Looking for Mabel Normand

 

Will Lambert’s Designs Mabel Normand’s Costume for “The Nickel Hopper (Roach 1926)

Marilyn Slater

Looking for Mabel

April 15, 2009

 

 

William Lambert was usually referred to as just Lambert but in the various filmographies he is listed as Wil, Will and even Bill.  From what I have found he was born July 2, 1903 and was designing gowns before he was hired by Hal Roach to create costumes in 1926, he was just 23 and very talented. His work during the 1930s was highly successful, designing for many of the stars of his day as well as a thriving business in clothes for private clients; dying at 70 while living in San Francisco, May 14, 1973. 

 

It appears that his first film credit was “Nickel Hopper” (Roach 1926).  Soon after F. Richard Jones had become Head of Production and Mabel Normand signed her 5 year contract.

 

Hal Roach made arrangements to have Bill (William) Lambert design costumes for his comediennes.  In The Charleston Daily Mail dated March 21, 1926 a story quoted Roach as to the importance of fashion to the movie audiences.  This is of course interesting, as F. Richard Jones’ wife was the wonderful and talented fashion designer, Irene Lentz.  Dick was Head of Production at the Hal Roach Studios during this period and was also financing Irene’s dress shop.

 

Roach told the reporter that he believed that as much time and care should be put into making a 2-reel comedy as is used in doing longer movies.  He stated his understanding that elaborate sets and well chosen clothes were necessary in comedy.

 

The article did not include Mabel Normand by name but it is pretty obvious that Roach was speaking about Mabel and her work with Mack Sennett when he told the reporter that “The day of the cheap shabby comedy has gone forever…People are prejudiced against pictures because of the old pie-slinging days when the height of humor was reached when a fat man slipped on a banana peel.”  Roach stated that he believed that more laughter comes from two well dressed people than two dowdy dressed individuals in funny situation.  He said that the audience was disgusted and bored with the poorly clothed comediennes struggling to get a laugh.

 

It seems that Roach believed nothing will do more to raise the standards of comedies than well dressed characters.  As part of this plan Will Lambert a noted designer became part of Hal Roach Studios, according to the IMDb, the first film listing him as a costume designer was “The Nickel Hopper,” he is also listed as the creator of Mabel’s clothes in “Should Men Walk Home.”  His clothes have a distinctive look and it maybe that he was responsible for dressing her in all 5 of her Roach comedies.  He created the Shirley Temple costume worn in “The Little Colonel” (1935); it is a version of Mabel’s dream dress from “Raggedy Rose”.   The Tom Tierney “Paperdolls” published by Dover has a drawing of it. The coat Mabel wears in “Anything Once” also reflects the style of the one in “The Nickel Hopper.”  Sadly, “One Hour Married” is still missing and the photos I have are mostly in her military uniform, but as Lambert is officially credited with the designs for two and I recognize his work in two more there is little drought he did all five of her films.

 

The Lambert’s fashions were in fact very much like the gowns worn by feature stars.    Lambert’s clothes reflected the characters in the films and had a pronounced modern look.  Among the Roach stars to wear Lambert’s creations were: Eve Novak, Vivien Oakland, Martha Sleeper, Virginia Pearson, Eileen Percy, Mildred Harris, Theda Bara, Katherine Grand and yes, Mabel Normand.

 

I need to go watch the “Our Gang Comedies” again, “elaborate sets, and clothes”, I missed them during my viewing. 

 

Costume Design in the Movies, Elizabeth Leese, pg 55; has a nice list of William Lambert’s films for Fox in the 1930s.  He had a full pages feature in the Screen & Radio Weekly by Sara Day while he was the designer for Twentieth Century-Fox, Sara described his office on the lot as a “nifty new blue and white” one. In the article Lambert stated that “One reason I’d rather dress a larger woman than a slim one is because the larger woman usually spend time and care in selecting the proper girdle which is very important”  I have a feeling that his clients were older and rounder than the movie stars he dressed. 

 

The design that Lambert did for Nickel Hopper just sold at auction for $400.