Still feeding and nourishing we her fans and admirers with love and laughter after all these many, many years since her passing.
With the aid of the irreplaceable, always useful and generous Marilyn Slater (and whom we at the MNHP have benefitted from to no end -- and for a long time now), silent film historian William Drew has posted at his website a new and clarity enhancing account of the formation and prehistory of Hollywood, and which can be found at:
http://william-m-drew.webs.com/prehistoryofhollywood.htm
Speaking of Marilyn, among her own recent website articles and sketches she did one concerning the unusual and set of autographs, gathered at a May 15, 1928 dinner party at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, seen above. For more on this very interesting item, what it is, and where it came from, go to:
http://looking-for-mabel.webs.com/1928dinnerparty.htm
For more, see www.companyofangels.org
"The schedule for this years Niles Film Museum's Mid-Winter comedy Film Festival Schedule has been announced. Its running this year from Friday-Sunday February 20-22, 2009 at the Niles Essanay Film Museum in Fremont, California. And Mabel Normand will be 'speeding' in on February 21, Saturday." For more, see http://www.nilesfilmmuseum.org/
A Review of Stuart Oderman's The Keystone Krowd, published by Bear Manor Media
I wanted to take the occasion of this month's announcement to enthusiastically applaud, albeit somewhat belatedly (seeing how it was published over a year ago), Stuart Oderman's The Keystone Krowd. Not only does this book bring back in a lively manner the silent film era and some of its representative personalities (and this by way of interviews the author had with them), but it also is a pleasing reminder of the 60's and 70's when silent film scholarship was most interesting and going at its strongest, and when writers and researchers like Oderman, Lahue, Brownlow, Sam Gill, Don Schneider and, a bit later, Sidney Kirkpatrick, Betty Fussell, Anthony Slide, Bob Birchard, and William Drew had a chance to catch up with the then remnant stars. As to be expected with personal reminiscences, whether in this case of the author or those he interviews, they are colored by a certain amount of questionable bias, and their facts and interpretations are not always indubitable or beyond question. This being allowed for, you will pick up facts, rumor, and anecdotes respecting Sennett, Mabel, Keystone and many others who that worked there along with humorous, poignant and scintillating insights that are invaluable in helping us to fill out and better complete our understanding of these artists and their times. In all, and if you are like myself a Keystone or silent film fan, you will find "Keystone Krowd" a breath of fresh air. Also just by the way and worth mentioning is Wendy Warwick White's Ford Sterling biography that, although not anything like Oderman's presentation, shows a welcome grasp and appreciation of her subject than has heretofore been seen.
Yet another book that has been published of very late is The Fun Factory: The Keystone Film Company and the Emergence of Mass Culture by Rob King. Although I haven't seen it yet myself, Marilyn Slater gives us a review at: http://looking-for-mabel.webs.com/mabelslog.htm
Finally, Steve Rydzewski has in the works what should prove to be the definitive volume for some time to come on Ben Turpin, and which naturally we eagerly look forward too whenever it comes forth.
Click on the pic above to see a shot of other frames from the film (then use the "magnifying glass" of your viewer to enlarge.)
Recently an original nitrate one reel silent film went up for auction on ebay which looks to be the 1911 Vitagraph short "The Subduing of Mrs. Nag" starring John Bunny, Flora Finch, and Mabel Normand. Although the auction has been concluded, I found out from our ever invaluable friend Marilyn Slater, who in turn picked up this information from an acquaintance of film preservationist David Shephard, that Mr. Shephard apparently already has this same film in his collection. More at present we don't know. Yet if correct then once more a previously thought lost Mabel Normand film does still exist. We'll keep you posted if and when we learn anything more. Meanwhile, below is a rare European poster for Mabel's Vitagraph film "His Mother" (1911); with, on the right, a close-up of the insert where Mabel herself (with male companion) is depicted.
Just a week or so ago (i.e. late October 2008), we were very flattered and much honored to receive this YouTube video from Mabel Normand's great grand-nephew, Stephen Normand, now currently and for many years residing in England. At present, and with the help of Malnor Films' John Everton, and also Marilyn Slater, a little website for Stephen is currently in the works. I will be posting a link to it here when everything is more or less in place. In the meantime, and without further ado, here's Stephen.
I wrote him back in response:
"I don't know if Mabel's memory would not have lasted into the 21st century without the efforts of such as Marilyn and myself; since, after all, Mabel is a gold mine waiting to be had for anyone who knows the real value of things (and people.) For Marilyn and myself, she has proved a great blessing, and we would be remiss not to acknowledge our own indebtedness; so hopefully what great or little we do to commemorate and remember her has and will in some way show and express this warmly and personally felt love and sense of gratitude."
"Getting Acquainted"
No. 19 of Chaplin at Keystone
~ "La Naisssance De Charlot, Keystone 1914"
by Thierry Georges Mathieu
NOW AVAILABLE
N° 19 : 218 pages ; 198 illustrations
Booklet size : 5.6 x 8.1 inch.
Price: 15 euros
Airmail Priority fees : 7.20 euros
Economic fees : 4.30 euros
PayPal payments to : t.g.mathieu@wanadoo.fr
For more information see: www.chaplin-at-keystone.com
Courtesy of Bruce Long comes this Washington Times, "The National Daily," arts page announcement of Sept. 5, 1925 for the short-lived stage production "The Little Mouse;" featuring, as illustrated above, Mabel Normand and Russell Mack.
Previous Announcements continued
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