The Golden Age of Publicity #25
William Powell examines the body of Louise Brooks in this publicity still from the 1929 Paramount release, The Canary Murder Case
for the series:
The Golden Age of Publicity
July 01, 2009
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15 comments so far:
Sigh.
Some guys are luckier than others.
Sigh.
Someone, presumably the director, should have told the ineffable Ms. Brooks that being dead generally dislodges knit eyebrows.
don't let her get'cha in a headlock Nick!
I want to see this so bad. I love William Powell and I'm interested in hearing how the dubbing fiasco turned out.
Her eyebrows always looked that way.
Vanwall, re:eyebrows, knit. Baloney. Don't let the bangs fool ya, overacting, weak directing.
shes dreaming about hundreds of canaries all over her body..
So shiny...
Some guys are luckier than others.
Yes -- not only did William Powell work on-screen with the likes of Louise Brooks and Myrna Loy, but he was invovled both on screen and off with two Hollywood goddesses, Carole Lombard and Jean Harlow. A splendid actor, too.
As for Ms. Brooks, she effectively self-sabotaged her career by refusing to return to Paramount from Europe for voice work when "The Canary Murder Case" was converted into a talkie. Another actress dubbed her voice, and Brooks' career quickly descended into character, then bit parts. I know a lot of people adore her, and understandably so, but face it -- at times she was her own worst enemy.
Still and all, Pandoras Box is the only movie I ever watched three times in row, and it's a long movie. Incredible!
Vanwall, in all the (many) things I have read about Brooks, I have never read a good explanation for why she wouldn't do the dubbing. Seems it was no more than a remarkably capricious act of self-sabotage.
Personally, Siren, I see the hand of George Marshall, directly or indirectly, in that decision, which may only have postponed things if she'd said yes - her decision to pass on the "The Public Enemy" role was more of disaster in hindsight. She worked better in cosmopolitan settings, and prolly would've worked steadily if the Studios were still mainly in the NYC area. She really, truly, deeply, and a little madly, hated Hollywood.
William Powell was the man, & Louise Brooks was the woman!
http://themave.com/Powell/
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