Mabel normand

That’s a nice picture of YOU.

Stephen: Thank you.

Minta: Very nice. That’s very, very, very nice. Well, you can be proud of her, dear. -- Oh, YES, THAT’S our GIRL! (chuckle) You know, she didn’t have any vanity; I used to LOVE this expression, people would tell her how BEAUTIFUL she was, and she’d look up with those beautiful eyes and say, “Well, I didn’t have anything to do with it, but if I ever amount to anything, I’ll take a little credit.”

Don: (chuckle) Which is so TRUE! -- There’s a quote in here from Buddy Rogers. It says, “Adorable!” -- We know Buddy.

Minta: I used to have a picture like that of Mabel, and I never will forget this outfit she wore; we went down to Sunset Inn, and the whole thing was too much for a little girl, a little beautiful thing. This was all those Egret’s (feathers) that cost so much money, and they’d been given to her, so she had this turban made. And this dress was like gold lame, and it was kind of SEXY. and she stepped out of the car, and she looked like a little girl made up in her mother’s dress, you know, because she was so childish (childlike.) Not mentally. I’m talking about (her appearance), the size of her.

She had a house on Camden Drive (526 North Camden Drive, in Beverly Hills). I can’t see this very well, who is this man?

Stephen: That’s Jack White. George White’s brother. That’s at Mabel’s house.

Minta: Yes. Yes. I know the house on Camden Drive, also. But the one, of course I was living in New York City, we were separated my husband and I were the CLOSEST FRIENDS that you’ll ever know of in the world. He spent hundreds of dollars on telephones, called all the time, because we didn’t quarrel about ‘a man and woman’, any kind of love affair, anything of that kind. It was all done after he was sick, they worked on him. -- Isn’t she sweet there? -- He was a doll.

Don: Minta? This picture is on the cover of a magazine that I have. (Mack Sennett) Back in 1916 or so. It’s a famous portrait that they have around. I knew it was black and white originally, and tinted in two tones.

Minta: I liked Mack Sennett very well...

Don: Oh, there he is, smiling.

Minta: That’s why this story on the stage is so wrong. He was anything else BUT a dictator. You’re going to direct, see, and we’re wrong here. This is the way we made our stories up, by sitting here and talking about them, and if there’s a gag, he might say to you, “Now, listen Steve, I think that gag would be better for Minta than it would be for him,” or so forth. And then when we’d get started, he’d come out and kind of watch. And he might say, “Well, you could probably use a few more people there, or a few less people here.” One of the nicest human beings in the world.

Don: She’s buried in Calvary Mausoleum in Los Angeles...

Minta: Oh, yes. There she is. Look at those eyes! I’ll probably cry myself sick after this is all over.

Stephen: Awh, now, we don’t want to get you upset, now.

Minta: I used to have one of these. I love this one.

Don: Isn’t that precious?

Minta: This is one of her first pretty gowns, PRETTY gowns that she ever wore, because she was always wearing just nothing to work in.

Don: Holding the skirt up with both hands.

Minta: Oh, she’s so beautiful. So sweet.

Don: She was a model, when she was so YOUNG, here.

Minta: She was modeling at ten years.

Stephen: That’s right.

Minta: With this Neysa McMein.

Don: It looks like velvet, fur, and a few roses in the front.

Stephen: When she modeled, she wished she could keep the costumes for herself.

Don: Yeah.

Minta: (chuckle) Here’s a cute expression that she used to have. I would like to have one of these pictures of Mack Sennett, myself. Sennett had beautiful eyes.

Stephen: Yes, he did.

Minta: And he had a BEAUTIFUL voice, oh God! ...I’ll show you a cameo that my husband had made of me. I think Roscoe thought HE was going to wear it. It’s so large. (About 5” high, oval, carmel color, with white figure, head and shoulders, profile. Eyelashes are notable.) But it’s been photographed and talked about, and written about. (long pause while she went to other room, while we looked at pics) I believe it was taken from the picture that’s in the hall, there. And I didn’t know the picture was gone. I have a (hand painted one?) someplace. Now if you turn it, you can see all the eyelashes and everything. He paid a big price for it. I didn’t know he had it done. As I say, I think the poor darling thought HE was going to wear it. Turn it THIS way and look at it, see the eyelashes.

Don: Ohh, look at that.

Minta: You’ve seen this, haven’t you, Don.

Don: Nope.

Minta: I wore it in a picture, one time, with a gorgeous gown, velvet gown Orry Kelly made for me. I had more letters come from it, says [saying?] “We see that [what?] you’re wearing yourself.” [sic] I wear that in “Mickey“ I think!

Don: How were these made, Minta, carved or what?