Mabel's Strange Predicament
About Mabel's Strange Predicament
A tramp gets drunk in a hotel lobby, then wanders upstairs. Mabel, locked out of her room in pajamas, two guests across the hall, and her sweetheart all get pulled into the mix-up. Mabel Normand plays Mabel and directed. Charlie Chaplin plays the tramp. This is the first film in which he wore that costume. Kid Auto Races at Venice, shot later, was released first. Mack Sennett produced it for Keystone.
Cast & crew
More about Mabel's Strange Predicament
Henry Lehrman and Chaplin are the writing credits. Frank D. Williams photographed it. Keystone distributed it. Wikidata times it at 17 minutes. An Internet Archive identifier, CC_1914_02_09_MabelsStrangePredicament, matches a 9 February 1914 release. Chester Conklin and Alice Davenport are billed.
Themes
Making
Normand directed Chaplin in the tramp clothes before the Venice newsreel that the public saw first.
Look
Frank D. Williams shot the lobby and the hallway outside Mabel’s room.
Preservation
The short survives. Copies are on the Internet Archive and Wikimedia Commons.
Notes
- The costume debut and the release debut are two different films.
- Normand is both the star and the director.
- The lobby drunk is only the setup. The rooms upstairs are the predicament.
- A Commons file names Normand and the year.
Scenes
- The tramp drinks in the lobby.
- Mabel is in the hall in pajamas when the other guests open their doors.
- Her sweetheart walks into the tangle.
Also available
- Internet Archive (CC_1914_02_09_MabelsStrangePredicament)
- Wikimedia Commons (Mabel's Strange Predicament (Mabel Normand, 1914).webm)
