Mabel Normand was one of the finest commediennes in popular entertainment. Her wonderfully understated comic timing, incredible physical dexterity and utter fearlessness out does anything Lucille Ball and almost all modern actresses have to offer. Unfortunately, this film underuses that talent in a weakly contrived script. Also she works with some of the worst actors I have seen with a major actress onscreen. There are two scenes that do her skills justice. One involves Mabel behind a store counter with the bare legs of a mannequin, her struggle to put stockings on them, while a misunderstanding man embarassedly believes those are Mabel's bare legs. Another is a rather protracted scene involving Mabel in disguise as a very scruffy boy of the streets. Her efforts to appear tough and yet vulnerable as she tries to get a doctor, her object of desire, to examine her "injuries" is an amazing presentation of sustained physical flexibility and intense emotional strength. Although not worthy of her incredible talents, for anyone interested in seeing Mabel Normand, a truly unique performer, in one of her few surviving feature films, its worth the viewing.
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boo_squib16 January 2002
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boblipton2 December 2002Petite, graceful Mabel Normand stars as gawky, clumsy Maymee Ladd, a beaten down shopgirl who is told that she is possessed by the spirit of a Spanish temptress ("That will be five dollars, please") and goes in search of love and adventure. A star vehicle, pure and simple, it showcases Mabel's talents quite beautifully and has a number of good laughs based on her character's awkwardness.
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kidboots3 February 2017By 1918, tired and dispirited and fed up with Mack Sennett's treatment of her, Mabel Normand was thrilled to go over to the newly formed Goldwyn Pictures where she felt she would get an opportunity to show her talent as a versatile actress. Early in 1917 Goldwyn launched Goldwyn Pictures with the six women he had signed - Mabel Normand, Mae Marsh, Madge Kennedy, Jane Cowl, Maxine Elliot and opera star Mary Garden. His first movie with the temperamental Garden was a nightmare and he always claimed Mabel's movies kept the company solvent - even though they weren't as popular as her Sennett movies.
Wonderful to see what was the original Goldwyn lion logo, an early example of Cedric Gibbon's art direction and the type of role perfected by Mabel - a small town dreamer who gets a chance to live out her fantasy!! She is Mayme Ladd, a notions counter drudge who yearns for romance. She eagerly laps up all that Madame Yvette, an Egyptian seeress (exotically played by Eugenie Besserer), tells her of her past life as a Spanish beauty, Rosa Alvero, and hunting around at home for some proof of her exotic heritage finds her mother's old Spanish dancing costume!!
From then on she is Rosa, whenever she dons the costume. Her flatmate thinks she is balmy, once friendly work mates shun her but that doesn't stop her going to the shopgirls picnic and stopping the show as Rosa "zee beautiful"!! She also catches the eye of Dr. Maynard Drew, someone else who longs for a little spice in their lives!! There are some funny gags - fiddling around with mannequin legs that are made to look like her own, the length she goes to, to wrest off an urchin's rags so she can get into the doctor's office incognito. But the old Mabel spark is not there, she looks tired, really thin, the gorgeous healthy, rosy cheeked Mabel is missing and it's easy to understand why the movie was not a success.
By the time of "What Happened to Rosa", Mabel's private life was catching up with her and it proved to be one of her last Goldwyn releases. Adolphe Menjou, at the start of his long career, played Dr. Drew's reporter friend. -
drednm14 January 2006this 1920 comedy stars Mabel Normand as the dull hosiery counter girl whose life is drudgery. She is told about an occult medium by a customer and decides to go to see what her future will bring. The medium (Eugenie Besserer) tells her the spirit of a Spanish temptress named Rosa Alvaro is trying to enter her spirit. She listens but doubts the old woman, especially when she asks for $5.
Back in her apartment she remembers that her mother had been a Spanish dancer and drags out the old costume. She puts in on and examines herself in the mirror and feels a stir of excitement as she strikes dramatic Spanish poses.
By chance she gets invited to a yacht party where her society column dream man (Hugh Thompson) will be attending. She goes as Rosa and captivates him but knows it's time to go when things get serious so she discards the Spanish clothes and jumps overboard to swim for shore.
After a few more plot twists there is a happy ending. Tully Marshall is the store manager. Adolphe Menjou is a friend of the doctor. Doris Pawn is the roommate.
Normand is quite good and was the leading comedienne of silent films. Her career was hurt by her association with William Desmond Taylor and his famous murder and after 1922 her career faltered. Normand combined the sad-sack clown attitudes of Harry Langdon and Giulietta Masina and died in 1930. -
JohnHowardReid17 September 2016Whilst it was good to catch up with Mabel Normand of "Mack and Mabel" fame (my eldest daughter had a role in the stage presentation), the movie itself is not terribly good. Admittedly, it is hard to judge whether a comedy is a success if (1) you are watching it by yourself, and (2) you are watching it on DVD. Many of the routines seem too slow when you have no audience interaction, and there is also a big difference in your reaction if you are watching a comedy on a small screen and the print is too dark (as it is in the Alpha DVD). Although I've given the movie only 7/10, it's quite possible that a better print, a bigger screen and lots of audience interaction would have yielded a much higher rating. Nonetheless, director Victor Schertzinger seemed to be handling the movie in a somewhat slow and only mildly inspired style. It was hard to believe that this was the same Victor Schertzinger who later made "One Night of Love" (1934) and was selected to helm two of the "Road" series (not two of the best, admittedly, but you can't blame the director for the script).
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wes-connors20 July 2009Hosiery department store shop-girl Mabel Normand (as Mayme Ladd) leads a drab existence. As "a dreamer whose dull, drudging life has never been brightened by a single gleam of romance," Ms. Normand is susceptible to scam artist Eugenie Besserer (as Yvette O'Donnell). Normand accepts the phony clairvoyant's invitation for a reading, spending her last few dollars to hear Ms. Besserer summon the spirit of a beautiful Spanish maiden, from within Normand's consciousness. With a flower in her teeth, Normand believes she has the power to become "Rosa Alvaro", a maiden so beautiful she can make men do her bidding with a mere smile. Her pal Doris Pawn (as Gwen Applebaum) thinks Normand's Spanish alter-ego is nutty.
But Normand's "Rosa" succeeds in attracting tall, dark, and handsome doctor Hugh Thompson (as Maynard Drew) at a masquerade party. If you haven't figured it out by now, this is the often updated "Cinderella" storyline. "What Happened to Rosa" is nothing compared to what happened to Mabel Normand, in real life. During her "Goldwyn" years, Normand seemed only a shadow of her former self; probably, the studio didn't know how to best present their star. But, there were also personal problems. For whatever reasons, this film is not vintage Normand. She's better than this. By the way, don't miss the opening "Goldwyn" logo, with "Leo the Lion" striking a "before Metro" pose.
**** What Happened to Rosa (12/20) Victor Schertzinger ~ Mabel Normand, Hugh Thompson, Doris Pawn, Eugenie Besserer -
stevehaynie28 February 2006Reincarnation and spiritualism were popular at the time What Happened To Rosa? was made. There was also much skepticism, too. What Happened To Rosa? draws upon both a little belief and skepticism.
Daydreaming Mayme Ladd lets Madame O'Donnelly convince her that in a previous life she was a Spanish woman, Rosa Alvaro. From there the story unfolds as Mayme, pretending to be Rosa, pursues the man of her dreams, Dr. Maynard Drew, at a masquerade party. Dr. Drew falls deeply in love with the mysterious Rosa while Mayme's friends try to stop her from making a fool of herself. The way Mayme finally gets back to Dr. Drew is classic.
The written dialogue for Mayme and her friends and co-workers is written in a big city vernacular that further sets her apart from the doctor she desperately wants to meet. When acting the part of Rosa her dialogue turns into an exaggerated European accent. Although the film is silent, the implied accents actually work very well.
Mabel Normand could hold her own in slapstick comedy, but in this film the physical comedy was not the focus of the humor. The situation was the driving force of the plot and action. There was no comedic routine for the sake of adding filler. Every scene was important to the story, never deviating from the plot.
Although What Happened To Rosa? is almost an hour, it feels much shorter than that. Perhaps that is because the movie is so well done that it left me wanting more.