Mabel Normand

Amabel Ethelreid Normand (November 9, 1893 — February 23, 1930), better known as Mabel Normand, was an American silent film actress, comedienne, director and screenwriter. She was a popular star and collaborator of Mack Sennett in their Keystone Studios films, and at the height of her career in the late 1910s and early 1920s had her own film studio and production company, the Mabel Normand Feature Film Company. On screen, she appeared in twelve successful films with Charlie Chaplin and seventeen with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, sometimes writing and directing (or co-writing and directing) films featuring Chaplin as her leading man.

Normand's name was repeatedly linked with gun violence, including the 1922 murder of her friend, director William Desmond Taylor, and the non-fatal 1924 shooting of Courtland S. Dines by Normand's chauffeur, Joe Kelly. After police interrogation, she was ruled out as a suspect in Taylor's murder.

Normand was a heavy smoker who may have suffered lung cancer, and/or a recurrence of tuberculosis in 1923, which led to a decline in her health, an early retirement from films in 1926 and her death in 1930 at age 36.

Early life and career

Amabel Ethelreid Normand was born in New Brighton, New York, (before it was incorporated into New York City as part of Staten Island) on November 9, 1893. She took her name from her father's only sibling, who had died before her birth in 1892. Normand's mother, Mary "Minnie" Drury, of Providence, Rhode Island, was of Irish heritage; while her father, Clodman "Claude" George Normand, was French Canadian, with his ancestral lineage dating back to Normandy in France and their surname originally being LeNormand or Le Normand.

For a short time at the start of her career, Normand worked for Vitagraph Studios in New York City for $25 per week , but Vitagraph founder Albert E. Smith admitted she was one of several actresses about whom he made a mistake in estimating their "potential for future stardom." Normand's intensely beguiling lead performance in the 1911 dramatic short film Her Awakening, directed by D. W. Griffith, drew her attention and led to her meeting director Mack Sennett while at Griffith's Biograph Company. The two subsequently embarked on a relationship. Sennett later brought Normand to California when he founded Keystone Studios in 1912.

Normand appeared with Charlie Chaplin and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in many short films. With the 1913 film A Noise from the Deep, Normand is credited as being the first film star to receive a pie thrown in the face. She played a key role in starting Chaplin's film career and acted as his leading lady and mentor in a string of films in 1914, collaborating with him as a director, co-director or co-writer.

Scandals Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle trials Arbuckle, Normand's co-star in many films, was the defendant in three widely publicized trials for manslaughter in the 1921 death of actress Virginia Rappe. Although Arbuckle was acquitted, the scandal damaged his career and his films were banned from exhibition for a short time. Since she had made some of her most notable works with him, much of Normand's output was withheld from the public as a result. Most subsequent writers have done the same. However, Normand's career had already slowed, and her reputation was tarnished. According to George Hopkins, who sat next to her at Taylor's funeral, Normand wept inconsolably.

The Dines shooting In 1924, Normand's chauffeur Joe Kelly shot and wounded millionaire oil broker and amateur golfer Courtland S. Dines with her pistol. However, Dines was not fatally injured; he died of a heart attack in 1945, over two decades after the shooting.

Later career and death

Normand continued her film career and joined Hal Roach Studios in 1926 after conversations with director and producer F. Richard Jones, who had previously worked with her at Keystone. The films she made at Roach included Raggedy Rose, The Nickel-Hopper, and One Hour Married — the latter being her last film—all co-written alongside Stan Laurel. In another Roach film, she was directed by Leo McCarey in the film Should Men Walk Home?

On 17 September 1926, she married actor Lew Cody, with whom she had appeared in Mickey in 1918. They lived separately in nearby houses in Beverly Hills. Normand's health was in decline due to tuberculosis.

Her film Mabel's Blunder (1914) was added to the National Film Registry in December 2009.

In June 2010, the New Zealand Film Archive reported the discovery of a print of Normand's film Won in a Closet (exhibited in New Zealand under its alternate title Won in a Cupboard), a short comedy previously believed lost. This film is a significant discovery, as Normand directed the film and starred in the lead role, displaying her talents on both sides of the camera.

In 2025, Mabel Normand was announced as an inductee in the Visual Effects Society Hall of Fame.

Cultural references

A nod to Normand's celebrity in early Hollywood came through the name of a leading character in the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, "Norma Desmond", which has been cited as a combination of the names Mabel Normand and William Desmond Taylor. The film also frequently mentions Normand by name. Normand is mentioned during series 2 episode 1 of Downton Abbey by ambitious housemaid Ethel Parks. Daisy Mason (née Robinson), the kitchen maid, inquires what she is reading, and Ethel responds, "Photoplay about Normand. She was nothing when she started, you know. Her father was a carpenter and they had no money, and now she's a shining film star." Singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks wrote a song about the actress titled "Mabel Normand", which appears on her 2014 album 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault.

Fictional portrayals The 1974 Broadway musical Mack & Mabel (Michael Stewart and Jerry Herman) fictionalized the romance between Normand and Mack Sennett. Normand was played by Bernadette Peters and Robert Preston portrayed Sennett.

Normand is played by actress Marisa Tomei in the 1992 film Chaplin opposite Robert Downey, Jr. as Charles Chaplin; by Penelope Lagos in the first biopic about Normand's life, a 35-minute dramatic short film entitled Madcap Mabel (2010); and by Morganne Picard in the motion picture Return to Babylon (2013).

In 2014, Normand was played on television by Andrea Deck in series 2, episode 8 of Mr Selfridge and by Kristina Thompson in the short film Mabel's Dressing Room.

The character played by Alice Faye in Hollywood Cavalcade (1939) was reputed to have been based partly on Normand.

Filmography Some of her early roles are credited as "Mabel Fortesque". +Key Denotes a lost or presumed lost film.

Vitagraph Year Film Role Director Co-Star Notes 1910 Indiscretions of Betty Over the Garden Wall 1911 Fate's Turning A Diner At The Hotel D. W. Griffith The Diamond Star Guest At Dinner Party A Tale of Two Cities Uncredited William J. Humphrey Betty Becomes a Maid Betty Troublesome Secretaries Betty Harding Ralph Ince Picciola; or, The Prison Flower Theresa Girhardi His Mother Donald's Fiancée When a Man's Married His Trouble Begins Mabel - Jack's Wife James Morrison A Dead Man's Honor Helen The Changing of Silas Warner Two Overcoats The Subduing of Mrs. Nag Miss Prue George D. Baker The Strategy of Anne The Diving Girl The Niece Mack Sennett Fred Mace How Betty Won the School Betty's Rival Edith Storey The Baron The Heiress Mack Sennett Dell Henderson

Biograph Year Film Role Director Co-Star Notes 1911 The Squaw's Love Wild Flower D. W. Griffith Alfred Paget The Revenue Man and the Girl Dorothy West Her Awakening The Daughter Harry Hyde The Making of a Man In Second Audience Dell Henderson Italian Blood Charles West The Unveiling The Showgirl Robert Harron Through His Wife's Picture Wifey Mack Sennett Fred Mace The Inventor's Secret Mack Sennett A Victim of Circumstances Fred Mace Their First Divorce Case Hubby's Chorine Sweetheart UncreditedUnconfirmed Why He Gave Up The Wife Henry LehrmanMack Sennett Fred Mace Saved from Himself D. W. Griffith 1912 The Joke on the Joker Mack Sennett The Engagement Ring The Eternal Mother Mary D. W. Griffith Edwin AugustBlanche Sweet Did Mother Get Her Wish? Mack Sennett Pants and Pansies Harry McCoy The Mender of Nets D. W. Griffith Mary Pickford The Fatal Chocolate Mack Sennett Mack Sennett Hot Stuff Mack Sennett A Voice From The Deep Oh, Those Eyes! Help! Help! Mrs. Suburbanite Fred Mace The Brave Hunter The Fickle Spaniard The Furs When Kings Were The Law (Uncredited) D.W. Griffith Helen's Marriage Helen Mack Sennett Dell Henderson Tomboy Bessie Bessie Mack Sennett Mack Sennett Katchem Kate Fred Mace Jack Pickford Neighbors A Dash Through the Clouds The New Baby The Tourists What The Doctor Ordered An Interrupted Elopement Tragedy of a Dress Suit He Must Have a Wife

Keystone Year Film Role Director Co-Star Notes 1912 Cohen Collects a Debt Mack Sennett Ford Sterling The Water Nymph Diving Venus Mack SennettFord Sterling Alternative title: The Beach FlirtFirst Keystone comedy The New Neighbor Riley and Schultz The Beating He Needed Fred Mace Ford Sterling Pedro's Dilemma Mack Sennett Fred Mace Ford Sterling Ambitious Butler Mack Sennett Fred Mace Ford Sterling The Flirting Husband Mrs. Smith Ford Sterling At Coney Island The Girl Ford SterlingFred Mace Alternative title: Cohen at Coney Island At It Again Mrs. Smith Mack Sennett Fred Mace Ford Sterling Mabel's Lovers Mabel Fred MaceFord Sterling Alice Davenport The Deacon's Troubles Fred MaceFord Sterling A Temperamental Husband Gladys Fred Mace Ford Sterling Mr. Fix-It Mabel The Rivals A Desperate Lover Fred Mace Brown's Séance Mrs. Brown Fred Mace Fred Mace Alice Davenport Pat's Day Off Bridget, Pat's Wife Mack Sennett Fred Mace Alice Davenport Ford Sterling A Family Mixup A Wife Mack Sennett Fred Mace A Midnight Elopement Mabel's Adventures Mabel Fred MaceFord Sterling The Drummer's Vacation The Duel Mabel Mabel's Stratagem Fred Mace Alice Davenport Mack Sennett Kings Court 1913 The Bangville Police Farm Girl Henry Lehrman Fred Macethe Keystone Cops A Noise from the Deep Mabel Mack Sennett Roscoe Arbucklethe Keystone Cops A Little Hero George Nichols Mabel's Awful Mistakes Mabel Mack Sennett Mack SennettFord Sterling Alternative title: Her Deceitful Lover Passions, He Had Three Henry Lehrman Roscoe Arbuckle Alternative title: He Had Three For the Love of Mabel Mabel Roscoe ArbuckleFord Sterling Mabel's Dramatic Career Mabel, the kitchen maid Mack Sennett Mack SennettFord Sterling Alternative title: Her Dramatic Debut The Gypsy Queen Roscoe Arbuckle Cohen Saves the Flag Rebecca Ford Sterling 1914 Mabel's Stormy Love Affair Mabel Mabel Normand Alice Davenport Won in a Closet Alternative title: Won in a Cupboard In the Clutches of the Gang Roscoe ArbuckleKeystone Cops Mack at It Again Mack Sennett Mack Sennett Mabel's Strange Predicament Mabel Mabel Normand Charles Chaplin Alternative title: Hotel MixupFirst film with Chaplin as the Tramp although the second released. Mabel's Blunder Charley ChaseAl St. John Added to the National Film Registry in 2009 A Film Johnnie George Nichols Charles ChaplinRoscoe Arbuckle Mabel at the Wheel Mabel NormansMack Sennett Charles Chaplin Caught in a Cabaret Mabel Normand Charles Chaplin Writer Mabel's Nerve George Nichols The Alarm Roscoe ArbuckleEdward Dillon Roscoe ArbuckleMinta Durfee Alternative title: Fireman's Picnic Her Friend the Bandit Mabel Mabel NormandCharles Chaplin Charles Chaplin The Fatal Mallet Mack Sennett Charles ChaplinMack Sennett Mabel's Busy Day Mabel Normand Charles ChaplinChester Conklin Writer Mabel's Married Life Charles Chaplin Charles Chaplin Co-written by Normand and Chaplin Mabel's New Job Mabel NormandGeorge Nichols Chester ConklinCharley Chase Writer The Sky Pirate Roscoe Arbuckle Roscoe ArbuckleMinta Durfee The Masquerader Actress Charles Chaplin Uncredited Mabel's Latest Prank Mabel Mabel NormandMack Sennett Mack SennettHank Mann Alternative title: Touch of Rheumatism Hello, Mabel Mabel Normand Charley ChaseMinta Durfee Alternative title: On a Busy Wire Gentlemen of Nerve Charles Chaplin Charles ChaplinChester Conklin Alternative titles: Charlie at the RacesSome Nerve His Trysting Place Mabel, The Wife Charles Chaplin Shotguns That Kick Roscoe Arbuckle Roscoe ArbuckleAl St. John Getting Acquainted Ambrose's Wife Charles Chaplin Charles ChaplinPhyllis Allen Tillie's Punctured Romance Mabel Mack Sennett Marie DresslerCharles Chaplin Feature-Length filmFirst feature-length comedy 1915 Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day Roscoe Arbuckle Roscoe Arbuckle Fatty and Mabel's Simple Life Roscoe Arbuckle Alternative title: Mabel and Fatty's Simple Life Mabel and Fatty Viewing the World's Fair at San Francisco Mabel NormandRoscoe Arbuckle Roscoe Arbuckle Mabel and Fatty's Married Life Roscoe Arbuckle Roscoe Arbuckle That Little Band of Gold Wifey UncreditedAlternative title: For Better or Worse Wished on Mabel Mabel Mabel Normand Roscoe Arbuckle Mabel's Wilful Way Roscoe Arbuckle Roscoe Arbuckle Mabel Lost and Won Mabel Normand Owen MooreMack Swain The Little Teacher The Little Teacher Mack Sennett Roscoe Arbuckle, Mack Sennett Alternative title: A Small Town Bully 1916 Fatty and Mabel Adrift Mabel Roscoe Arbuckle Roscoe ArbuckleAl St. John Alternative title: Concrete Biscuits He Did and He Didn't The Doctor's Wife Roscoe ArbuckleAl St. John

Goldwyn Feature films Year Film Role Director Co-Star Notes 1918 Dodging a Million Arabella Flynn George Loane Tucker Tom Moore The Floor Below Patricia O'Rourke Clarence G. Badger Tom Moore Joan of Plattsburg Joan George Loane Tucker Back to the Woods Stephanie Trent George Irving Herbert Rawlinson Peck's Bad Girl Minnie Penelope Peck Charles Giblyn Earle Foxe The Venus Model Kitty O'Brien Clarence G. Badger Rod La Rocque A Perfect 36 Mabel Charles Giblyn Rod La Rocque Mickey Mickey F. Richard JonesJames Young Produced by the Mabel Normand Feature Film Company and distributed by Film Booking Offices of America rather than Goldwyn 1919 Sis Hopkins Sis Hopkins Clarence G. Badger John Bowers When Doctors Disagree Millie Martin Victor Schertzinger Walter Hiers Upstairs Elsie MacFarland Cullen Landis Jinx The Jinx The Pest Jigs Christy Cabanne 1920 Pinto Pinto Victor Schertzinger Cullen Landis What Happened to Rosa Rosa The Slim Princess Princess Kalora Tully Marshall 1921 Molly O' Molly O' F. Richard Jones George Nichols Produced by Mack Sennett 1922 Oh, Mabel Behave Innkeeper's Daughter Mack Sennett Mack SennettFord Sterling Filmed in 1915 or 1916, produced by Triangle Film Corporation Head over Heels Tina Paul BernVictor Schertzinger Raymond HattonAdolphe Menjou 1923 Suzanna Suzanna F. Richard Jones George Nichols Incomplete, two reels are missing Produced by Mack Sennett The Extra Girl Sue Graham George Nichols Produced by Mack Sennett

Hal Roach Studios Year Film Role Director Co-Star Notes 1926 Raggedy Rose Raggedy Rose Richard Wallace Carl MillerMax Davidson Feature-length film The Nickel-Hopper Paddy, the nickel hopper F. Richard JonesHal Yates 1927 Should Men Walk Home? The Girl Bandit Leo McCarey Eugene PalletteOliver Hardy One Hour Married Jerome Strong Creighton HaleJames Finlayson