Nineteen twenty-six proved to be a breakout year in life of Louise Brooks. The year before, Brooks was performing as a dancer with the Ziegfeld Follies when she was offered a screen test with Paramount, after which she was given a bit part in a film, The Street of Forgotten Men. Brooks played a moll (the girlfriend of a hoodlum) and was on screen for only a couple of minutes in this notable Herbert Brenon directed underworld drama. She did well, or at least well enough, for a newcomer. And though her role was small and she was not even mentioned in the credits, Brooks received her first critical notice for work in a film. In August of 1925, an anonymous critic for the Los Angeles Times wrote, “And there was a little rowdy, obviously attached to the ‘blind’ man, who did some vital work during her few short scenes. She was not listed.” Though few might have noticed, Brooks’ career was off and running. By the Fall of 1925, she had quit the Follies and signed a five year contract with Paramount.
Brooks would go on to appear in six films over the course of the following year. Her second film, and the first for which she received a screen credit, was The American Venus. Brooks received fifth billing (behind Esther Ralston, Fay Lanphier, Lawrence Gray, and Ford Sterling) and plays a beauty contestant in this now lost, Frank Tuttle directed film. Though a newcomer in a supporting role, Brooks managed to turn the heads of critics of both sexes. For her supporting role as Miss Bayport, a contestant, Brooks received a modest amount of press coverage and was even singled out by a handful of reviewers. One female critic noted Brooks’ “distinct screen personality”, while a male critic stated this newcomer was “better looking than any of the other brunettes now acting in films”. It was a promising start.
Brooks’ next film, which is also lost, was A Social Celebrity. It’s a romantic comedy about a small town barber who follows his heart and heads to the big city. Brooks plays the barber’s love interest, a small town manicurist who also heads to the big city to become a dancer. The film is the third in which Brooks appeared, the second for which she received a screen credit, but the first in which she had a featured role. The film was originally set to feature Greta Nissen, another up-and-comer. When she quit the film early in its production, Brooks’ supporting role was rewritten and she took part of the female lead. It was a huge break for the 19-year old Brooks — one which would prove to be a turning point in her career as the barber, played by Adolphe Menjou, was one of the major stars of the time. In reviewing the film, many critics took special note of Brooks, and thereafter she was regarded as someone to watch.
Brooks’ next film was It’s the Old Army Game, a comedy about a small town druggist (played by W.C. Fields) who gets involved with a real estate scam. Brooks plays the druggist’s assistant. The film was Brooks’ fourth, and it reunited her with Fields, the film’s star. The two had worked together in the Ziegfeld Follies, and Brooks’ youthful beauty proved a counterpoint to the older Fields and his mannered routines and fussy character. Despite Fields’ already large reputation, Brooks held her own. And once again, many critics took note of Brooks’ role in the film.
The Show-Off, directed by Malcolm St. Clair, followed just a couple of months later. It is another comedy, this one about an insufferable braggart who disrupts the life of a middle-class family. While largely remembered today as a Brooks’ film, The Show-Off is really a vehicle for Ford Sterling, a legendary comedian best remembered for his work as a member of the Keystone Kops. As a broad comedian, he was the perfect choice for the role of the titular blowhard, Aubrey Piper. Brooks once again holds her own in a supporting role as the love interest of the boy who lives next door. It is too bad Brooks doesn’t have a larger role in The Show-Off, as it is, arguably, the actress’ best surviving comedy.
Brooks’ first four films of 1926 were each Paramount productions. However, for her next film, the Alfred Santell directed Just Another Blonde, she was loaned out to another studio, First National. Just Another Blonde is a romantic drama about two small-time gamblers and the two Coney Island girls they romance. Of the four principals, Brooks has the smallest role — yet another supporting role, this time as a brunette to blonde Dorothy Mackaill, the star of the film. Just Another Blonde, which was released in late 1926, is partly lost.
Brooks returned to Paramount to film Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em, which was also released in late 1926. Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em, another Frank Tuttle directed film, is the story of two sisters — one “good” and one “bad” — who work as shop girls in a department store. A popular and critical success, the film also marked a turning point in Brooks’ film career, as it was the last movie the actress made on the East Coast. Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em is a rather good little film in which Brooks, as the younger sister, nearly steals the show by stealing the boyfriend from her old sister, the film’s star, Evelyn Brent.
All-in-all, 1926 was a busy year for Brooks – who went from aspiring actress to rising star. (She also married Eddie Sutherland, her director on It’s the Old Army Game.) Based on the amount of press coverage she received, critics and fans seemed to be intrigued by the newcomer, and Paramount, recognizing they had a star in the making, decided to transfer Brooks from their East Coast to their West Coast studio. By the end of the year, Brooks would leave for Hollywood.