Illustrated with Deleter #4 Black Drawing Ink with Crow Quill Pen on 9x12 Smooth Bristol Board.
An illustration featuring three of my favorite silent movie actors Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, Mabel Ethelreid Normand and Joseph Francis "Buster" Keaton Jr. together.
I'm actually surprised I haven't done a illustration like this sooner seeing that I have such a love for the silent era.
Although, I do not believe Buster Keaton or Mabel Normand ever appeared in the same movie together, Charlie Chaplin actually shared the screen with both Mabel and Buster. He starred in many shorts and one film Tillie's Punctured Romance with Mabel for a number of Max Sennett's Keystone Studios and he only appeared once with Keaton who had a small part in Chaplin's later film Limelight in 1952 which the two played a pair of old vaudeville stars.
I wanted to give Chaplin and Keaton the impression that they are sizing one another up with Mabel standing impishly in the middle. Mostly due to the fact there was talk that both men were rivals back in the silent era. And although there seems to be a split between people who like Buster Keaton's films and the people who love Charlie Chaplin's films.
I am split right down the middle and I love both their films. And all three of the actors bought something unique to the work they did. Which, for me, makes them the three very important figures of that era in film-making.
2 comments:
They're three favorites of mine, too! And Mabel's a New Englander (Boston, I think). Excellent, Bret!
Actually there has been a couple of conflicting reports about Mabel Normand's birthplace. Mostly due to Miss Normand herself.
They have her listed as being born in Long Island New York. Although, she had mentioned being born in Boston from time to time.
If you haven't already Betty Harper Fussell wrote a really great biography about Mabel Normand.
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