Mabel Normand

~Mabel Normand~

Born: November 10, 1895 in New Brighton, Staten Island, New York, USA
Died: February 22, 1930 in Monrovia, California, USA

~Candid photograph of Mabel
Normand with Director Clarence
Badger~

~Biography~

Mabel Normand was known as the “female Chaplin” and the undisputed “queen of comedy.” It was
Mabel who is credited with throwing the first custard pie as a gag on screen, a myth perhaps and a
nice one. She helped get Charlie Chaplin his start in movies, even directing him in his first films.
She ranked with Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. It might be said that Charlie
was a male Mabel.

Mabel told people that she was born on November 10, 1893, in New Brighton, Staten Island, New
York. Mabel was a natural athlete and a breathtaking beauty. She started her career as an
illustrator’s model, and was one of Charles Dana Gibson’s “Gibson Girls.”

She worked at the start of movies for the historically important Vitagraph, Biograph and Keystone
studios, learning to direct from the great D. W. Griffith, himself. In 1911 with the encouragement of
Mack Sennett, she found her true talent as a comedian. She was an exceptionally skilled actress,
capable of portraying a wide range of emotions, but she is most remembered for her pairing with
Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, while Keystone Studio was the center of Slapstick comedy.

Her best-loved film was the 1918 “Mickey”, which was made at Mabel’s own studio, becoming one
of the first women producers of her own films.

Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand were engaged off and on for years, but finally grew apart as
Mabel drifted to the Samuel Goldwyn Studios where she became one of Goldwyn’s top
moneymakers. Known, as a sweet, vivacious prankster she soon became the object both of his
affection and his vexation.

Her career ended much too early because of the pressures of illness, and association with early
Hollywood scandals including the William Desmond Taylor murder.

In 1926 she married Lew Cody; at the time of her death in February 23, 1930 she left behind a
world full of broken hearts that mourned her carefree innocence and brilliant comic style. Sadly,
the screen has never again seen the likes of “darling, dainty, dashing Mabel with the curly locks.
Always happy and gay; that’s her way!”

Marilyn Slater
“Looking-for-Mabel” <----click here for more about Mabel Normand
May 27, 2009

~Silent Filmography~

One Hour Married (1927)
Should Men Walk Home? (1927) .... The Girl Bandit
Anything Once! (1927) .... The Little Girl
The Nickel-Hopper (1926) .... Paddy, the nickel hopper
Raggedy Rose (1926) .... Raggedy Rose
The Extra Girl (1923) .... Sue Graham
Suzanna (1923) .... Suzanna
Oh, Mabel Behave (1922) .... Innkeeper's Daughter
Head Over Heels (1922) .... Tina
Molly O' (1921) .... Molly O'
What Happened to Rosa (1920) .... Mayme Ladd/Rosa Alvaro
The Slim Princess (1920) .... Kalora
Pinto (1920) .... Pinto
Jinx (1919) .... The Jinx
Upstairs (1919) .... Elsie MacFarland
When Doctors Disagree (1919) .... Millie Martin
The Pest (1919) .... Jigs
Sis Hopkins (1919) .... Sis Hopkins
Stake Uncle Sam to Play Your Hand (1918)
A Perfect 36 (1918) .... Mabel
Peck's Bad Girl (1918) .... Minnie Penelope Peck
Mickey (1918) .... Mickey
Back to the Woods (1918/II) .... Stephanie Trent
The Venus Model (1918) .... Kitty O'Brien
Joan of Plattsburg (1918) .... Joan
The Floor Below (1918) .... Patricia O'Rourke
Dodging a Million (1918) .... Arabella Flynn
Bright Lights (1916)
... aka The Lure of Broadway
He Did and He Didn't (1916/I) .... The Doctor's Wife
Fatty and Mabel Adrift (1916) .... Mabel
... aka Concrete Biscuits (USA: 8mm release title)
Stolen Magic (1915)
My Valet (1915) .... Girl
The Little Teacher (1915) .... The Little Teacher
... aka A Small Town Bully
Mabel Lost and Won (1915) .... Mabel
Mabel's Wilful Way (1915) (uncredited) .... Mabel
Their Social Splash (1915) (unconfirmed)
... aka Social Splash (USA)
Wished on Mabel (1915) .... Mabel
That Little Band of Gold (1915) (uncredited) .... Wifey
... aka For Better or Worse
Mabel and Fatty's Married Life (1915) .... Mabel
Mabel, Fatty and the Law (1915) .... Fatty's Wife
... aka Fatty's Spooning Day
... aka Fatty, Mabel and the Law (USA)
Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition (1915) .... Mabel
Fatty and Mabel's Simple Life (1915) .... Mabel
... aka Mabel and Fatty's Simple Life (USA: alternative title)
Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day (1915) .... Mabel
Rum and Wall Paper (1915)
Getting Acquainted (1914) .... Ambrose's Wife
... aka A Fair Exchange
... aka Exchange Is No Robbery
... aka Hello Everybody
Shotguns That Kick (1914)
The Sea Nymphs (1914)
... aka His Diving Beauty
Fatty's Wine Party (1914)
Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914) .... Mabel, Charlie's Girl
Friend
... aka For the Love of Tillie
... aka Marie's Millions
... aka Tillie's Big Romance
... aka Tillie's Nightmare
An Incompetent Hero (1914)
His Trysting Place (1914) .... Mabel, The Wife
... aka Family Home
... aka Family House
... aka His Trysting Places (USA)
... aka The Henpecked Spouse (USA)
... aka The Ladies' Man (USA)
... aka Very Much Married (USA)
Lovers' Post Office (1914)
Gentlemen of Nerve (1914) .... Mabel
... aka Charlie at the Races
... aka Some Nerve
Mabel's Blunder (1914) .... Mabel, the office girl
Hello, Mabel (1914) .... Mabel
... aka On a Busy Wire (USA: reissue title)
Mabel's Latest Prank (1914) .... Mabel
... aka Touch of Rheumatism
The Masquerader (1914/I) (uncredited) .... Actress
... aka Putting One Over
... aka The Female
... aka The Female Impersonator (USA)
... aka The Perfumed Lady (USA)
... aka The Picnic (USA)
Those Country Kids (1914)
The Sky Pirate (1914)
Mabel's New Job (1914)
Mabel's Married Life (1914) .... Mabel
... aka The Squarehead
... aka When You're Married
A Missing Bride (1914)
A Gambling Rube (1914)
Mabel's Busy Day (1914) .... Mabel
... aka Charlie and the Sausages
... aka Hot Dog Charlie
... aka Hot Dogs
... aka Love and Lunch
Her Friend the Bandit (1914) .... Mabel
... aka A Thief Catcher
... aka Mabel's Flirtation
The Fatal Mallet (1914) .... Mabel
... aka Hit Him Again
... aka The Pile Driver
... aka The Rival Suitors
The Alarm (1914)
... aka Fireman's Picnic (USA)
Mabel's Nerve (1914) .... Mabel
Caught in a Cabaret (1914) .... Mabel
... aka Charlie the Waiter (USA)
... aka Faking with Society
... aka Jazz Waiter
... aka Prime Minister Charlie (USA)
... aka The Waiter
Where Hazel Met the Villain (1914)
Mabel at the Wheel (1914) .... Mabel
... aka A Hot Finish (USA)
... aka His Daredevil Queen
Mack at It Again (1914)
A Film Johnnie (1914) .... Mabel
... aka Charlie at the Studio
... aka Charlie the Actor (USA)
... aka Film Johnny (UK)
... aka Million Dollar Job
... aka Movie Nut
Mabel's Strange Predicament (1914) .... Mabel
... aka Hotel Mixup
Mabel's Bare Escape (1914)
... aka Mabel's Bear Escape
Won in a Closet (1914)
In the Clutches of the Gang (1914)
Mabel's Stormy Love Affair (1914)
A Glimpse of Los Angeles (1914)
... aka Glimpses of Los Angeles (USA: alternative title)
A Misplaced Foot (1914)
The Champion (1913)
Zuzu, the Band Leader (1913)
Fatty's Flirtation (1913)
The Gusher (1913)
Cohen Saves the Flag (1913)
A Muddy Romance (1913)
... aka A Mud Bath (USA)
... aka Muddled in Mud
Love Sickness at Sea (1913)
Fatty at San Diego (1913) .... Mabel
Teddy Tetzlaff and Earl Cooper (1913)
... aka Speed Kings Tetzlaff and Earl Cooper (USA: alternative
title)
The Speed Kings (1913) .... Mabel
A Healthy Neighborhood (1913)
The Bowling Match (1913)
When Dreams Come True (1913/I)
The Faithful Taxicab (1913)
... aka The Fatal Taxicab
The Gypsy Queen (1913)
Mabel's Dramatic Career (1913) .... Mabel, the kitchen maid
... aka Her Dramatic Debut
Mabel's New Hero (1913)
... aka Fatty and the Bathing Beauties (USA)
... aka Fatty's Bathing Beauties (USA)
... aka Fatty's Bathing Cuties (USA)
Baby Day (1913)
The Riot (1913/I)
Professor Bean's Removal (1913)
Love and Courage (1913)
A Noise from the Deep (1913)
The Telltale Light (1913)
For the Love of Mabel (1913)
The Waiters' Picnic (1913)
The Speed Queen (1913)
The Hansom Driver (1913)
Passions, He Had Three (1913)
... aka He Had Three (USA)
Barney Oldfield's Race for a Life (1913) .... Mabel
The Foreman of the Jury (1913)
Hubby's Job (1913)
Mabel's Awful Mistakes (1913)
... aka Her Deceitful Lover
A Little Hero (1913/I)
That Ragtime Band (1913) .... Mabel
... aka The Jazz Band
... aka The Jazz Band Leader (USA: reissue title)
The Bangville Police (1913) .... Farm Girl
... aka Farce Comedy (USA: subtitle)
Father's Choice (1913/I)
Those Good Old Days (1913)
Hide and Seek (1913)
Her New Beau (1913)
On His Wedding Day (1913) .... The Bride
At Twelve O'Clock (1913)
Near to Earth (1913)
The Rube and the Baron (1913)
Love and Pain (1913)
Foiling Fickle Father (1913)
The Two Widows (1913)
A Strong Revenge (1913)
... aka The Rivals (USA: reissue title)
The Rural Third Degree (1913)
The Sleuths at the Floral Parade (1913)
A Doctored Affair (1913)
A Red Hot Romance (1913)
A Tangled Affair (1913)
The Professor's Daughter (1913)
Mabel's Heroes (1913)
Heinze's Resurrection (1913)
The Battle of Who Run (1913)
Brothers (1913)
Just Brown's Luck (1913)
The Deacon Outwitted (1913)
The Mistaken Masher (1913)
For Lizzie's Sake (1913)
The Cure That Failed (1913)
A Double Wedding (1913)
Saving Mabel's Dad (1913)
Mabel's Stratagem (1912) .... Mabel
The Duel (1912/I)
The Drummer's Vacation (1912)
Mabel's Adventures (1912) .... Mabel
A Family Mixup (1912)
A Midnight Elopement (1912)
Brown's Seance (1912)
Pat's Day Off (1912)
A Desperate Lover (1912)
Mr. Fix-It (1912)
... aka Mr. Fixer
The Rivals (1912/I)
A Temperamental Husband (1912)
The Deacon's Troubles (1912)
At It Again (1912) .... Mrs. Smith
Mabel's Lovers (1912) .... Mabel
At Coney Island (1912)
... aka Cohen at Coney Island
The Grocery Clerk's Romance (1912)
Ambitious Butler (1912)
The Flirting Husband (1912)
Pedro's Dilemma (1912)
The Beating He Needed (1912)
The New Neighbor (1912)
Cohen Collects a Debt (1912)
The Water Nymph (1912) .... Diving Venus
... aka The Beach Flirt (USA: reissue title)
He Must Have a Wife (1912) .... The Girl
Mr. Grouch at the Seashore (1912)
An Interrupted Elopement (1912) .... Alice, Bob's Sweetheart
Tragedy of the Dress Suit (1912) .... The Heiress
The Tourists (1912) .... Tourist
What the Doctor Ordered (1912) .... Jenks' Daughter
A Dash Through the Clouds (1912) .... Josephine
The New Baby (1912)
Katchem Kate (1912) .... Kate
Neighbors (1912) .... First French Family, the Wife
Tomboy Bessie (1912) .... Tomboy Bessie
Helen's Marriage (1912) .... Helen
When Kings Were the Law (1912) .... At Court
The Furs (1912)
The Fickle Spaniard (1912) .... Marcelle
The Brave Hunter (1912) .... The Woman
Help! Help! (1912) .... Mrs. Suburbanite
Oh, Those Eyes (1912) .... Gladys
A Voice from the Deep (1912)
Hot Stuff (1912) .... Hank's Sweetheart
A Spanish Dilemma (1912) .... The Señorita
The Engagement Ring (1912) .... Alice
The Fatal Chocolate (1912) .... The City Girl
The Mender of Nets (1912)
Did Mother Get Her Wish? (1912)
The Eternal Mother (1912) .... Mary, the Woman
Kings Court (1912)
Race for a Life (1912)
Saved from Himself (1911) .... The Stenographer
Why He Gave Up (1911) .... The Wife
A Victim of Circumstances (1911)
Their First Divorce Case (1911) (uncredited) (unconfirmed) ....
Hubby's Chorine Sweetheart
The Inventor's Secret (1911)
Through His Wife's Picture (1911) .... Wifey
The Unveiling (1911) .... The Showgirl
Italian Blood (1911)
The Making of a Man (1911) .... In Second Audience
Her Awakening (1911) .... The Daughter
The Revenue Man and the Girl (1911)
The Squaw's Love (1911) .... Wild Flower
The Baron (1911) .... The Heiress
How Betty Won the School (1911) .... Betty
The Diving Girl (1911) .... The Niece
The Strategy of Ann (1911)
The Subduing of Mrs. Nag (1911) .... Miss Prue, the
Stenographer
Two Overcoats (1911)
The Changing of Silas Marner (1911)
A Dead Man's Honor (1911)
When a Man's Married His Trouble Begins (1911) .... Mabel,
Jack's Wife
... aka When a Man's Married (USA)
His Mother (1911) .... Donald's Fiancee
Picciola; or, The Prison Flower (1911) .... Picciola
Troublesome Secretaries (1911) .... Betty, His Daughter
... aka The Troublesome Secretaries; or, How Betty Outwitted
Her Father (USA)
Betty Becomes a Maid (1911) .... Betty
A Tale of Two Cities (1911)
The Diamond Star (1911) .... Guest at Dinner Party
Saved from Herself (1911)
Over the Garden Wall (1910/I)
Indiscretions of Betty (1910)