Extra Girl, The

1171. THE EXTRA GIRL (1923-USA). With MABEL NORMAND, RALPH GRAVES, VERNON DENT, Story by MACK SENNETT. During the 1920s, as movies had fast become the most popular Of entertainment mediums, thousands Of naive young girls from cities and towns across America were making their way to Hollywood, attempting to realize their dreams Of stardom on the silver screen. Of course, for every Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford or Mabel Normand, there were hundreds who were unable to obtain oven the smallest Of rotes. Several films were then released-including The Extra Girl, easily one Of the most impressive Of the lot-which both entertained and warned Of the reality Of life in Hollywood. Normand herself is cast here, in what proved to the her final feature film, as Sue Graham, a movie- mad girl from River Bend, a small Illinois town. Sue fantasizes about fame as a film star, Of fancy gowns and jewelry, and $5,000-per-week salaries. Her family, however, is unimpressed; her father would rather she settle down and wed a local boy, an overweight young druggist. Sue wins a beauty contest, and treks Off to Hollywood; she is folÂlowed by her parents and one Of her suitors, a handsome garage mechanic (Ralph Graves). What follows is a series Of seriocomic misadventures involving an oil well swindle, a plot to fleece Sue’s parents out Of their life savings, as well as her continuing efforts to crash the movies. Sue’s plight is quite funny-especially when, thinking she’s taking a dog for a walk, she finds herself leading a lion around a studio lot. This is one Of Normand’s most famous scenes, and it’s a riot-as is The Extra Girl. Silent film with music score, correct projection speed. 87 minutes. ÒSilentÓ Comedy