Film stars in 1912

[Susan Alby]

Hi Randy- so pleased to hear from you (as always)
Maybe another reason why Lillian didn't wear a Lucile creation was that she wanted to be noticed for her talent, not for her designer clothes. That is admirable for a woman who could have worn any lable. Yes, Lillian was about 19 and her younger sister, Dorothy was 14 in 1912. Have to see "Broken Blossoms".
Thanks,
Susan

 

[Tarn Stephanos]

One comedy act of the 1930s I never cared for were "The little Rascals" in 'Our Gang'.
I just found them rather boring...
To each thier own I suppose....

Another Great Depression era comic, W.C Fields, was an interesting chap, and very funny, despite being a total alchoholic and having an almost pathalogical hatred of children...

And why on earth did the Basil Rathbone's "Sherlock Holmes" films turn comedic at times?

Holmes should be humorless and somewaht mad, like Jeremy Brett.

My vote for the 3 all time greatest comedy groups-


(1)The Three stooges
(2)The Marx Brothers
(3)Monty Python's Flying Circus



regards


tarn Stephanos

 

[George L. Lorton]

Bob said>> Mack Sennett's Keystone Studio was founded in 1912.

Mack Sennett started out at Biograph under D.W. Griffith. Mack Sennett met Mabel Normand at Biograph.

When Mack Sennett started Keystone in 1912 he offered Normand a contract. Mabel Normand was quit a comedienne in her day. The original funny girl. Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle and Normand made some hilarious films. Sadly Mabel Normand got caught up in the William Desmond Taylor murder scandal in 1922. It ended her career. Supposedly she was trying to kick a cocaine habit and Taylor was trying to help her when he was killed. Normand, I think had nothing to do with his murder but when the yellow press got a hold of the fact of her drug use and that she was a suspect, her career was over. Of course she might not of had a drug problem but at the time it was believed that she was a drug addict which unfortunately was just as bad.

 

[George L. Lorton]

Randy>> I knew Lucile had designed the dresses for the supporting cast and extras in the party scenes in "Way Down East" and wanted to know why she chose not to wear them herself. Lillian wrote me that her clothes were not by Lucile because she wanted the character she was playing to be independent of fashion and unspoiled by it.<<

Funny you should mention that Randy. In 1927 when Lillian Gish made The Wind for MGM she did the same thing in regard to fashion. Louise Brooks noticed this when she wrote an essay on Gish. I think to Lillian Gish, clothes and Fashion were important when only they related to the character or told a story about the background of the character she was playing. She was very modern I think in that regard.

 

[Jim Hathaway]

>>Supposedly she was trying to kick a cocaine habit and Taylor was trying to help her when he was killed. Normand, I think had nothing to do with his murder but when the yellow press got a hold of the fact of her drug use and that she was a suspect, her career was over. Of course she might not of had a drug problem but at the time it was believed that she was a drug addict which unfortunately was just as bad.<<

Just think, today, something like that would be considered a "Resume Enhancement"-

 

[George L. Lorton]

Hello Jim,

Good point. It would of enhanced Normand's career instead of ending it.

One of the articles they found on Taylor's body was a photo on Taylor's watch chain of Normand. The Mystery Deepens.