Raggedy Rose (1926)

Mabel Normand

There are a couple of different stories about why Hal Roach signed Mabel Normand to star in films for him. Some say it was because Roach felt there was still life in the comedienne. But F. Richard Jon... read more es, the studio's supervising director, who had worked with Normand during her days with Mack Sennett, said he asked Roach to hire her because "she needed the work." Regardless, Roach did take extra care with his new star, assigning Stan Laurel (at the time one of his best directors and not yet a Roach star) to work with her, and giving her the excellent Max Davidson and James Finlayson as co-stars. Several versions of this film were completed, running from two to five reels. The print in existence runs 57 minutes. It was Normand's first comeback film and it received good notices. She plays one of her usual Cinderella turns as Raggedy Rose, the assistant to a junk dealer (Davidson), but he fires her for daydreaming. Rose tries to get herself hit by a car to make some easy money, and a society gentleman (Carl Miller) takes the injured girl into his home. This does not please his fiancée (Anita Garvin, in her Roach debut) and the two women come to blows. Rose let the girl have it, and wins the guy. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi