Mabel Normand & Sailors’ Snug Harbor
Back by popular demand, historian Gerard Thornton is returning to speak about the life of silent film actress Mabel Normand (1892-1930), a program he presented at the museum in 2018. Normand is famous for her roles alongside stars such as Charlie Chaplin and Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. A Staten Islander, her father was a master carpenter at Sailors’ Snug Harbor, and their family lived in a house on Tysen Street just outside the retirement home’s gates. The program also features a music video of "Time Heals Everything," a song from the Broadway show Mack and Mabel. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1974 starring Bernadette Peters, and is based on the relationship between Hollywood director Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand. The song is the grand finale of the lecture, and we are delighted to include the talents of local performing artists in the program. Jenny Kelly is the Business Manager of Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. She is accompanied by pianist Carolyn Clark, founder of the Staten Island Philharmonic, and by saxophone player Ray Wheeler.
Gerard Thornton was born in Coney Island, New York, and attended SUNY Maritime College, where he earned his degree in marine transportation and became licensed to serve as officer in the United States Merchant Marine. He has worked in positions both afloat and ashore in the maritime industry for over 30 years, with much of his work devoted to the operation of tugboats and barges. Gerard is currently operations and logistics manager for Covanta Sustainable Solutions, an energy from waste company that transports New York City garbage by barge and rail to be used in powerplants to provide electricity. Gerard is a fan of anything nautical or old, including ships, trains and early cinema. He lives in New Jersey with his wife Cathy, and two children, Cassandra and Gage, and their dog named Howie.