I Confess - I Love Tony Randall!

I admit it - I love Tony Randall. Okay, not Cary Grant love, but love nonetheless!

The minute Tony Randall walks onto a scene, the entire movie is elevated. He is a delight, a smile, the guy you are always happy to see. Come on - didn't he really deserve Doris much more than Rock?

So, what is it about the wonderful Mr. Randall?

Well, for one thing, he's kinda cute in a non-Rock Hudson-ish puppy dog kind of way.

Don't you think?

Next, he speaks the American version of the King's English all the while acting the buffoon. 

Kind of an irresistible combination, no?

He was a fine actor, a fine comedian and best of all, a terrific supporting actor who always made his co-stars look better.

What a trio of pros - Rock, Doris and Tony

Giving MM some great support in "Let's Make Love"

But, he could play the leading man when called upon.

Tony with Debbie Reynolds in "The Mating Game" - they were so cute!

Tony and Jayne Mansfield in "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?"

Barbara Eden's love interest, not "Master" in "The Brass Bottle"

7 Tony Randalls - my favorite TR film!

He wore plaids, tweeds and houndstooth with great flair!

I love his humor, his wit, his charm and most of all, that twinkle in his eye. Not bad for a guy from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

It was so much fun to see him in his last film, 2003's "Down With Love," which was a homage to those Doris-Rock-Tony films of the 60s.

"Down With Love" - Always Adding a Touch of Class

Thanks for everything,Tony (including the definitive Felix Unger). Now, shouldn't he have gotten Doris at least once?

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Mabel Normand: Paying the Price

Eighth in a series about strong women in film. Strong women are independent, beautiful, sexy, feminine and just want everything in life that a man wants and believe that they have every right to have it!

Mabel Normand: A Breath of Spring

Being beautiful is not easy (or so I've heard), nor is being funny. Being funny, smart, beautiful and a woman, too? Those wonderful ladies who mange to pull it off surely belong among the rarefied company of angels. 


"Say anything you like, but don't say that I like to 'work.' That sounds like Mary Pickford, that prissy bitch. Just say that I like to pinch babies and twist their legs. And get drunk" - Mabel Normand to reporters.*

Before Carole Lombard, Judy Holliday and Lucille Ball, there was the talented, sassy and funny Mabel Normand. Mabel was the trailblazer who opened the door (and let in some fresh air) for all of the delightful ladies who followed. It is to her that they (and we) owe a debt for all of the female cinematic beauty and laughter that has come since. Unfortunately, trailblazers don't have those who have gone before them to lean on for advice and counsel. Movies were new in the early teens and even 20s and they were making it up as they went along. Mabel embodies all of the excitement, energy and joy of those early days. Sadly, the pitfalls were new and deep. Being free is not always easy.

Mabel was born Amabel Ethelreid Normand in 1892 in Staten Island, New York into poverty. Growing from tomboy into a beauty, she became an artist's model at age 16. Charles Dana Gibson, the creator of the "Gibson Girl," knew a beauty when he saw one and  the lovely young Mabel was one of his models. Mabel sat for a variety of artists during her teens, her lovely face gracing advertisements for all kinds of goods.

Mabel as a Gibson Model

In 1910 Mabel and fellow model Alice Joyce, decided to give the fledgling movie industry in New York City a try. Mabel landed first at Kalem, next at Biograph and ultimately at Vitagraph. In 1911 She returned to Biograph and D.W. Griffith at the urging of Mack Sennet. While not Griffith's biggest star, Mabel learned her craft and developed a reputation as a high-spirited, fun-loving and big-hearted girl. She is credited with being the  first person to throw a pie in film. Everyone loved Mabel.

Mack Sennett:
Mabel's Mr. Big

Mable's beauty, sense of fun and athleticism earned her a lot of time in from of Griffith's camera. But, the "Mr. Big" in Mabel's life was Mack Sennett, and when Mack, already in California with Griffith, decided to strike out on his own and form the Keystone Studios, Mabel was right at his side. While at Keystone Mabel was co-starred with a new fellow by the name of Charlie Chaplin (who she convinced Sennett to keep employed after a shaky start). She and Charlie made many short films together and, while during this period Charlie was not quite "Chaplinesque," Mabel is wonderfully natural and adorable, but always a strong and self-assured presence. At this time, Mabel was also directing a fair amount of her films, as well as starring in them and has the distinction of being one of the very few people to have directed Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin is reported to have had a brief romantic interest in Mabel, but she was much too strong and feisty a woman for Charlie. Well, you can't blame a guy for trying.

Mabel with Chaplin & Marie Dressler in "Tillie's Punctured Romance"

Mabel's biggest film with Chaplin was the feature-length hit "Tillie's Punctured Romance," also starring Marie Dressler.

Mabel was a fine swimmer and diver and  audiences
loved seeing her in action in her one-piece suit!

Mabel's most important co-star at Keystone was Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. The Fatty and Mabel comedies presented both at their most delightful and were tremendous hits with the public.

Roscoe & Mabel - so cute, so young, so funny

Even better things were to come. "Mickey," one of Mabel's greatest feature length hits was released in 1918 to an adoring public. Not only did they fall in love with "Mickey", but the title song was also popular. "Mickey" was the only film made by "The Mabel Normand Feature Film Company," a company set up by Sennett (probably to protect him from some convoluted business dealings at Keystone).

The world fell in love with Mabel as "Mickey"

Things were going swimmingly for Mabel at Keystone and her engagement with Sennett was announced, but the marriage never took place. It's alleged that Mabel caught Mack cheating (probably with Mae Busch) and it was all down hill from there. The actual break-up occurred in 1915, but they continued to work together. Sometime before "Mickey" was released to the public, a final break resulted in Mabel leaving Keystone and Sennett for Samuel Goldwyn.


From then on, things did not go well for Mabel. The time spent working for Goldwyn was not a happy one for Mabel. While Goldwyn presented Mabel in some very fine films, her personal life was falling apart. Goldwyn paid Mabel a much better salary than Sennett and she began spending that salary on drugs. On top of this, Goldwyn fell deeply in love with Mabel and pursued her relentlessly. While Mabel seemingly did not care for him, she did engage in an affair with the producer. The result was a stillborn child, another broken relationship and a further deterioration of her health.

Beautiful and Troubled Mabel Normand

At this point, Mabel's private troubles began to overshadow her professional life. While she did attempt to improve her mind and launched a determined self-improvement campaign, her well-known "in the wrong place at the wrong time" role in the William Desmond Taylor murder scandal in 1922 almost wrecked her career (along with that of Mary Miles Minter). While Mabel was never a real suspect, information about her drug addiction and her good friend Taylor's efforts to get her away from the drug pushers made the headlines that never seemed to go away. 


After the Taylor murder and the resulting bad publicity for Mabel, her films were banned in many states. Taylor's death and the 1921 Arbuckle scandal fueled the arguments of those who saw Hollywood as the sin capitol of the nation.

She returned to Sennett where she was given another opportunity to shine. As the little wardrobe girl who doesn't make it in the movies, she got to show her comedy skills in 1923's "The Extra Girl," as as she unknowingly leads a lion around the studio, thinking she has the studio dog on a leash.

Sennett had hoped things would get back on track again both professionally and personally with Mabel, but it was not to be.

In 1924, Mabel and her good friend, Chaplin leading lady Edna Purviance, were getting ready to attend a New Year's Eve party at the the home of their mutual friend, Courtland Dines. While it's not 100% clear what happened (there appeared to be a lot of drinking going on), what is known is that Mabel's chauffeur, Horace Greer, shot Dines with Mabel's pistol. Greer, an escapee from a chain gang, said he was defending Mabel's honor. Dines was only wounded, but Mabel's career was almost dead. Her films were again banned in many states.

The misfortunes of 1924 were not yet over. During the filming of "The Extra Girl," Mabel fell off a horse and broke her collarbone. While recuperating in the hospital she met a patient by the name of Norman Church. Mrs. Norman Church later claimed that Mabel and Church had an affair while together in the hospital! Mabel sued for libel and lost the case. Although Mabel proclaimed her innocence, I kind of hope that one is true (what a way to get healed!).

After her brief reunion with Sennett, she went to work for Hal Roach and continued to work from 1926 - 1927, all the while looking pale, worn and older than her age. Roach considered her "the wildest girl in Hollywood and the dirtiest girl you ever heard." By now, however, the jolly Mabel that audiences loved was gone. Stories of her drug addiction were rampant. Sadly, Mabel was not only addicted to drugs, she also suffered from tuberculosis.

Finally, Mabel's health could not withstand the pressures from within and without, and she passed away at age 37 on February 23, 1930 (managing to fit a marriage to actor Lew Cody in before her death). She was a grand gal who paid the price for an undisciplined life and suffered because she had no one to guide her through such uncharted waters. 

The pall bearers at her funeral included Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, L.B. Mayer, Sid Grauman, D.W. Griffith, Sennett and Goldwyn. Both Sennett and Goldwyn never forgot her.  Goldwyn remembered her generous spirit.  When his studio fell upon hard times, Mabel gave Goldwyn $50,000 in Liberty Bonds to help him through the crisis. Goldwyn also claims to have witnessed Mabel giving $1,000 to a "poor girl stricken with tuberculosis." For Goldwyn, who evidently never stopped caring for her, Mabel was "a creature of impulse." Sennett remained a bachelor. He later said, "I never married. There was only one girl"

Mabel Normand left behind a legacy of skill and joy that is as fresh today as it was 100 years ago. Cheers, Mabel!

For more information about Mabel and her friends, check out this handy page full of great links:

http://looking-for-mabel.webs.com/links.htm

* by the way, Mabel and Mary Pickford were actually very good friends. This was just Mabel being Mabel.

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Constance Talmadge - LIVE in "Her Night of Romance" and Shouting Out About Silents

Ronald Colman and Constance Talmadge
flirt and skirt boundaries of propriety

I went to see a silent film last night.. in a theater! The accompanist and composer fired up the "organ" (actually Mr. Ben Model on his Miditzer Virtual Theatre Organ), the lights were dimmed and the audience was served a glass of sparkling cinematic champagne of a very rare vintage. It was all very heady stuff.

"Her Night of Romance" stars Constance Talmadge and Ronald Colman. We are all familiar with Mr. Colman as the sound star ("'tis a far, far better thing...") with the beautiful British accent. As a silent star he was equally appealing, maybe even more so, as he was so young, so handsome and, at least in this film, so seemingly good-natured. Funny that he payed an English Lord (impoverished) and it seemed so right, knowing how his voice sounded. When audience first saw this in 1924, they could only guess.

Constance Talmadge was, at the time and throughout the silent era, a huge star who is now largely forgotten. She and her sister, Norma, were the queens of comedy and tragedy, respectively. While Norma's name still rings a faraway bell to some, Constance is rarely mentioned, her films rarely screened. So, imagine my delight when this bubbly, effervescent, intoxicating (did I say she was like a glass of champagne?) woman appeared on the screen and took over the film. She is fresh, funny, natural and feminine. Lovely and frisky, but slightly screwball, she is a precursor to Carole Lombard. The racy bedroom scenes between the two stars do raise an eyebrow, but they are put across in such a charming manner that the censors must have looked the other way. Ronnie and Connie were adorable (and pretty sexy).

All in all, the film is a delicious trifle given weight by two powerful star personalities and talents. Aiding the light-as-a-feather story is a first class production where no expense appeared to have been spared (after all, Connie's brother-in-law was  Joseph Schenck, powerful mogul and husband of Norma).

After seeing "A Night of Romance" I want more Connie Talmadge! Some of her films that are available on DVD include "Her Sister From Paris" and "The Duchess of Buffalo."

Chatting With Ben and Dylan 

at the Huntington Cinema Arts Centre

Not only does the Huntington Cinema Arts Centre provide great movies and programs (click here for a peek), but they also provide great ambiance. Before the show, I got a chance to speak with Ben Model, accompanist, composer, and silent film champion, and Dylan Skolnick, the Co-Director of the theater. Both were kind enough to take a few minutes in the theater's wonderful cafe (that has both red velvet cake and coconut cake, but I digress....) to talk about the evening's program and getting the word out about silent films to a larger audience.

Ben Model and Dylan Skolnick

Ben, who has been playing piano and organ and composing for silents at the Museum of Modern Art for over 20 years, said that he has played at several screenings of Constance Talmadge's films over the last few years that she is always a hit. However, the treat of our being able to see and enjoy Connie   is largely due to the efforts of the Library of Congress and various collectors who have recognized the value of these films and have saved them - just for us!  And thanks to these efforts, Connie's reputation is starting to come back. Ben acknowledges, however, that getting more than just the core group of fans out to see a silent film is a challenge.

Huntington Cinema Arts Centre Co-Director Dylan Skolnick agreed. The theater, which has been championing silent films for decades, faces the challenge of reaching out to a wider audience with each showing. "Silent films," he said, "are very far away from most people's experience of film. But once they have the experience, they fall in love with it. It's really about the experience. There is a  different feel to these films which have a visual, poetic quality."

Dylan summed it up, I think, perfectly:" If you love movies, this is the heart." 

It was fun just to listen to two people who really love what they do and want to share their passion with a larger audience.

Ben and Dylan also opened up about the rest of the 2011 Silent Film Series at the Huntington Cinema Arts Centre. Check out this lineup:

Library of Congress Rare Comedy Shorts (hand picked by Ben) that he promises are "hilarious."

"The Freshman" with Harold Lloyd

William S. Hart in "Sand"

"He Who Gets Slapped" starring Lon Chaney

"Upstream" - directed by John Ford (a film that was considered to be lost until a copy was discovered in 2009 in New Zealand)

Buster Keaton's "Seven Chances"


All on the big screen, all with live organ accompaniment...I am so there.

After our chat and before the show, I had a cool drink (and some coconut cake, I confess) in their luscious garden patio while listening to some live music. An evening's entertainment, indeed!


Make Some Noise About Silent Film!


The joy of classic films, and silents in particular, can only be spread by those who love them. 

This means you!

Next time you go to see a classic film, silent or sound, pop in a DVD or even watch one on TCM, invite a friend or family member. Wouldn't it be nice to spread the wonder of these treasures (and have someone to share them with, too)? As Ben says, "if you come once, you'll get what it's all about." 


It's "Mission Possible" - are you in?

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What a Drag! Bending Genders Cinema Style

For one's art, an actor must suffer and sometimes cross gender. Some look better than others and some - well - some are just downright ugly! But, the great ones are good sports and throw everything into their role. And sometimes, something strangely sexy happens...

The men have a harder time looking passable, let alone feminine, but some manage to pull it off better than others. The ladies, while hardly ever looking truly masculine (except for a few), always look fetching, no matter how the gender bends. Mascara and lip gloss always seem to be handy.

Here are the Boys!

The Good
These few fellows actually make a passable woman!

Charlie Chaplin in "A Woman" - quite charming, don't you think?

Dustin Hoffman in "Tootsie" - who would have guessed?
Shows you what great make-up and a great actor can do!

Sir Alec Guinness in "Kind Hearts and Coronets" -  
she's quite formidable!

Peter Seller in "The Mouse That Roared" - 
makes quite a believable Duchess,  doesn't he?

The Bad
These boys were bad, and fooled no one, but they tried.

Cary Grant in "I Was a Male War Bride" - not Cary's best look,
but  he was a good sport and would do anything for a laugh

Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in "Some Like it Hot" -
yes, they  were  not really believable, but they were so cute!

William Powell in "Love Crazy" - oh Nick Charles! But, 
Bill does make a pretty good fussy old lady

The Really Ugly
These guys are just not in touch with their feminine side!

Gene Hackman in "Birdcage" - so wrong

George Sanders in "The Kremlin Letter" - 
He & Gene Hackman switched at birth?

Fatty Arbuckle - just say "NO"!

Curly - Maybe with a bigger hat....

Lou Costello (right) in "Lost in a Harem" - 
Lou looks as though he wandered in from "Birdcage"

Robert Preston in "Victor Victoria" - 
Not pretty, but funny as hell

Johnny Depp in "Before Night Falls" - 
some may like this look, but me? Not so much.

Here Come the Girls

The Cute
These girls might not have quite passed, but they sure looked adorable.

Louise Brooks in "Beggars of Life" - 
Louise always looked stylish, no matter what she wore

Edna Purviance in "Behind the Screen" - 
hmm.... Charlie is strangely attracted

Jessie Matthews in "First a Girl" - 
the early British version of "Victor/Victoria"

Julie Andrews in "Victor/Victoria" - 
she looks pretty feminine to me!

Miriam Hopkins in "She Loves Me" - 
Miriam is still cute as a button

Marion Davis in "Little Old New York" - WR Hearst liked to see her
 dressed as a boy. Let's not even go there.

Janet Gaynor in "Sunny Side Up" - pretty cute, pretty close

Merle Oberon in "A Song to Remember" - 
a lady to her fingertips (but very chic)

The Sexy
These 2 women defined continental sex appeal. No matter what the gender, they were hot.

Marlene Dietrich - the Queen

Garbo - always kept them guessing (beautifully)

The Disturbing
Sorry, but this makes me a little uncomfortable...

Katharine Hepburn in "Sylvia Scarlett"-  
Her co-star was Cary Grant. 
Not exactly "The Philadelphia Story."

Feeling a bit conflicted? Do you feel the onset on an identity crisis? It will be our little secret. 


Excuse me while I bake a cake. Men, start chopping some lumber!

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Pola Negri and Rudolph Valentino: Birds of Paradise in Love

Pola Negri & Rudolph Valentino by Federico Beltrán Masses

Should two of the silent era's most glamorous, exotic stars have had a dignified, low-profile romance? Back in the day, running almost parallel with Garbo and Gilbert (called Gilbo or Garbert by the press -and we thought we were so witty with Brangelina and Bennifer) the hot, hot, hot Hollywood romance was Pola Negri and Rudolph Valentino (Polantino?)

Silent film stars were never portrayed as real people and were not expected to behave that way. They were the closest we ever came to the mythical gods and goddesses. Surely Hollywood of the 1920s was Mount Olympus. The movie star-gods were always magical, passionate and seemingly touched with real stardust. The studios worked overtime to promote these images and the fan magazines were filled with stories of  beautiful, emotional, larger-than-life personalities. How much fun it must have been for fans to play along with this fantasy!

It is only right that these two hot house flowers of passion and romance should find one another and fall in love.

Pola Negri

Pola Negri (born Barbara Apolonia Chalupiec) was a Polish diva who, after achieving great success in Europe, was brought to Hollywood. It was Pola who showed the American gals how a sophisticated, continental femme fatale should behave, dress, and love. Pola was a fine actress and gave many wonderful performances, but her off-screen image was as interesting as her on-screen work. After arriving in America, she began a succession of affairs. One of the most famous was her brief romance with Charlie Chaplin. After the initial heat wore off, both realized they were ill-suited to one another, Pola being much to strong-willed for Charlie (who liked his women pliable). Pola took her position as a woman of glamor and passion very seriously (just as Mary Pickford protected her more virginal image with the public). She approached life, as well as art, with passionate intensity. Pola was a shameless publicity hound and a very public love affair with a willing partner was the perfect setting to display her colorful and fiery passions.

Rudolph Valentino

The greatest silent film lover, bar none, Valentino smoldered and set the hearts of American women fluttering (and the teeth of American men gnashing). Rudy, the Italian immigrant who initially spoke no English, worked at menial jobs (including dishwasher and paid escort) and found fame when he tango-ed across the screen in "The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse," was well known to have been rather unlucky in love. After his death, questions about his sexual preferences surfaced, but by all reliable accounts, the great Latin Lover loved women.  His first wife, Jean Acker, who he married impulsively, was a known lesbian and their marriage never made it past the wedding night. It appears that he was passionately in love with his second wife, Natacha Rambova, an artistic set and costume designer and dancer. The beautiful Rambova's controlling nature and demands that pertained to Valentino's film career eventually lead to their split. Valentino, the great lover, was heart broken and ready for a new romance.

Rudy and Pola: The Romance


Act One: They Meet and Fall in Love

Lovers meet

Rudy and Pola allegedly first met in 1926 at a costume party thrown by Marion Davies. Rudy was dressed as the "Blood and Sand" matador and Pola came dressed as an officer-of-the-guard for Catherine the Great. Pola supposedly asked Nazimova for an introduction to Rudy. Sparks flew, an evening redezvous was made, and love was born.

Act Two: Happiness

Was it all for publicity? Perhaps a bit. Pola was more than willing to make love for the papers, but Rudy seemed a bit more reticent, although he sure did let his lady-loves lead him around by the nose (ah, a man in love!). Pola and Rudy were seen everywhere doing everything and seemed so happy. Both Pola and Rudy sport grins that are rarely seen in other candid shots. Maybe they were just so in love they wanted to share their happiness with their fans (as do all young lovers).  Just take a look:

Valentino's Arabian steeds

Attending the marriage of Mae Murray and David Mdivani

Happily frolicking in Pola's pool and ready for an important event!

They sure seemed to make each other happy.

Act Three: Tragedy Strikes
Valentino's Death

Valentino died suddenly in 1926 while in New York. Pola, who was in Hollywood, collapsed, revived and then sped across the country to attend the New York funeral. Her grief-stricken performance at the funeral was over-the-top, even for a diva like Pola. Draped in flowing black veils (and accompanied by a secretary and press agent), Pola declared to reporters that she and Valentino were secretly engaged to be married. She posed in dramatic fashion for the reporters and then threw herself, weeping and fainting, on Valentino's open casket. Her performance caused a riot.

An estimated 100,000 mourners descend upon
Frank E. Campbell's  Funeral Chapel

Grieving Pola propped up by a secretary and a publicity man

Pola accompanied Rudy's body back to Hollywood for another funeral via train. Stopping in all major cities from New York to Hollywood, Pola willingly obliged reporters and repeated her fainting and grief routine on demand. At Valentino's Hollywood funeral, Pola ordered a $2,000 bed of red roses with the name "POLA" prominently displayed in white roses at the center of the arrangement. Her grief was on display again at the Hollywood funeral and was repeated yet again for Photoplay Magazine (who announced Pola's intention of erecting an enormous marble wedding cake to sit atop Valentino's tomb. Thankfully, this didn't happen). Oh, that Pola. She was indeed a drama queen.

Backlash and Aftermath

Pola's funeral antics, no matter how heartfelt, did not win her any fans. Her behavior was much criticized, as was her 1927 rebound marriage to Prince Serge Mdivani (so much for grief). Due, in part, to the negative press she received, her films began to fare poorly at the box office. The advent of talking pictures placed the final nail in Pola's Hollywood career. She did, however, continue to work in Europe and live a very colorful life (she was married two times, once to a count and once to a prince), finally returning to the USA in the early 1940s and remaining here until her death in 1987. She had a lot of hard luck along the way, but always behaved like the star she was. She was a fascinating woman.

In her autobiography "Memoirs of a Star" (published in 1970), Pola maintained that, despite the many men she knew and loved, Valentino was the love of her life:

 My love for Valentino was the greatest love of my life. I loved him, not as one artist loves another, but as a woman loves a man.

Who knows if it would have lasted? Did they really love one another? Were they really engaged to be married? Was Valentino still in love with Natacha Rambova? Who knows if Valentino would have survived talking pictures? These unanswered questions make their romance, for me, the ultimate 1920s Hollywood Romance. Garbo seemed a bit unwilling and Gilbert seemed a bit too eager, but Polantino seemed to hugely enjoy their celebrity romance. I'm sure that tiny stars glittered about them in their happiest hours, both before the press and behind closed doors. The first flush of romance never died for them and I, for one, buy the whole story lock, stock and barrel. So joyous, so brief, so tragic, it is the stuff dreams are made of.

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