Mabel's Dramatic Career (1913)

Mabel Normand was Keystone Studios’ greatest female star. A comedienne of the first rank, she also wrote and directed, and would be better remembered today if her personal life hadn’t ended her career, and her life, too soon.

For those of us who do know her, the rewards of a Normand performance remain as clear as they were in the 1910s. She had impeccable pacing and natural pathos, and an ability—unmatched, I think, in the silent era—to appear overwhelmed by the chaos surrounding her. This was calculated, of course, and it was a perfect fit for the short comedies Mack Sennett’s studio produced. For those films were fast—sometimes too fast—and populated with comedy grotesques. Normand brought heart, and even sympathy, to the Keystone films she starred in. She slowed the tornado down.

Mabel’s Dramatic Career isn’t Normand’s best work, nor is it one of Keystone’s best shorts. But it exemplifies what Normand’s presence could add to a film. And, maybe, what her absence could take away.

Roscoe Arbuckle, born this day

Happy 99th, Little Tramp...

As reported by my noble colleagues at the Toronto Silent Film Festival, today is the ninety-ninth anniversary of Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914): the first public appearance of Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp. The film itself is simple and brief, and Chaplin would go on to do much better, even for Keystone. But, for providing the world with its first glimpse of a character who would go on to be one of film history's greatest icons, Kid Auto Races will always be a big deal.

(For the record, my first exposure to the Little Tramp was through a parody... on Sesame Street. That's how deep this character is sunk into popular culture.)

I blogged about Kid Auto Races in Fall 2011. Click here to read that post.

Of course, given that this is a silent film blog, I've written about Chaplin many other times too. Here is a list of those links, for your leisurely reading pleasure:

The Circus

Pay Day

The Gold Rush

Modern Times

Shoulder Arms

A Woman

Mabel's Busy Day


--Chris

Mack Sennett: Born this day

Today's photo: Mabel Normand

Today's Photo: Roscoe Arbuckle