What did other critics think of Louise Brooks and The Show-Off (1926)? All-in-all, opinion was positive. Here is a survey, in the form of a number of quotes, from some of the newspapers and magazines of the time. All sources are American unless otherwise noted.
“A comedy of characterization, done with sharpness and feeling, has been evolved brightly out of George Kelly’s The Show-Off by that tall young director, Malcolm St. Clair. A movie of more than just funny situations.” — A.T., The World
“The rest of the cast . . . prove competent and give life-like performances. An uncommonly fine little picture, every foot of which is worth seeing, and so clearly told as not to need many of the subtitles that go with it, unusually good as these invariably are.” — National Board of Review Magazine
“Mal St. Clair and a competent cast can make a trifling plot into a witty picture. With a worth-while play to work on they’ve turned out a film quite as excellent.” — C. E., New York American
“Louise Brooks is the Clara. The movie people decided that the unhappily married sister of the play was not suited to Louise, so the movie Clara turns up as a next-door neighbor, Joe’s girl friend. Miss Brooks has little to do but wear form-revealing gowns and ever so often utter a ‘wise crack,’ for all titles of this nature are put right in her mouth.” — Boston Herald
“The added character of the sweetheart next door is played by Louise Brooks, whose youth and beauty make up for her lack of warmth and spontaneity in characterization.” — H. David Strauss, New York Morning Telegraph
“The sweetheart of the brother is played by Louise Brooks, who does well in a negligible role.” — Herbert Moulton, Los Angeles Times
“Louise Brooks played the role of Clara, all made over to suit her.” — Washington Herald
“Louise Brooks is cast as something-or-other, but as usual is conspicuous for her figure, her dramatic ability being perhaps not so good.” — Washington Star
“Louise Brooks, an emphatic type, with her dark hair and eyes and straight eyebrows, is bound to be noticed. Her histrionic efforts in this picture, however, are negligible.” — Mordaunt Hall, New York Times
“A romance has been developed between Joe Fisher, the inventor son, given a distinctive performance by Gregory Kelly, and girl next door, fetchingly portrayed by Louise Brooks.” — Curran D. Swint, San Francisco News
“Louise Brooks makes a good sweetheart of the heroine’s brother; in the scenes where she is shown upbraiding the hero for having brought misery upon the heroine’s family, she is very good.” — P. S. Harrison, Harrison’s Reports
“The cast includes Louise Brooks, who does a bit of excellent acting.” — Los Angeles Evening Herald
“Louise Brooks (the bold thing) is as luscious as can be.” — John McNulty, Columbus Citizen
“Louise Brooks looks the part of the modern flapper type.” — Rush, Variety
“The Show-Off has caught the fancy of the town.” — Kalamazoo Gazette
“The photoplay is a screen version of the famous stage play which ran for two years at the Playhouse in New York. Sterling’s clever work is making a hit of the picture version.” — anonymous, Sacramento Union
“Ford Sterling in the title role lives the part, ably supported by Lois Wilson, Louise Brooks and a well-balanced cast.” — Wood Soanes, Oakland Tribune
“Though it is largely a one-man production, the rest of the cast has a chance to turn in some excellent bits of acting.” — anonymous, Indianapolis Daily Star
“The balance of the cast, Louise Brooks, Gregory Kelly, C. W. Goodrich and Joseph Smalley, had parts which kept them well in the background a large part of the time.” — Leonard Boyd, Los Angeles Examiner
“Louise Brooks and Gregory Kelly acquit themselves with distinction.” — anonymous, Flint Journal