Evelyn Brent should be well known to fans of Louise Brooks. The two actresses had a lot in common.
Each starred in Love Em and Leave Em (1926), a romantic comedy about two sisters played. The film was something of a hit, and should be considered one of Brooks’ best American silent films. Brent also had a role in another film in which Brooks was cast, the neglected 1937 crime picture, King of Gamblers, directed by Robert Florey. (Brooks’ role in this latter film was cut.)
As Brooks enjoyed only a brief career in Hollywood, any actor or actress who can claim more than one appearance in a Brooks’ film is something of a rarity. Apparently, their encounters left an impression. In 1975, Brooks wrote a short appreciation of Brent which was published in the bulletin of the Toronto Film Society.
Though Brent’s reputation has languished somewhat in the annals of film history, she is now the subject of an excellent new biography which should go a long way in reviving interest.
Like Brooks, Brent had an interesting career and in the 1920s and 1930s appeared in a number of notable films. She worked alongside actors still remembered today (William Powell, George Bancroft, Emil Jannings), as well as under the direction of some of the leading filmmakers of her time (Tod Browning, Josef von Sternberg, Frank Tuttle). Brent was also an interesting and enigmatic personality, and her life story contains a number of twists and turns which should keep even the casual film buff or student of human nature interested.
All of this comes through - as do the many parallel's with Brooks' life - in Lynn Kear’s Evelyn Brent: The Life and Films of Hollywood’s Lady Crook (McFarland, 2009). The book, with contributions by James King, features a foreword by Kevin Brownlow. The acclaimed film historian writes, “Brent’s story, a fascinating one with ups and downs, is a cautionary tale of fame, fortune, choices, and Hollywood.”
Brent (born 1899) moved from modeling in New York City to small roles in films while still a teenager. Her debut (actually her second film) came in 1915 with The Shooting of Dan McGrew. Brent also worked on the British stage and in British silent films. In 1922, she was “discovered” by Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. A year later, Brent was selected a WAMPAS Baby Star.
By the end of the Twenties, Brent was an established veteran who had already appeared in a string of well regarded roles in films like The Dangerous Flirt (1924), Silk Stocking Sal (1924), and Love Em and Leave Em (1926). Brent had sultry good looks which were popular with fans on both sides of the aisle.
In 1928, following her divorce from producer Bernard Fineman, Brent was happily living with writer and film critic Dorothy Herzog. By then, this tiny brunette who had wowed fans and critics alike in Underworld (1927) and The Last Command (1928) was approaching major stardom. She'd also been something of a sensation in Paramount's first dialogue film, Interference (1928), and appeared in the all-star revue Paramount on Parade (1930).
However, around this time and like Brooks, Brent was already headed into a downward spiral ending in bankruptcy and only occasional work in films for poverty row studios.
In the Thirties, Brent toured vaudeville and found work as a bit player in B-list films like Hopalong Cassidy Returns (1936) and King of Gamblers (1937). After performing in more than 120 movies, the still alluring actress retired in 1950. She worked for a number of years as an actor's agent. Brent died in 1975.
Throughout her life - and despite her successes, something always seemed to be holding Brent back – as with Brooks. What happened to the largely unfulfilled promise of her career is in the words of the author “a complicated story laced with bad luck, poor decisions, and treachery.”
Film scholar Kear has published two well-received volumes on the life and career of Kay Francis. The only complaint one might have against Evelyn Brent: The Life and Films of Hollywood’s Lady Crook is that there isn’t enough of it. This 300 page book is about evenly divided between biography and an extensive and detailed filmography. The 119 pages of biographical material reads quick and leaves you wanting more. It is an engaging and well researched work, and includes 36 photos, appendices, and bibliography.
Brent fans will have a chance to see the actress on the big screen when the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum in Fremont, California screens the 1926 romantic comedy, Love Em and Leave Em, on October 9th. Showtime for this rare 16mm screening is 7:30 pm.
Recently, two silent film masterpieces starring Brent and directed by Josef von Sternberg, Underworld and The Last Command, were released on DVD through the Criterion Collection.
For more info: Lynn Kear’s Evelyn Brent: The Life and Films of Hollywood’s Lady Crook is available through the McFarland website as well as amazon.com and select independent bookstores.
Thomas Gladysz is an arts journalist and author. Recently, he wrote the introduction to the new “Louise Brooks edition” of Margarete Böhme's classic book, The Diary of a Lost Girl (PandorasBox Press). Gladysz lives in San Francisco, and loves watching and reading about old movies. More at www.thomasgladysz.com.
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