How well do you know America’s original It Girl? Here are 10 facts you may now know about the feisty, fabulous Clara Bow: She survived an impoverished and sometimes abusive childhood – perhaps a major factor in her drive to find stardom. But not everyone was supportive of her goals. Her own mother tried to … [Read more…]
by Mitch Hemann Teri Youmans Grimm has been a great friend of Norman Studios over the years. She’s served on the board and volunteered countless hours of her time to our cause. Her latest book, Becoming Lyla Dore, is a testament of her passion for silent film. From Red Hen Press: “In this collection of … [Read more…]
by Mitch Hemann This weekend marks the 90th anniversary of the passing of Bessie Coleman, and Norman Studios would like to honor her incredible legacy as America’s first Black Female Aviator. Not everybody knows Coleman’s inspiring story, and even fewer know that she has a connection to Richard Norman. Bessie Coleman was born January 26th, … [Read more…]
by Mitch Hemann “Out in the Dutch East Indies, just south of the equator, lies Bali – isle of perpetual summer. In this peopled paradise, untouched by civilization, lives a contented race who joyously worship their gods – to them life is a continuous feast – to them death holds no fear. Here we relate … [Read more…]
by Christina Kimble Some people have two great loves- their wife and their car; their husband and their spa days; their guitar and their friends. For character Johnnie Gray (Buster Keaton), who plays a train engineer in the 1926 film The General, love was being with his fiancée Annabelle Lee and his locomotive, The General. … [Read more…]
by Christina Kimble Before Caitlyn Jenner stormed headlines and Kim Kardashian wanted to break the internet, a different trend setter bobbed her way into the Hollywood scene – Louise Brooks. We’ve all seen people with a Bob, the hairstyle, but Brooks with her sensual beauty and toned dancing frame was a trendsetter in her own … [Read more…]
by Christina Kimble One clown to rule them all. Marcel Fernandez Perez is a silent film underdog and first generation silent film comedian who began his career in Paris in 1900. But how could an international favorite have his work largely unnoticed until the 21st century? The scarcity of his work today is just one … [Read more…]
by Christina Kimble Long before Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, Old Yeller and Petey commanded film and TV audiences, one talented pit bull became a star, as evidenced by a screen credit on the Keystone payroll at about $150 week – the monetary equivalent of roughly $3,500 today, in the early 1900s. Luke the Dog, as … [Read more…]
by Christina Kimble If you’ve ever watched a film that stayed with you long after it ended, music played a part. Silent film uses music to represent the dialogue, set the mood and advance the plot. The musicians who choose to keep this art form alive are a special breed. “We’re a boat on the … [Read more…]
Mark your calendars for something cool! RLand Art and the Norman Studios present The Patchwork Girl of Oz and other silent Oz classics this Sunday night, February 22 at Rain Dogs in Riverside. A tad bizarre but incredibly engaging, this series of silent shorts shot between 1910 and 1915 features the earliest screen adaptations of … [Read more…]