Who Is the Exotic Black Orchid?

Be sure and check out Andi Brooks' rockin' Louise Brooks inspired song "Who Is the Exotic Black Orchid" at http://www.myspace.com/564763002/music/playlists/andi-brooks-s-playlist-202705

Might a couple of the other songs on this playlist also be inspire by our Miss Brooks? Listen and you be the judge.

Documentary filmmaker Richard Leacock dead at age 89

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Richard Leacock has died. He was 89 years old. Leacock, along with fellow directors D.A. Pennebaker, Robert Drew and the Maysles Brothers, helped pioneer the nonfiction format known as “direct cinema,” or Cinéma Vérité. His film-making carer spanned the years 1935 to 1996.

In 1984, he released Lulu in Berlin, a 50 minute filmed interview with Louise Brooks (intercut with film clips)  shot in the 1970's. It is remarkable and rare document, and has often been incorporated into other documentaries and television programs. I had a chance to meet and speak with Leacock a few years back, when Lulu in Berlin and another of his documentaries was shown here in San Francisco. You can read more about the man and his work at www.richardleacock.com

The entirety of Lulu in Berlin can be found on YouTube. Part one is embeded below.

Diary of a Lost Girl now at Southern Utah University

I am pleased to report that Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah now has The Diary of a Lost Girl (Louise Brooks edition) on their shelves. Southern Utah University is the 16 WorldCat reporting library to acquire the book.

Don't forget to ask your local or university library to get a copy. More info about the book at http://www.pandorasbox.com/diary.html

A portrait of Louise Brooks, by M.I. Boris

A portrait of Louise Brooks, by M.I. Boris

Another Louise Brooks postcard

I think this is one of the loveliest images of Louise Brooks....it stands apart from so many other portraits of the actress in that she is not wearing her trademark bob.

Louise Brooks postcard

Louise Brooks peers over Hemingway's shoulder

Louise Brooks, or at least a very good likeness of the actress, appears on the cover of a new book, peering over the shoulder of novelist Ernest Hemingway. The book, One True Sentence by Craig McDonald, was released just last week.

Set in Paris in 1924, One True Sentence is a historical and literary pastiche. The publisher describes it thus: "A Moveable Feast meets The Dante Club in this ­­­­exquisite mystery that takes readers from the cafés of Montparnasse, through the historic graveyards of Paris, to the smoky backrooms of bookstores and salons."

The story centers on one "Hector Lassiter, crime novelist and best friend of Ernest Hemingway, [who] is crossing the Pont Neuf when he hears a body fall into the Seine, the first in a string of brutal murders that befall literary magazine editors on both banks of the City of Lights. Eager to solve the mystery, Gertrude Stein gathers the most prominent crime and mystery writers in the city, including Hector and the dark and intriguing mystery novelist Brinke Devlin. Soon, Hector and Brinke are tangled not only under the sheets but in a web of murders, each more grisly than the next, and Hemingway, Hector, and Brinke have to scramble to find the killer before they become the next victims."

I think the cover is attractive, and the book sounds like a fun read. The author, Craig McDonald, is a journalist, editor, and fiction writer. In 2008, his debut novel, Head Games, was nominated for an Edgar and was also a finalist for the Anthony, Gumshoe, and Crimespree awards for best first novel. His previous book is Print the Legend. I've emailed McDonald asking for comment.

And by the way, doesn't the woman to the right of the Eiffel Tower look like actess Lya De Putti ? I think so.

UPDATE 2/23/2011: I heard back from author Craig McDonald. He wrote, "The woman depicted on the cover of the book is an artist's conception of a character in the book who is a mystery writer named Brinke Devlin. Louise is not a character in the book (although I am an admitted fan of Ms. Brooks')."