Balladeer’s Blog takes its third and final look at the best silent film comedies of the legendary comedienne Mabel Normand. For 1910-1915 click HERE. For 1916-1920 click HERE.
MOLLY O (1921) – This film was produced by Mabel’s longtime romantic partner Mack Sennett (the musical Mack & Mabel is about them) and co-written by Mary Hunt. Originally 80 minutes long, this comedy was once considered completely lost like so many other silent movies.
Part of the surviving 57 minutes of footage has an unusual survival story. Because the film centers on the romance of a poor struggling Irish girl, Molly O’Dair (Normand) and wealthy MD John Bryant (Jack Mulhall), much of the comedy centers on class stereotypes of Molly’s poor but honest family and Jack’s wealthy but villainous family.
The Soviet Union edited out all the funny parts and presented what was left as one of their propaganda films depicting life in America as one long nightmare of evil rich capitalists ridiculing and being cruel to poor working-class people.
That footage from the fallen U.S.S.R.’s film archives helped UCLA film historians flesh out what surviving footage they held with the chopped-up Russian version to make the 57-minute cut. Luckily the ending is intact and reviews from 1921 help fill in any missing story beats.
Molly’s Irish family runs a laundry and when she delivers some clothing to Dr. John Bryant, they fall for each other. Dr. Bryant is the only decent member of his family, and he & Molly struggle to make their romance work despite the snobbish machinations of his hoity-toity clan who despise the Irish.
The brother of John’s former lady is the main villain and tries to send Molly/ Mabel to her death from a high-flying dirigible in the thrilling finale. Dr. Bryant uses a bi-plane to reach the dirigible and executes a daring leap to board the lighter than air vessel so he can overcome the bad guy and save his true love. Continue reading
RICH LITTLE’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (1979) – Balladeer’s Blog’s SIXTEENTH annual Christmas Carol-A-Thon continues! If you’re into celebrity trivia from the 1970s and earlier Rich Little’s Christmas Carol will have you laughing from start to finish over all the sly jokes and riffs that abound in this Canadian- made special. For those unfamiliar with Little, in the 60s, 70s and 80s he was a first- class celebrity impressionist. 
For the central role of Ebenezer Scrooge Little impersonated W.C. Fields, the whiskey- soaked and curmudgeonly comedian whose misanthropic humor made his persona perfect for the role. Little impersonated Hollywood Squares mainstay Paul “The JM J Bullock of his time” Lynde in the role of Bob Cratchit and long-time Tonight Show host Johnny Carson as the cheerful and charming Nephew Fred. Rich did a turn as Laurel and Hardy as the Charity Solicitors to round out the “cast” for the opening scene at Scrooge and Marley’s. 
Can you believe it’s just one week until Halloween! 
BARTHOLOMEW 
MISTER RABBEY
For the first time since October of 2022, Mary Harris Jones – aka Mother Jones – speaks with Balladeer’s Blog despite having passed away in 1930. Much of the fun comes from the way that Democrat fundamentalists froth at the mouth over her visits here. 
MOTHER JONES: Good to be back, Balladeer. I notice you’ve tended to let up on some basic, solid points you’ve made in your blog posts over the years. I’m here to provide your easily distracted mind with some refreshers. 
I’m far from the first person to be pointing out the absurd mistakes that A.I. can make when basically left on its own. Rather than devote this blog post to some of the potentially catastrophic errors that can be made via A.I. I will instead look at the jaw-dropping blunders made by YT channels that rely entirely on A.I. scripts and narration. 
MINNIE’S BOYS (1970) – HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! This year Balladeer’s Blog looks at the musical comedy Minnie’s Boys, about Minnie Marx, the mother – and show-biz manager – of the five Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo and Gummo). Actors portraying her sons co-starred and conjured up the kind of hilarious chaos you’d expect. 
Let’s face it, trying to do a straight drama about the most anarchic comedians since Edward Lear and Eugene Ionesco would have been foolish, even if their mother is the lead character, not them. The storyline in Minnie’s Boys takes Minnie and her sons from their teenage years in vaudeville to their achievement of stardom. 
TOP SECRET (1984)
With a new year underway – 2017 C.E. – Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at some past predictions by “psychics” (LMAO) that turned out to be wildly off the mark.
— Private automobiles would be banned … by 1990. 
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