Showing posts with label Mabel Normand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mabel Normand. Show all posts

Sunday, April 14, 2024

Charlie Chaplin -- The Funniest Picture the World Has Ever Seen -- April 14, 2024

Photoplay, April, 1924

Charlie Chaplin was an avid amateur boxer, but I'm pretty sure Mack Swain is out of is weight class. Mack wears his costume from The Gold Rush. The referee is Kid McCoy, who was often called the dirtiest boxer in the world.

Motion Picture Magazine, April, 1924

Motion Picture Magazine, April, 1924

Chaplin's pretty new studio is presently (2024) occupied by the Jim Henson Company.

San Antonio Light, 15-April-1924

In 1914, Charlie Chaplin played a supporting role in his first feature film, Keystone's Tillie's Punctured Romance. Mabel Normand played a supporting role and Mack Sennett directed. The star was Marie Dressler. Tillie's Punctured Romance was repeatedly reissued to take advantage of Chaplin's fame.

Washington Times, 15-April-1924


Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Mabel Normand Broke All House Records -- January 31, 2024



Film Daily, 27-January-1924

Back around 1970, our public television station, KQED-Channel 9, showed a series of silent movies from the Paul Killiam collection. These may have been the first silents that I saw with tinting and good musical scores. One of the movies that I remember best was The Extra Girl with Mabel Normand. Mack Sennett produced, and F Richard Jones directed. 

Mabel Normand's career had been impeded by her being accused of involvement in various scandals, including Roscoe Arbuckle's and the murder of William Desmond Taylor. Some theaters stopped showing her films. The Extra Girl gave her career new life. 

Film Daily, 03-January-1924

Film Daily, 07-January-1924

Film Daily, 09-January-1924

Film Daily, 14-January-1924

Film Daily, 16-January-1924

Film Daily, 18-January-1924

Film Daily, 20-January-1924

Film Daily, 22-January-1924

Film Daily, 24-January-1924

Film Daily, 27-January-1924

Film Daily, 31-January-1924


Saturday, September 23, 2023

Best One-a-Week Comedies on the Market -- September 23, 2023

Motion Picture News, 15-September-1923

Century Comedies proclaimed its four popular series of comedies, starring Baby Peggy, Pal the Dog, Buddy Messinger and the Century Follies Girls. 

Motion Picture News, 08-September-1923

"Baby Peggy Signs Lesser Contract." This did not mean that she was making less money, but that she had signed with Sol Lesser's Principal Pictures.

Motion Picture News, 08-September-1923

Motion Picture News, 01-September-1923

"Count on Christie Comedies This Year." Christie showed a panoply of comic actors. 

Motion Picture News, 01-September-1923

In "Navy Blues," Dorothy Devore's character dressed as a sailor and wound up serving on a ship. Harold Beaudine directed. 

Film Daily, 24-September-1923

"More Laughs Than the Navy Has Beans." Great slogan

Motion Picture News, 29-September-1923

Fox advertised series with Al St John and Clyde Cook, and the Imperial Comedies with chimps. "A new brand of high class fun." I'll bet. 

Motion Picture News, 01-September-1923

Motion Picture News, 01-September-1923

I first saw Mabel Normand in The Extra Girl on our local PBS station, KQED-9. Mabel said "I am confident it is the type that will greatly appeal to the public." She was right. 

Motion Picture News, 08-September-1923

Mack Sennett with scenes from his current comedies, which starred Ben Turpin, Harry Gribbon and Billy Bevan. 

Motion Picture News, 15-September-1923

"Down to the Sea in Shoes" starred Billy Bevan and a bunch of pretty girls. 

Motion Picture News, 22-September-1923

This ad for Paramount-Mack Sennett comedies emphasized the pretty girls. 

Motion Picture News, 15-September-1923

Educational released series of short comedies made by many different producers. Cameo Comedies were one-reelers 

Motion Picture News, 29-September-1923

Lloyd Hamilton starred in a series of two-reel comedies. Many are lost. 

Film Daily, 17-September-1923Film Daily, 17-September-1923

Motion Picture News, 29-September-1923

Lloyd Hamilton appeared in his first feature film, His Darker Self. This was supposed to be a film with Al Jolson, directed by DW Griffith; Jolson got cold feet and left. The surviving two-reeler is full of blackface and racist gags. 
   
Motion Picture News, 01-September-1923

Educational released Mermaid Comedies. Lee Moran played "The Busher," which was an adaption of a story in Ring Lardner's series called "The Busher." The famous "You Know Me Al" stories are part of the Busher series. I don't think Mermaid made any more stories from the series. 

Motion Picture News, 01-September-1923

Educational released Tuxedo Comedies, which were billed as situation comedies rather than slapstick. 

Film Daily, 10-September-1923

Motion Picture News, 08-September-1923

Hal Roach with several of his stars, including Snub Pollard, Marie Mosquini, Stan Laurel, Edna Murphy and Mickey Daniels.

Motion Picture News, 08-September-1923

Hal Roach with scenes from his current comedies, including an animal series and Our Gang. 

Motion Picture News, 01-September-1923

Roach planned to release one short a week and two features a year.

Motion Picture News, 29-September-1923

Snib Pollard was one of Hal Roach's most dependable comics. We see him in a scene from "It's a Gift." Snub has invented a magnetic car. A friend had this movie on 8mm, and I loved watching it. I want  a magnetic car.

Motion Picture News, 01-September-1923

Motion Picture News, 29-September-1923

I have never seen a Spat Family movie. The series involved a married couple and a brother-in-law.
   
Motion Picture News, 22-September-1923

"Our Gang" was Roach's most popular series. 

Motion Picture News, 22-September-1923


Monday, June 27, 2022

Meet Jobyna Rulston -- June 27, 2022

Moving Picture World, 10-June-1922

Jobyna Raulston's career progressed rapidly from support Paul Parrot (Charley Chase's brother) in Hal Roach one-reelers to supporting Harold Lloyd in features to starring in Wings. In almost no time, the press learned how to spell her last name. 

Moving Picture World, 03-June-1922

Mack Sennett produced many short comedies starring Billy Bevan.

Moving Picture World, 10-June-1922

Mack Sennett also produced features starring Mabel Normand.

Film Daily, 11-June-1922

Mal St Claire directed many short comedies for Sennett and with Buster Keaton. 

Film Daily, 11-June-1922

Al Christie produced popular short comedies. William Beaudine was one of his directors. 

Moving Picture World, 10-June-1922

In the Teens, Joe Rock and Earle Montgomery made a lot of short comedies for Vitagraph, but few survive. Joe Rock went on to produce comedies with Stan Laurel, and later the Ton of Fun movies.

Film Daily, 07-June-1922

Sidney and Charles Franklin went on to produce or direct many feature films. 

Film Daily, 25-June-1922

Bull Montana was a big ugly Italian-American guy who had once been a professional wrestler.

Film Daily, 09-June-1922

Max Linder was the biggest star in film comedy before Charlie Chaplin.