Looking for Mabel Normand
Madcap Mabel Normand
Michelle Vogel has written a concise primer of the life and death of the 
beautiful Olive Thomas, she was a true silent film beauty.
That is not to say that there were not other silent film beauties nor was Olive Thomas’s beauty just limited to silent films. According to the book, Ollie was voted the “most beautiful girl in 
entered the Follies, she hadn’t even entered films, yet and this is just 4 pages into the book.
Her life was lived fast and sadly it was much, much, much too short. This little book is very much in the same vain, it moves quickly through the life of Olive Thomas, stopping only at the major points in her life and is shortly dealing with her inopportune death and its aftermath.
It is a book for the beginner, a place to find all the usual stories; it is not a book
for the obsessive fanatical hunter of new novel theories, who has read all the martial. It is a brilliant answer to the question, “Who was Olive Thomas”; it is a prefect gift to introduce her to a friend.
There are 10 chapters, a good discussion of the problems of nitrate film storage, a number of photos, a very complete chronology of her performances, a nice index and best of all - wonderful citations, for 
those of us who like that kind of thing.
Just one story about Ollie and her second husband, the prince of the royal family of Pickford, Jack; Once upon a time, they danced. It was 1916 and they were young and moved together as if created
from the same piece of warm amber. By their 3rd date, Jack gave her a small platinum case inscribed “To Olive Thomas, the only sweetheart I will ever have.” Now don’t you want to read the book?
As a number of you know, there was a rather close relationship between Olive Thomas and Mabel Normand. I created a posted awhile ago about Ollie’s gem auction which is mention in Michelle’ book... The inscription on the platinum case was described in my article as,
green gold cigarette case with a watch containing fifty-six brilliant diamonds with gold chain attached, which was sold to Mrs. Frederick F. Fish of
