Head Over Heels (1922)

Directors:

Paul Bern
Victor Schertzinger

Writers:

Nalbro Bartley (story)
Gerald C. Duffy (writer)

Release Date:

April 1922 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Three men become involved in a young woman's life for very different reasons. |

Plot Keywords:

Theater

Cast

  (Credited cast)

Mabel Normand	...	Tina
Hugh Thompson	...	Lawson
Russ Powell	...	Papa Bambinetti
Raymond Hatton	...	Pepper
Adolphe Menjou	...	Sterling
Lilyan Tashman	...	Edith Penfield
Lionel Belmore	...	Al Wilkins

Runtime:

USA:50 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Goldwyn Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Completed in 1920, but not released until 1922.

Mabel and the Makeover

While visiting Italy, a theatrical agent invites a perky little Italian acrobat (played by Mabel Normand) seen only in her tights to come to America to perform, but when she arrives she's dressed in peasant attire including long braids with bows, striped socks, plaid skirt, and funny little straw hat - the man who hired her now doesn't know what to do with her. So - they send her to a "beauty hospital" to give her a makeover and she comes out looking suddenly stylish and real cute to boot! They decide to put her into the movies, and Mabel soon falls "head over heels", so to speak, for the theatrical agent's partner, who himself gets a crush on the now good-looking Mabel (hmmm - I thought she still looked attractive even when she was in her funny little outfit).

This film is quite a good one and quite funny, much of the humor based around broken English told via intertitles. There is a very funny scene where Mabel has a vision of her upcoming movie work and fantasizes herself portraying a screen "vamper", and also a cute little scene where she serves her fellow an Italian style dinner he just doesn't seem to appreciate, especially the "garlic sausage". Another scene that I thought was quite amusing featured Mabel in the beauty hospital, where she has just arrived and seen a poster on the wall showing a before and after drawing of a man who has had his nose "improved" via plastic surgery. Mabel is terrified that her nose will soon be "snipped" and when the woman running the hospital comes out carrying a giant pair of scissors - well, you can just guess what Mabel thinks! I am a big fan of Mabel Normand, she is one of my favorite stars from the silent era and I think she is just great in this film. Loads of fun.