After her dentist gives her laughing gas while treating her, Mandy erupts into uncontrollable laughter which becomes so infectious that everyone she encounters is intoxicated with hilarity. Whether she’s forcing her way to getting a seat between white men on a packed metro or laughing at the authority figures in a courtroom, the comedienne transcends taboo roles and spaces for African American women in white cinema. Is her laughter liberating or a racist joke? Either way, by 1903, she had already established enough of a reputation as a Black actress to be listed under her own name.

With Bertha Regustus

Bertha Regustus was one of the first African American women to appear in silent films. She was a slapstick comedienne, playing the role of the heroine Mandy Brown. Unfortunately, nothing is known about her life except that she appeared in three films that gained more critical attention. Regustus performs as a woman possessing power – she subverts the low social status of her role by dominating white spaces and acquiring agency.

Films with Bertha Regustus
Laughing Gas 1907 | The Servant Girl Problem 1905 | What Happened in the Tunnel 1903