RUTH HARRIET LOUISE - MGM PHOTOGRAPHER 1925-30

[Gagman 66]

Was lucky to find these intriguing stills a few weeks ago. Does anyone know the survival status of this movie?




Herbert Rawlinson and Claire Windsor in THE BUGLE CALL (MGM, 1927)




THE BUGLE CALL-"Christmas Eve Dance At The Fort"

[charliechaplinfan]

Jeffrey, I don't know of the existence of The Bugle Call, thank you for filling in gaps in my knowledge, I couldn't place the faces yet I knew I'd seen them before. I love your still.

Thanks, Rudyfan, I'm still working my way through the text, I'll leave some more details of her work later. She was unusual for preferring full body shots and cropping them down. She didn't take every single picture like that, she did take some closeups. She was trained in New York and had her own ideas, her subjects usually touch the edges of the frame and aren't always centred. Who did MGM let this talented photographer go. The books hints it's because of Norma Shearer who wanted to appear sexier but I'll have to wait to read that bit. I know she died in 1940 in childbirth, what a tragedy.

[charliechaplinfan]

MGM stills department housed as many as 12 photographers housed in 3 buildings and under the supervision of Clarence Bull created still scenes and general publicity, there were places for developing, retouching, printing and a reception area. There were two portrait studios. one for Louise and one for Bull. Louise had a large degree of autonomy had her own studio and editing builing, most photograpgers would work on specific productions but Louise worked on the full range of images intended for publicity, as a result she reported not to Bull but to Howard Strickling the head of publicity. Louise employed her own assistant and a retoucher and in his words, 'she was a much better photographer than Bull'. There was certainly tension between he two. Bull maintained his own portrait studio, Bull's portraits were mainly costume studies or general publicity, he took some stills of the male stars. If Bull and Louise worked on the same production he would work with the subject on the set and Louise would take the portraits in her studio.



Mae Murray, once the queen of MGM



A softer portrait of Mae



I'm unsure if this is Mae or Marion, when I first looked at it I thought Marion, now I'm not sure? Anyone else hazard a guess.



A lovely Eleanor Boardman

[charliechaplinfan]

Some more unknown can anyone identify them?



I feel that I really should know this face but a name just won't come to me.



The same here, I've seen the face and keep looking at it waiting for inspiration but non will come to me, I want to say Colleen Moore but that's because of the hairstyle.



With this one I haven't the slightest clue.

[charliechaplinfan]

A portrait session for a star involved real effort, working under hot lights in the Southern California sun. The cameras that were used required each negative be hand loaded and the focus adjusted prior to each exposure. On the set the production stills meant staying still a little longer once the director had shouted 'cut' for the photographer to catch the scene. A session in the portrait studio meant long hours of posing, costume changes and more posing. Anita Page remembers sessions lasting over 2 hours with just her and Louise. Unless a specific production was being promoted Louise would usually chose the costumes and props. Portraits to do with production usually took place the day after filming had wrapped, whilst costumes and makeup were still available.



Ruth Harriet Louise at work with Joan Crawford, it gives us some idea of how she worked.

[Gagman 66]

Alison,

The girl with the dark short hair believe it or not is Bessie Love. The guy is James Murray. The other photo with the Baby is to small for me to tell who she is.




Bessie Love-"Snazzy Pajamas"

[charliechaplinfan]

Jeffrey, I'd never have guessed Bessie Love even though I recognised her features, perhaps she was masquerading as Colleen Moore that day. I should have know James Murray, seeing as he's in one of my favorite silents, perhaps it's the makeup that set me off track.

[Gagman 66]

Alison,

This ties in. A nice publicity photo from 1924 Showcasing the Ladies of First National. Pictured are Bessie Love, Corinne Griffith (Center), and Colleen Moore.



"Sweetie Pies"

[charliechaplinfan]

I see now, thanks



Another one of Joan, at this time Joan was being built in to one of mayer's big stars and she needed the portraits to publicise her. Joan never complained about posing for pictures to please her fans.



Garbo dressed in an outfit from The Temptress, her second American film, both films portrayed her as wanton women.



Garbo photographed with her mentor Maurice Stiller on the right and Victor Sjostrom a fellow Swede and director of The Scarlett Letter and The Wind.



A beautiful Renee Adoree

[charliechaplinfan]

Two more pictures of Joan, the first, I think comes from very early on in her MGM career.



A very casual Garbo

[Marta]

Fantastic photos Alison. I think she really caught the natural beauty of Joan Crawford. I always love seeing photos of Buster Keaton as well, and these did him justice.

[charliechaplinfan]

Being new to photobucket I went and rearranged my pictures into albums and lost some of the links, silly me.

I thought you'd like Buster, Marta.

[knitwit45]

Alison, thanks so much for all these fabulous pictures! Greta Garbo is a personal favorite, and seeing her in some of these photos....wow!

[charliechaplinfan]

There's something about photographs from this era, they still retouched but for me at least it seems more of a work of art than todays photographs.

I love the Garbo pictures too, there is something so exquisite about her face.

[charliechaplinfan]

I finished the book on Ruth Harriet Louise, she left MGM at the behest of Norma Shearer who had found a photographer Phillip Hurrell who could convey the sexiness she wanted to put across. Louise had succeeded in only making her glamourous and Norma was out to get the choice movie roles at MGM and Hurrell was important in building her image.

Ruth Harriet Louise married in 1928 and had two children in the early thirties, one of these died aged 6 of leukeamia, she went on to have another child but in 1940 at the age of 37 she died from complications of childbirth, her child a son born prematurely also died.

I'll post some more images in the next few days.