Anything Once

• 1926

• Watchlist

The 1920s were not kind to silent comedienne Mabel Normand. After her name was dragged into couple of scandals (one of them was the still-unsolved murder of director William Desmond Taylor), her career went into a slide and never recovered. After an unsuccessful attempt at the theater, Normand returned to Hollywood and was given a contract by Hal Roach, who at the time had the liveliest comedy studio in town. Although Normand was supposed to make eight shorts and eight features, she only completed five two-reelers before ending her contract. In this one, she has excellent support from some of Roach's best stock players. Normand plays one of her signature roles -- a slavey. While she toils away at a dry cleaner's, she meets handsome Prince Chevalier (Theodore Von Eltz). The prince has contracted to wed a wealthy society woman and a ball is being thrown in his honor. Mabel steals the woman's gown and wears it to the ball. The Prince falls in love with her and when he finds out she's not the woman he was supposed to marry, he gives up his kingdom to be with her. James Finlayson plays Normand's boss at the cleaner's, and Max Davidson appears as a business manager.