"NEW ISSUE [Chaplin at Keystone] n'16 AVAILABLE
Dough and Dynamite +
Documentations II ( US & UK advertisements
dated 1914 / 1922, including rare Mabel Normand's)
No. 16 : 192 pages ; 110 illustrations ; 5.6 x 8.1 inch. ; 10 euros
Frais de port (France Metropolitaine) = 3 euros
Orders and informations : t.g.mathieu@wanadoo.fr
Web site :
http://www.chaplin-at-keystone.com
( secure payment through PayPal.com )"
The Museum of Modern Art
Rediscovering Roscoe: The Careers of "Fatty" Arbuckle will screen 9 of Mabel & Roscoes best loved comedies The silent comedy program of the various careers of Roscoe Arbuckle in film begins:
* Thursday, April 20,
6:00. T2
* Fatty and Mabels Married Life. 1915. USA. Directed by Roscoe Arbuckle. With Mabel Normand. Approx. 10 min.
8:00. T2
* A Noise from the Deep. 1913. USA. Directed by Mack Sennett. With Mabel Normand. Approx. 10 min.
* Mabels New Hero. 1913. USA. Directed by Mack Sennett. With Mabel Normand. Approx. 10 min.
* Those Country Kids. 1914. USA. Directed by Roscoe Arbuckle. With Mabel Normand. Approx. 10 min.
Program approx. 80 min. Silent, with organ accompaniment by Ben Model.
* Friday, April 21,
6:00. T2
* Fatty and Mabels Simple Life. 1915. USA. Directed by Roscoe Arbuckle. With Mabel Normand. Approx. 20 min.
* Wished on Mabel. 1915. USA. Directed by Roscoe Arbuckle. With Mabel Normand. Approx. 10 min. Silent, with piano accompaniment by Donald Sosin.
8:00. T2
* That Little Band of Gold. 1915. USA. Directed by Roscoe Arbuckle. With Mabel Normand, Ford Sterling. Approx. 20 min.
* He Did and He Didnt. 1916. USA. Directed by Roscoe Arbuckle. With Mabel Normand. Approx. 20 min.
Program approx. 95 min. Silent, with accompaniment by Donald Sosin (piano), Joanna Seaton (vocals), Peter Gordon (saxophone and keyboard), Susan Heerema (violin), and Martin Piecuch (reeds).
* Saturday, April 29,
8:30. T2
* Fatty and Mabel Adrift. 1916. USA. Directed by Roscoe Arbuckle. With Mabel Normand. Approx. 30 min. Program approx. 100 min. with piano accompaniment by Donald Sosin.
The Museum of Modern Art
(212) 708-9400
11 West 53 Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues
New York, NY 10019-5497
For more see: http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/film_media/2006/Fatty_Arbuckle.html
Mabel's film Molly O will be screened on Saturday, July 22, 2006 as one of the many featured at this summer's Slapsticon, being held (as previously) in Arlington, VA. See http://www.slapsticon.org/ for more details.
Coming so soon after the third, one might be not a little surprised to hear we now have a FOURTH revised edition of the Mabel Normand Source Book. But thanks to the generous volunteering of "Mabelite" Leslie Evans, from Marilyn Slater's MN Yahoo group, who transcribed some "new" articles for us (and which came from Marilyn), we can say this is indeed the case. Added as well in this updated edition, are a handful of short poems Mabel wrote in her last years.
"No. 15 : 160 pages ; 93 illustrations ; 5.6 x 8.1 inch. ; 10 euros
"Orders and informations : t.g.mathieu@wanadoo.fr
"Web site : www.chaplin-at-keystone.com (revised)
( secure payment through PayPal.com )
"Available in all cinema bookshops in Paris ( + past issues)"
posted 9/11/05
For yet another "re-discovered" rare Mabel movie poster from the Keystone era, in this case "Mabel's Lovers" (released Nov. 4, 1912), and which came our way in the way of a scan not long ago see here.
WOW! Look what recently turned up on EBay! The first is a photo of a sketch done by James Montgomery Flagg (evidently to be dated, the sketch that is, about 1909 or 1910), and, second here, an original 1915 poster for the Keystone-Triangle film "My Valet." Both items are exceptional rarities, of which it is very unusual to come across the like.
6/12/05
The following obituary for Mabel's recently surviving niece, daughter of Claude Normand Jr., and mother of Stephen Normand, just came to me and I thought I would share it with you all, just as I was fortunate enough, courtesy of the always thoughtful Marilyn Slater, to have brought to my own attention. It was published in the Home News Tribune (of Central New Jersey) 06/8/05.
"MABEL WINIFRED NORMAND RYCOWITCH, 76, of OCEAN TOWNSHIP
"MABEL WINIFRED NORMAND RYCOWITCH, 76, of OCEAN TOWNSHIP, died Sunday, June 5, at home. Born in Staten Island, N.Y., to the late Claude D. and Winifred Normand, she was the namesake and niece to the late Mabel Normand of Keystone Comedy (Mack Sennett) fame. She attended St. Peter's Grammar and High School in Staten Island. In March 1948, she married her beloved husband, Stephen Rycowitch. She lived with her husband and three sons, Steve, Michael and Normand, in Great Kills, Staten Island until 1968 when she moved first to Colonia and later to Clark. She retired with her husband to Florida until 2004 when she returned to Ocean Township to live with her son, Normand Rycowitch, following a second heart surgery in 2001. As a young woman, Mabel was a model for lady's catalogue hats, stockings and other clothing as well as for Pepsi Cola. She also developed a unique process of creating greeting cards, which she sold through shops, personalized with printed name and message in script and a theme for each individual as per request, using ribbons and drawings to accentuate the uniqueness of the individualized card. She also enjoyed being a pen pal to a number of people, particularly in Scotland and England, and she kept a regular correspondence by letter with numerous friends, both old and new and of all ages. During the past two years, Mabel experienced increasingly poor health due to heart trouble, but continued to live cheerfully, with dignity, among her family and friends who will miss her tremendously.
"She was predeceased by her son, Michael Rycowitch; and her brother, Livingston Joseph Normand. Surviving are her husband of 57 years, Stephen Rycowitch; two sons, Stephen Rycowitch of England, and Normand Rycowitch of Ocean Township.
"Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday at The Worden-Hoidal Funeral Home, 60 E. Front St., Red Bank. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Anselm Roman Catholic Church, 1028 Wayside Road, Wayside. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in her memory to the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey, 141 Bodman Place, Red Bank, N.J. 07701."
"Reginald Denny is one of the great neglected comedians of the silent eras, specializing in clever situation comedies rather than broad physical slapstick. His rarely seen What Happened to Jones? (1926) will be screened on Friday night right after our W.C. Fields tribute. Denny is a delight and if you only know him from his character work in the talkies, you are in for a treat. Along those lines, many people don't mention Johnny Hines when talking about the golden age of silent comedy, but his films clip along at a breakneck pace and are packed with hair-raising and hilarious stunts. Treat yourself to The Live Wire (1925) on Sunday afternoon and see for yourself.
"Rob Stone, author of Laurel OR Hardy: The Solo Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver 'Babe' Hardy, will be presenting some of Stan and Ollie's finest early work. Titles include a very young Oliver Hardy in The Daddy of Them All (1914); Hardy playing the heavy opposite Billy West in The Hero (1917) and Larry Semon in The Fall Guy (1921); and performing gags written by Stan Laurel in Along Came Auntie (1926). Stan's formative years are showcased by Bears and Bad Men (Larry Semon, 1918), Under Two Jags (1923), Short Orders (1923), Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde (1925), and Eve's Love Letters (1927). Rob's fine book is a collector's item now, and hopefully you will have an opportunity to buy a copy, or at least place an order.
"We're looking forward to being the first audience in over 80 years to see Mabel Normand's Goldwyn feature Head Over Heels (1922). Historian Steve Massa has sent us some nitrate frame scans and the tinted print looks immaculate. You can read more about the discovery of Head Over Heels in the current issue of Classic Images (available from newsstands at many Borders, Barnes & Noble and Tower Records) and in the upcoming issue of Slapstick! (e-mail dwms@yahoo.com for subscription information). Both publications are a must for us folks who love this stuff.
"The Unidentified Program at the Library of Congress is really shaping up, with new projection prints being struck that will receive their first public screening at this event. Seating is very limited at the Library of Congress' Mary Pickford Theatre, so get your registration forms in early with the appropriate box checked to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event. What's on the schedule? We dunno -- they're all unidentified! For those who want to stay at the Rosslyn Spectrum on Friday afternoon, we've counter-programmed a rare subtitled print of most people consider Buster's best starring sound feature, Le Roi de Champs-Elysee (France, 1934).
"And speaking of limited space, if you haven't booked your room at the Best Western Washington/Key Bridge (located in Arlington despite its name), do so now! Registrations are coming in earlier than in previous years and we want to make sure that everyone who needs a room gets one. Go to www.slapsticon.org and print out the hotel registration form. If you call 703-522-0400, be sure you ask for Gerald Cherry and mention that you want the Slapsticon rate. The hotel is just minutes from our theater and Washington's clean, safe Metrorail system. So if you are coming into town via means other than automobile, you'll be in fine shape.
"That's it for now. As the Slapsticon approaches (can it only be 16 weeks away?) we'll have more frequent newsletters -- we promise!"
"The Forgotten Films of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle contains 32 classic silent and sound comedies directed by and starring master filmmaker Roscoe Arbuckle. The "Prince of Whales" is also joined by some of the silver screen's most legendary stars including Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand, Harold Lloyd, Ford Sterling, Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino, child star Jackie Coogan, and some unjustly forgotten comic luminaries like Al St. John, Mack Swain, Edgar Kennedy, Charley Chase, Monty Banks, Lloyd Hamilton, Lupino Lane and, of course, Arbuckle's multi-talented canine companion Luke.
"Digitally remastered from original archival materials, or the only known surviving print, each film features completely restored titles, intertitles, and several films include previously lost or alternate footage. Silent titles debut newly-created scores from Philip Carli, David Drazin, Ben Model, The Mont Alto Orchestra, The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, Rodney Sauer and Donald Sosin.
"This groundbreaking 4 DVD set is a long overdue celebration of the life and loving work of forgotten funny man Roscoe Arbuckle.
"Airing on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in April (i.e. Monday April 4)! DVD street date: May 24, 2005"
A number of Mabel's films are being included with this nice package. As well I have heard Laughsmith's head Paul E. Gierucki may also do a separate DVD collection of Mabel's film. For more on the Arbuckle set see Laughsmith Entertainment.
"The Fort Lee Film Commission will present a three-day symposium/retrospective on the works of the legendary film comedian Roscoe Arbuckle. Panelists will include film commission member and Rutgers University professor Richard Koszarski and noted film historian David Shepard. The films to be screened not only will include Arbuckle's work in Fort Lee [New Jersey], but also films shot in California and New York, including the seldom-seen Vitaphone talkies.
"Coming on the heels of the newly-published I, Fatty by Jerry Stahl, this retrospective will shed additional light on Arbuckle�s work and his place as one of the great comedians of American cinema.
Sunday, 10 April 2005
2:00 PM-3:00 PM
Symposium: Roscoe Arbuckle in Fort Lee
Panelists to include: Film commission member Rutgers professor Richard Koszarski, documentary filmmaker Paul Gierucki (Arbuckle, a three-part documentary to air on TCM in April along with restored Arbuckle films), Gierucki's associate producers Bruce Lawton and Steve Massa, film historian David Shepard, and Milestone Film & Video's Dennis Doros.
First program:
He Did and He Didn't (1916)
The Waiters Ball (1916)
A Reckless Romeo (1917)
Second program:
Leap Year (1922)
"The Fort Lee Film Commission Presents Roscoe Arbuckle Retrospective
"The Fort Lee Film Commission will present a three-day symposium/retrospective on the works of the legendary film comedian Roscoe Arbuckle. Panelists will include film commission member and Rutgers University professor Richard Koszarski and noted film historian David Shepard. The films to be screened not only will include Arbuckle's work in Fort Lee [New Jersey], but also films shot in California and New York, including the seldom-seen Vitaphone talkies.
"Coming on the heels of the newly-published I, Fatty by Jerry Stahl, this retrospective will shed additional light on Arbuckle's work and his place as one of the great comedians of American cinema.
SATURDAY, 16 APRIL 2005
First Program:
The Butcher Boy (1917)
Oh, Doctor! (1917)
Coney Island (1917)
Fatty Arbuckle Liberty Bond Appeal (1917)
Second program:
Out West (1918)
Goodnight, Nurse! (1918)
The Cook (1918)
The Garage (1920)
SUNDAY, 17 APRIL 2005
Six Roscoe Arbuckle talkies
Hey Pop! (1932)
Buzzin� Around (1933)
How Have You Bean? (1933)
Close Relations (1933)
In the Dough (1933)
Tomalio (1933)
All films Vitaphone. Running time approximately 120 minutes.
The retrospective will be held at the Fort Lee Historic Park Theater atop the Palisades, on Hudson Terrace just south of the George Washington Bridge. Call 201-592-3663 for details.
Live Piano Accompaniment by Stuart Oderman
Curated & Hosted by Ken Gordon
Where:
Brooklyn Public Library, Central Branch
Corner of Flatbush Ave. & Eastern Parkway,
near Grand Army Plaza
Second Floor Meeting Room
Brooklyn, New York
(718) 230-2100
