When it comes to silent films, we don't often hear all that much coming from down under. But when we do, it's usually something very good. Case in point is a relatively new website dedicated to Keystone and Laurel and Hardy comedienne Mae Busch done by David Noakes at https://sites.google.com/site/maebuschstory/home
After some correspondence and discussion between some other scholars, including Mr. Noakes, and myself we unanimously concur that, at the very least, Mae Busch should not be blamed for the break-up of Mack and Mabel as related or implied by Sennett, Adela Rogers St. John, and Minta Durfee. True, that Mae had an affair with Sennett is not inconceivable. But even if she did, this could hardly have been the principal or only major reason for ending the Sennett-Normand romance. Moreover, that the grave injury Mabel suffered at that time was the result of Mae throwing a vase at Mabel is highly questionable, and that story may have been exaggerated or concocted by Sennett to possibly cover-up for a suicide attempt by Mabel; such as Adela Rogers St. John alleges. Whatever the true and correct version, and for these and other reasons, we are all convinced that Mae should be exonerated and considered innocent until proven guilty -- and we have no doubt that Mabel, were she around today, would completely agree with us.
After what has been a something like a decade or longer wait, Steve Rydzewski's biography on Ben Turpin, For Art's Sake, has at last come to press and is now available for the sale. It is the first book length study of arguably the actual funniest of all the great silent comedians. True, other of the great silent male comics were timeless artists of breathless creativity and ingenuity, but Ben probably ended up getting more well deserved laughs than probably any of them -- even though, I realize, that to some my saying so borders on something like heresy. Let them believe and say what they like, I still think when BenTurpin was at his best and working with a good director, which granted was by no means always the case, he was the very tops when it came to bona fide hilarity.
To buy or learn more about Steve's new book, see Bear Manor Media at: http://www.bearmanormedia.com/index.php?route=product
%2Fproduct&product_id=644
This past month, I uploaded the following three films at the Internet Archive, and they are:
{Note. If you have any trouble with the video players, click on the Internet Archive icon to go directly to the given movie's main page, and where it also can be downloaded.)
1. "The Eternal Mother" (1912) directed by D.W. Griffith, and starring Blanche Sweet, Edwin August, and Mabel Normand. Here Mabel plays the bad girl; only this is no comedy. Another one of her earliest films; before she started teaming with Mack Sennett.
2. Excerpts from "Suzanna" (1922). This film interestingly, directed by F. Richard Jones, was being made at the
before and after the death of William Desmond Taylor; with Taylor's murder occurring during a break in filming. This then was how Mabel looked at that time.
3. "Fatty and Minnie-He-Haw" (1914) This, easily among the more effective and memorable of Arbuckle's Keystone comedies, also features Minnie Devereaux; who, as many of you know, plays Mabel's Indian step-mother in "Mickey;" as well as appearing in "Suzanna" in a smaller role. (I could wish my print was better on this one, but oh well.)
Within the last week or so (of April 2013), I uploaded at YouTube a copy of the 1914 version of Mary Pickford's "Tess of the Storm Country" (and not to be confused with the remake of the identical name she did in 1922), and directed by Edwin S. Porter -- of "The Great Train Robbery" (1903) fame. The print I have is pretty lack luster, but it was a long time before I could locate even this. On this topic of a "good" print of "Tess," silent film historian Gene Zonarich informed Marilyn Slater and myself: "The only 35mm material for the 1914 Tess of the Storm Country appears to be at UCLA where they have 6 reels each of a 35mm nitrate positive and 35mm acetate negative, both from the Paramount Collection. Pickford donated 16mm material from her collection to the Library of Congress and Geo Eastman House in the 1950s." Until then one sees a screening of what UCLA has or if the same comes out on DVD, this on YouTube (or similar) will have to do.
Of itself, "Tess" is, of course, a period masterpiece, in most part due to Pickford's performance. Of special interest as well to Mabel Normand fans is that Mary was a huge influence on Mabel in the latter's feature films, and in watching "Tess" you will see many of the same mannerisms and expressions Mabel uses in "Mickey" (1918). Moreover, Mary in this is fairly hilarious and acquits herself wonderfully as a comedienne in her own right.
["TESS OF THE STORM COUNTRY (1914) -- Mary Pickford, dir. by Edwin S. Porter"]
The indefatigable Bruce Long, it also so happens of late, found this article by Mary (or else by Mary and a ghost-writer) that appeared in the 1915-1917 syndicated series "Mary Pickford Talks;" discussing Mabel at Biograph. The two, as you probably know, appeared together in D.W. Griffith's "The Mender of Nets" (1911); and to which reference is made in the article.
BEN TURPIN ALERT!
Thanks to the ever vigilant Steve Rydzewski, master of Turpiniana, some rare snippets of Ben Turpin have come up on the YouTube radar -- from Czechoslovakia of all places -- and brought to our notice. As Steve (on Face Book) describes it himself: "WOW! Some RARE Ben Turpin CLIPS have been posted at YouTube! Love & Doughnuts; She Sighed by the Seaside; Asleep at the Switch; MARRIED LIFE; and The Shriek of Araby! WOW! Some of this stuff I never saw before!"
As they say -- enjoy!
["TV Archive 1989 - CST (Czechoslovakia) - Komik a jeho svet - Part 1 - Ben Turpin"]
Previous Announcements continued
Return to Mabel Normand Home Page
