The Expressions of Louise Fazenda (1920) 🇬🇧

The beautiful star who has won the title of “Queen of Grotesqueries.”

Louise Fazenda, queen of comediennes, is twenty-five years of age, having been born in 1895. She has not always played comedy parts — the fairies who watched over her at her birth gave her a beautiful face, luxurious bright golden-brown hair, and expressive hazel eyes, in addition to a keen sense of humour. Beginning her education in a convent, and taking honours at the Los Angeles High School, she turned her attention to the stage, where she was successful in obtaining a few years’ experience in a stock company.

Made the Camera-Man Laugh.

Her entrance into comedy roles came with her first appearance on the screen. She was engaged to appear in a Mack Sennett comedy, as one of the beauty girls. As she came into range of the camera she slipped, but she kept her presence of mind, and turned the accident into a comedy fall, so as not to spoil the picture — but the picture was spoiled. Louise acted her part so well that the camera man stopped turning to laugh. That decided Louise. “A girl who could make a camera men laugh has no business to play any other part,” she said, and the producer agreed with her. From that day to this Louise has been known to her film admirers as “queen of grotesqueries.”

Cannot Disguise Her Wistfulness.

Thousands of people who see her on the screen only know her by her weird style of hairdressing — hair scraped back except for a huge kiss curl in the centre of her forehead. But those who are observant have noticed a wistfulness of expression and a winsome charm that cannot be disguised by make-up.

Italian in Name Only.

Louise says that most of her letters are from picture-goers who are concerned as to how she looks with her hair out of pigtails, and not a few are worried about her Italian name. Louise assures Picture Show readers she is Italian in name only.

A Refuter of Slander.

Miss Fazenda is a living example that refutes the slander that all women are vain — particularly pretty women. In creating her part in comedy roles she disregards entirely the rights of beauty. She hides her good looks under a bushel of make-up, and sets out to make the world laugh, not with, but at her. Her reward has been that her name is well known to all lovers of comedy — and who is not devoted to an art that brings smiles to a dull, perplexed world?

Like Men’s Games Best.

As all her admirers know, Louise is more than a clever acrobat, and she revels in men’s games, saying they are the best means of keeping fit. The other day when she pitched a winning game for the home baseball team composed of girls against a team of men she was so delighted that she turned a back somersault on the field and was cheered by everyone watching the game.

Miss Fazenda is not an amateur baseball pitcher. During her high-school course she played the game every afternoon and was considered one of the star players of the Los Angeles high-school nine.

Wearing the flannel shirt, striped trousers, striped cap and wool socks affected by the men players, Miss Fazenda pitched in a sportsmanlike manner and won the approbation of both teams by her excellent control and poise.

She declares that she prefers baseball to tennis or golf, because the exercise is more violent and the game is keener and more of a man’s game.

“It’s the best game of them all,” declares Miss Fazenda. “Some day, when I get rich, I’m going to have a team of my own.”

A Picture to Look Forward To.

The latest part taken by this talented actress is in a Mack Sennett comedy, entitled “Down on the Farm.” in which Louise takes the part of the farm heroine. Great things are prophesied for this film, which gives Miss Fazenda and Miss Marie Provost a wide variety of opportunities for displaying their skill in a comedy of the most: appealing quality.

Miss Fazenda has gained for herself an enviable position in the world of films by virtue of her ability as an actress of grotesque roles. She will add to this reputation in this, her latest triumph.

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Louise Fazenda
A characteristic pose.

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If you want to write to her, address your letter:
c.o. Louise Fazenda,
Mack Sennett Comedy Studios,
Los Angeles.
California.

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Photo captions:

• Are you speaking to me?
• Her charming smile.
• Be careful.
• “Reel” surprise.
• Off the screen.
• Her wistful appeal.

Collection: Picture Show Magazine, July 1920

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Picture Show Chat — The Queen of Grotesqueries.

Louise Fazenda, queen of grotesqueries, hides the light of her good looks under the bushel of “make-up,” thus refuting the slander about women and their vanity. With calm disregard for the rights of beauty, Miss Fazenda goes about her task of obliterating it, and presenting herself for the world to laugh at — a truly courageous duty, admirably and effectively performed.

But Miss Fazenda is never entirely successful in her efforts to obliterate herself in favour of her characterisations in Mack Sennett comedies, for there is always disclosed a wistfulness of expression and a winsome charm that eludes the camouflaging art, and helps to make her friends of all that have the imagination to see aright.

The Comedian’s Charm.

It has been said of Charlie Chaplin that his fantastic humour would long since have palled on the public palate had it not been for the undernote of human appeal that shines through his most extravagant episodes. There is something of this in Miss Fazenda’s comedy antics on the screen. Her biggest role will soon be presented to the public through the United Artists, which distributing organisation, composed of Douglas Fairbanks [Douglas Fairbanks Sr.], Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and D. W. Griffith, will handle Mack Sennett’s five-reel super-production, “Down on the Farm,” in which Miss Fazenda plays the part of the rustic heroine.

Collection: Picture Show Magazine, May 1920