Mabel's Strange Predicament
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| Mabel's Strange Predicament | |
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| Directed by | Henry Lehrman |
| Produced by | Mack Sennett |
| Written by | Henry Lehrman |
| Starring | Charles Chaplin Mabel Normand Chester Conklin Alice Davenport Harry McCoy Hank Mann Al St. John |
| Cinematography | Enrique Juan Vallejo Frank D. Williams |
| Distributed by | Keystone Studios |
| Release date(s) | 9 February 1914 |
| Running time | 17 minutes |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | Silent film English (Original titles) |
| IMDb profile | |
Mabel's Strange Predicament is a 1914 American-made motion picture starring Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand. The Tramp was first presented to the public in Chaplin's second film Kid Auto Races at Venice (released Feb 7th 1914) though Mabel's Strange Predicament, his third film, (released Feb 9th 1914) was produced a few days before. It was for this film that Chaplin first conceived of and played the Tramp. As Chaplin recalled in his autobiography:
- "I had no idea what makeup to put on. I did not like my get-up as the press reporter [in Making a Living]. However on the way to the wardrobe I thought I would dress in baggy pants, big shoes, a cane and a derby hat. I wanted everything to be a contradiction: the pants baggy, the coat tight, the hat small and the shoes large. I was undecided whether to look old or young, but remembering Sennet had expected me to be a much older man, I added a small mustache, which I reasoned, would add age without hiding my expression.
- I had no idea of the character. But the moment I was dressed, the clothes and the makeup made me feel the person he was. I began to know him, and by the time I walked on stage he was fully born" (Chaplin, My Autobiography: 154).
Mabel's Strange Predicament is one of more than a dozen early films that writer/director/comedienne Mabel Normand made with Chaplin; Normand, who had written and directed films before Chaplin, mentored the young comedian.
[edit] Plot
In a hotel lobby a heavily drunk Charlie runs into an elegant lady, gets tied up in her dog's leash, and falls down. He later runs into her in the hotel corridor, locked out of her room. They run through various rooms. Mabel ends up in one of an elderly husband where she hides under the bed. Enter the jealous wife and Mabel's lover.
[edit] Cast
- Charles Chaplin ... Tramp
- Mabel Normand ... Mabel
- Chester Conklin ... Husband
- Alice Davenport ... Wife
- Harry McCoy ... Lover
- Hank Mann ... Hotel Guest
- Al St. John ... Bellboy
[edit] External links
- Mabel's Strange Predicament at the Internet Movie Database
- Mabel's Strange Predicament at archive.org (viewable and downloadable movie)
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