder Case (1929): $250/week

Interred at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Rochester, New York, USA. Trying to make a Hollywood comeback after working in Europe, she turned down an offer to star with James Cagney in the classic The Public Enemy (1931). The role could have revitalized her career. After retiring, went on to write many witty and intelligent essays on the film industry. Briefly the mistress of CBS founder William Paley, who secretly provided her with a yearly pension for the rest of her life. A 20th Century-Fox talent scout spotted a girl named Linda Carter in a play and offered her a screen test. "Linda Carter" was actually Brooks, who was attempting a comeback. (July 1938) Marlene Dietrich was sitting in Georg Wilhelm Pabst's office, ready to accept the role of Lulu in Pandora's Box at the same time Brooks walked out on her Paramount contract. In Neil Gaiman's novel, American Gods, the character Czernobog called her the "greatest American actress of all time." Provided the inspiration for British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's 1991 Hit "Pandora's Box." The Promo Video Clip features lead Singer Andy McCluskey inter cut with images from the artists Film of the same name. By 1946, she had to take a $40-a-week job as a sales girl at Saks Fifth Avenue to make a living. She was raised in Wichita. Was a dancer-showgirl before becoming an actress. Was the chief example for a type of women called "Flapper," which evolved in the 1920s.