Category Archives: Mabel Normand

Silent Star Mabel Normand – the Game Girl’s Trio of Triumphs

Posted on February 18, 2023 by John Bengtson

As seen in the two previous posts, the Wonderful Wanda Wiley leapt between moving cars on Vine Street, and rollicked at the edge of the Santa Monica Slapstick Comedy Cliffs. But silent star “game girl” Mabel Normand took some good … Continue reading →

Posted in Mabel Normand | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Buster, Harold, Mabel, and Doug, and the murder of Wm. Desmond Taylor!

Posted on October 25, 2020 by John Bengtson

This post contains a variety of odds and ends. To begin, thanks to Tommy Dangcil we can see exactly where Buster Keaton staged a scene from Cops (1922) in front of the grand stairway leading to the former First Baptist … Continue reading →

Posted in Buster Keaton, Doug MacLean, Harold Lloyd, Mabel Normand | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Charlie Chaplin’s Once Lost Film – A Thief Catcher

Posted on June 6, 2020 by John Bengtson

A once lost Chaplin film rediscovered?! It made international headlines a decade ago when producer-historian Paul Gierucki found and preserved A Thief Catcher (1914), a Ford Sterling comedy featuring Charlie Chaplin in a supporting role portraying a Keystone Cop. You … Continue reading →

Posted in Charlie Chaplin, Edendale, Keystone Studio, Mabel Normand | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

How Mabel Normand filmed her Safety Last! Moment (Before Harold Lloyd Did)

Posted on March 7, 2016 by John Bengtson

Mabel Normand’s wildly popular 1918 feature Mickey climaxes with a thrilling roof-top rescue staged years before Harold Lloyd stunned audiences with his high-rise climb in Safety Last! (1923). Reportedly the highest grossing film of the year, Mickey was the only … Continue reading →

Posted in Bunker Hill, Mabel Normand | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment