Hello Mabel Normand

 I am sure at least some of you reading this blog have a familiarity with Mabel Normand. She is often times considered the best female comedian of the silent era and many of her films are still very entertaining today. She has even been referred to as the female Chaplin (her and Charlie Chaplin even worked together in a few films). 

Here is a 1921 article from Photoplay magazine about the great comedian. If you have any trouble reading the following pages, click on them and use your touch screen to zoom in. If you don't have a touch screen click here. 

Now enjoy a classic silent comedy short starring and co-directed (with Mack Sennett) by Mabel Normand, Mabel at the Wheel (1914). This film also features Charlie Chaplin in a villainous role that differs greatly from the little tramp. 

The following is a review of Mabel at the Wheel from Motion Picture News Magazine.

"'Mabel at the Wheel.' (Keystone. Two Reels, April 18) - This is an excellent burlesque on the 1914 Grand Prix automobile race. It is a laugh from start to finish. The last reel, taken up with the race, is well produced; some of the scenes make the spectator firmly grasp for breath, notwithstanding that it is a burlesque all the way through.

"The outline of the story: the villain after many attempts succeeds in capturing the hero, who is to run in the race, and tying him up so that he can't start. 

"Mabel the fond sweetheart of the hero, rises to the occasion and runs the car herself. The villain tries in many ways to wreck her and the car. Throwing bombs on the track and wetting it are two of his fiendish plots. But his efforts were to no avail, and the girl wins the race amid great rejoicing."







    

Motion Picture News, 1917

Let us end this post with another high-speed silent comedy starring Mabel Normand, The Speed Kings (1913).