Zeus

• Mabel Normand
• George Nichols
• Laura La Varnie

Mickey was comedienne Mabel Normand's first full-length feature film and it was perhaps her finest moment. Normand is Mickey, a rambunctious and untamed orphan of the West. On his deathbed, her father left her and his mine in the care of Joe Meadows (George Nichols) and his Indian housekeeper (Minnie Ha-Ha). They all live a poor existence; the mine hasn't struck ore in 20 years. Mickey's snooty relatives back East don't know that, though, and they invite her to come visit, thinking that they might get their hands on the fortune they imagine she has. When they discover she's broke, they treat her like a servant. By the end of the film, Mickey's mine has finally paid off and she wins her man (the rather vapid Wheeler Oakman) from her cousin and rival (Minta Durfee). Normand's charisma, talents and athletic ability (she impresses in a horse race scene) overcome a too-busy plot. Her performance is refreshingly natural, especially for that era of the silents and her comic timing is right on. The only other actor whose performance comes close to Normand's in this feature is Lew Cody, who humorously portrays a seducer. It was the only time the pair appeared in a feature film together, but off screen they were good friends. So good, in fact, that they married in 1926.