#Mabel’s Strange Predicament

[oldfilmsflicker]

new-to-me #578 - Mabel’s Strange Predicament

[chaplinlegend]

One hundred and thirty-two years ago Mabel Normand was born (November 9/10, 1895, Staten Island, New York) as Mabel Ethelreid Fortesque, the daughter of Claude and Mary Normand. She was one of the first major comedy stars of early silent cinema. She played the leading roles in Charlie Chaplin's first films for Keystone.

Mabel Normand directed the short film "Mabel's Strange Predicament". It is here that we see the birth of Chaplin's unique style of comedy, as well as the tramp commonly known as Charlie.

Mabel also worked with Roscoe Arbuckle (Fatty Arbuckle), Mack Sennett, D.W. Griffith, Harold Lloyd, Mary Pickford, Hal Roach, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Fred Mace, Fred Sterling and John Bunny.

She was a screenwriter, director, producer, and for several years even had her own film company!

She died on February 22, 1930 at the age of 35.

Photo from 1916-1917 - Albert Witzel, Public Domain.

[pacingmusings]

Seen in 2024:

Mabel's Strange Predicament (Mabel Normand), 1914

[frankmayo]

Harry Hewitt McCoy (1893-1937)

[sassyplanetdigital]

Charlie Chaplin in "Mabel's Strange Predicament" (1914) Silent Comedy C...

[saving-word-crawls]

Gravity Falls Word Crawl

By: BritishSass

I’ll admit, this is a super simple crawl, so feel free to add more zeros or ones to make the writing times and numbers longer/larger. This crawl is just about the first episode, since… well, I’ve got some writing to do that isn’t this, even though I wish I could do more.

You, along with your friends Dipper and Mabel, have been sent to Gravity Falls for the summer. Unfortunately for you, you’re stuck in the same house as them. At least it isn’t in the same room? As you ride the bus, are you excited to be going to Gravity Falls with your friends? If you are, then write for the 10-minute ride there as you theorize about what it’ll be like there. If not, then do a 5-minute word war with one of your friends to pass the time and avoid thinking about it. If you lose, you’ll have to do their chores for a week (Or another 100 words), so be careful!

You and your friends arrive, and Dipper finds a weird journal in the woods… He enlists your help with figuring out what it means, so you spend 15 minutes writing/studying the writing in the journal.

Huh, it sure looks like there’s something strange afoot. Dipper makes sure you hide the journal well whenever his Grunkle Stan passes by, so at least you don’t have to worry about keeping an eye out for him. On the other hand, it sure looks like Mabel’s having fun! Write 200 words as you watch her try to rig a way to get a boyfriend, or write for 5 minutes as you keep helping Dipper with the journal.

Hey, it looks like Mabel’s actually found someone! Do a 5-minute word war to determine whether or not you believe that Norman is, well, normal. If you win, then you’re pretty sure he isn’t. If you lose, it takes another 5 minutes writing/studying to put together that something is at least a little bit off here.

Dipper finds a picture that seems a lot weirder than most, at least: A picture with Norman’s hand falling off. Ooh, that doesn’t look good. Write 150 words as Dipper prepares the cart to go after Mabel.

You hop on board to join him, and you both hurry through the woods to find her and Norman. It seems you’ve arrived just in time, as Mabel is being tied down by a bunch of gnomes! Write another 300 words to help her get out while Dipper gets out the shovel.

The two of you help Mabel out of her predicament only to find yourselves in an even larger one! You all get in the cart together, hurrying through the woods as you try to get away, but the gnomes fuse into one giant gnome, chasing after you! Write for 15 minutes as you escape!

The cart unfortunately crashes, and you three all climb out. Everything seems like it’s going to end poorly when Mabel gets up and offers to marry the gnomes as they asked. At least, until she gets out the leafblower! Write 150 words to help clean up the mess of the gnome colony without their leader.

Luckily, that seems to have worked. The other two comfort each other, but you don’t exactly have a sibling to awkwardly sibling hug here, so you just head inside, greeting Grunkle Stan. He offers that you can pick something before the others do because of the “overstocked inventory,” as he puts it.

If you pick the notebook and pencil, then write 200 words to try it out!

If you pick the hat, then take a walk instead-- you’ve been writing for a while, and the best way to try out a hat is with the sun and wind.

If you pick the grappling hook, then write for 5 minutes as you try to figure out how to use it.

If you pick the bumper sticker, then do a word-war for 5 minutes. You need to talk to someone else.

Overall, you’ve had an eventful first… Day? Week? You aren’t sure how long you’ve been in Gravity Falls, but already, you’ve had quite the adventure! Write about it for another 10 minutes, or just take a break. You’ve earned it after such a big day.

[emad23257]

Charlie Chaplin's Mabels Strange Predicament

[chaptertwo-thepacnw]

mabel’s strange predicament |1914| mabel normand

[chaplinfortheages]

Charlie Chaplin first three films:

"Making A Living" February 2nd 1914

"Kid Auto Races at Venice" February 7th 1914 (Tramp's first screen appearance)

"Mabel's Strange Predicament" February 9th 1914

[chaplinfortheages]

"Mabel's Strange Predicament" 1914

Mabel’s Strange Predicament, Mabel Normand (1914)

[davidhudson]

Mabel Normand, November 9, 1892 – February 23, 1930.

With Charlie Chaplin in Mabel’s Strange Predicament (1914).

[wil-is-done]

When You’re A Mystery Kid - Chapter 1: The Hunt is On

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a repost. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Chapters 1 through 7 were written way back in 2014, and so reflects the views, ideas, and writing skills that I had during that time. Feel free to read them if you’d like, but I would advise you skip straight to chapter 8. Trust me, you are not missing much.

Disclaimer: I only own the story and my OCs

-

Coraline face palmed for what seems like the hundredth time today.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to ease the headache that is starting to form. The blue-haired girl left for a quick bathroom break for no more than ten minutes and her friends has managed to turn their relatively-tidy makeshift headquarters into the aftermath of a hurricane.

Groaning, she forced herself to watch the utter complete mess before her. 

Books and papers are scattered all over the room, some of them still flying in the middle of the chaos. Most of their mystery hunting equipments are taken off their shelves and left carelessly on the floor, even the highly hi-tech and expensive ones. Trophies and memorabilia from their hunts are scattered across the room, some of them even stuck on the ceiling. God knows how that happened. 

And that was without mentioning her friends’ antics. 

Norman and Neil are sitting on the floor, their hair somehow braided together. They tugged and pulled at each other’s hair, their hands frantically trying to undo the knots. The sight of Mabel laughing her lungs out nearby made it quite clear who put them in their predicament. You’d think the fact that this is also her and her brother’s room would make her a little worried.

And moving to the other half of the Pines twins, who is caught up in yet another heated argument with Raz. The topic of the argument is the same as the others; who is the real brains in the team. They shouted out the advantages that they had over each other, all things Coraline has already heard. While arguments are usually just a bother to the ears, Coraline quickly learned that everything changes when a psychic enters the fray. Especially one that has tendency to use his powers to… emphasize his point. 

Strangely, even at the risk of receiving a psi-blast to the face or worse, Dipper still stubbornly refuses to give up his point. 

“A careful observation can beat psi-blasting like a lunatic any day!” the twelve-year old exclaimed.

“You won’t be able to observe anything once I’m done psi-blasting you!” the psychic spat back, fists already glowing with psychic energy.

“I can guess your deepest fears even if my pants are on fire!” Coraline face palmed again at that sentence. Taunting someone that can start fires with his mind to light your pants on fire is not very smart for someone that’s been dubbed a genius. 

Raz’s teeth clenched, and Coraline knew that something bad is sure to happen. “YOU WANNA PROVE THAT?!” he yelled at the other boy’s face, sending a psychic wave at all directions. Equipments and trophies were scattered across the room, and the books and papers are sent flying once again. 

Coraline ducked as she saw a book heading straight at her, letting it fly out the still open door. She stood up straight and turned towards the Dipper and Raz, glaring at them with irritation. Unsurprisingly, the two are still arguing. However, Coraline forced herself from lashing out at the two, as, surprisingly, they are not the most potentially destructive people in the room.

Wybie sat in the corner, frantically trying to get his contraption under control. The boy of course, has completely ignored Coraline’s ‘no-experiments-in-the-briefing-room’ policy and decided to work on one of his projects here, just as said project went haywire. Coraline shook her head as the contraption went crazier as a result of Raz’s psychic wave, Wybie getting more frantic along with it. 

Coraline moved towards Wybie, ignoring the bickering boys and Mabel and her victims. Suddenly, there was loud boom, accompanied with several loosed bolts being sent flying across the room. Coraline ducked instinctively, and the rest stopped what they’re doing momentarily, and only momentarily. 

Coraline’s eyes followed the bolts as they rooted themselves on various parts of the room. One of them actually struck Aggie’s leg, but the girl is currently preoccupied with the sight before her. Coraline followed the technically-older girl’s gaze, and she let out a dejected sigh. Installed on the wall in front of Aggie was four large computer monitors, all filled with error warnings. The girl shifted nervously in her seat, scratching her head in confusion. Warily, Aggie pushed a button on the keyboard, but all it did is cause a hundred more error messages to appear.

Coraline looked back and forth between Aggie and Wybie, not sure who to help first. Mabel’s annoying laughter and Raz and Dipper’s ongoing argument is not helping her decide. While deciding, she noticed one of her friends not being bothered at all by the chaos around them. 

Coraline approached the girl, who is watering her plants under the triangular window. 

“And just what are you doing?” Coraline asked, hands on her hips.

“A little obvious, don’t you think?” Lili replied, not bothering to turn away from her plants. 

“And you’re not the slightest bit bothered by this?” Coraline asked, ducking as a part of Wybie’s contraption flew past her. “GET THAT THING UNDER CONTROL, LOVAT!” she snapped. 

“WHAT’D YOU THINK I’VE BEEN DOING, JONESY?!” the boy snapped back, diverting his attention from his contraption to Coraline, which of course did not end well for him.

Coraline shook his head as the contraption caught on fire, Wybie’s panic practically going through the roof at this point. Coraline gladly diverted her attention back to the psychic girl. “So?” she asked again.

“As long as they’re not bothering me, they can do anything they want.” The girl answered simply. 

“And what exactly happened here?” Coraline asked, her curious gaze sweeping across the mess that supposedly occurred in the five minutes that she was gone. If it wasn’t for the fact that this room is their headquarters, she would actually be impressed by that feat. 

Lili let out a low sigh, setting her watering can down and turning to face Coraline with a mildly annoyed look. “After you left, Wybie started his project here. Dipper unnecessarily tried to help out, Raz called him a know-it-all, and I’m sure you know what happens next. Norman and Neil were minding their own business, until sweater girl comes in, and she hadn’t stopped laughing since then. Wybie tried to do some damage control, but his contraption decided to go psycho all of a sudden. Aggie tried to back away from the craziness, but she accidentally bumped into the keyboard, and now she’s stuck with her own mess.”

After that quick explanation, Lili abruptly turned her attention back to her plants. Coraline shook her head at psychic’s apathy, deciding whether to berate her or not. 

At least she’s not making a mess. Coraline thought, turning her attention back to the chaos behind her, which is worsening with every passing second. She took a step forward, readying her loudest shout to gain everyone’s attention. But before she can do that, a different loud noise captured their attention.

A siren, installed just above the door, blared as it bathed the room in flashes of red light. The chaos of the room came to an abrupt stop, replaced by the siren’s blare, gaining everyone’s attention. After a few seconds, the siren stopped, the room now illuminated in a warm, summer sunlight again, but Coraline never expected what happened next. 

Dipper and Raz’s argument stopped, the two of them rushing towards the computer. Aggie got out of her seat, quickly replaced by Dipper. With a few button presses, the error warnings and messages on all four monitors disappeared, much to Aggie’s silent relief. 

Mabel finally stopped her laughter and, with a few quick tugs, unraveled Norman and Neil’s hair. The three quickly joined Dipper, Raz and Aggie in front of the monitors. 

Wybie picked up a fire extinguisher from among the mess and drenched his device with the white substance, putting the fire out but his device is most definitely ruined in the process. Letting out a low, dejected sigh, he put the extinguisher down and joined the others in front of the monitors.

Lili put her watering can down and placed her plants back right under the triangular window. She stood up and made her way to the monitors.

Meanwhile, Coraline stood stunned in the middle of the room, mouth slightly agape from her attempted yell. She was dumbfounded; the fact that the complete chaos in front of her came to an abrupt stop didn’t completely register in her mind. 

What the-? Did that just… actually happened…? The blue haired girl thought.

“Wow, seriously?” said Lili with an un-amused look on her face, breaking Coraline’s trance. “Good to know you think so highly of us.” she continued, sarcasm dripping with every word. It wasn’t until Lili joined the others in front of the monitors that Coraline realized that the girl just read her mind.

Blushing faintly, Coraline joined the others. 

Dipper was already typing on his keyboard when she arrived. A full map of Gravity Falls is displayed on the leftmost monitor, with a blinking red dot displayed prominently on the map. With a few button presses, Dipper zooms in on the red dot, revealing it to be close to the waterfall. 

“About a mile south of the waterfall.” Dipper stated. 

“What lives there? Hide-Behind? The piranha-pigeons?” Norman guessed.

Dipper punched in some more commands, opening up footage of several surveillance cameras on another monitor. It showed several different spots in the forest near the waterfall. Punching more commands, Dipper rewinds the time to about before the siren went off, before playing it again frame by frame. All nine of them watched the footage closely as the frames passed, looking for signs for a creature or anything supernatural.

“There!” Raz shouted, pointing at a footage on the top center of the monitor. Dipper immediately stopped the footage, enlarging the one that Raz is pointing. On screen, there is a blurry image of an all-black, horse-shaped figure.

“It’s that Shadow Mare from last week!” Mabel announced. “He still owes me a ride.” she added with a pout.

“Remember guys, the journal said the Shadow Mare could be a ghost,” Dipper reminded, “if that turns out to be true…”

“Then we’ll take point.” Norman, the team’s expert on ghosts, nodded, alongside Aggie, the team’s other expert on ghostly things.

“Alright, let’s gear up!” Raz announced, already itching for an adventure. 

The group quickly dispersed from the monitor, leaving Coraline dumbfounded once again. Wybie snatched three keys off of a hanger on the wall and dashed out of the room. Raz and Lili quickly cleaned up the mess, using their psychic powers of course. Their equipments and trophies flew back to their respective places, returning the room to its original state in a matter of seconds. The deed done, the two walked out of the room, Raz picking up his signature goggles along the way.

Dipper, Mabel, Norman, Neil and Aggie moved to their personal lockers, bolted on the wall opposite of the monitors. Dipper’s locker, decorated with a layer of notes about his personal research, is the rightmost one. Mabel’s is right next to Dipper’s, decorated with colorful stickers and various arts and crafts items, and is also the only one that has been repainted pink. Norman’s is two lockers away from Mabel’s, separated by Wybie’s and Coraline’s. Unlike Dipper’s and Mabel’s, Norman’s locker is colored pitch black, plain and undecorated. The same can be said for the two lockers left of Norman’s, belonging to Aggie and Neil respectively. 

Dipper fished out his precious journal, 3, out of the locker and tucked it safely in his vest. He pulled out another thing, a utility belt, and fastened it around his waist.  From a special container in his locker, he pulled out several chemical tubes and secured them on his utility belt. From an even more special container, he pulled out a device he made with Wybie’s help. It can mix the chemicals that he brought, enabling a larger variety of uses and making them deadlier than ever. He carefully secured the device on his utility belt.

Mabel opened her locker, gazing at its content with a silly grin. Hanging proudly in the locker is her ‘most amazing sweater of all time ever’. A plain white sweater with the words ‘Mystery Kids’ stitched to it, each letter styled with the characteristics of each of her friends. It also has a layer of strong yet flexible protective padding underneath the fabric, courtesy of Wybie and Dipper. Eagerly, she slipped on her ‘adventure sweater’ over her current sweater, alongside a utility belt similar to Dipper’s. She then took out her trusty grappling hook and secured it on her belt.

Norman opened his locker, pulling out his signature red jacket, now with protective padding similar to Mabel’s, courtesy of Wybie as well. He slipped them on, and pulled a slingshot and a bag of metal pellets from his locker, placing them in his jacket. After discovering that he has a decent aim, Norman reserved this ability for situations like this, and decided that a slingshot is the weapon best suited for him. 

Aggie fumbled a little with her locker’s lock before she managed to open it. She pulled out and slipped on a pair of gloves made out of non-conductive material specially designed by Mabel and Wybie, its main purpose is to contain her ‘leftover powers’. 

Neil opened his locker with an excited smile, only for it to turn to a horrified look as dozens of brooms and other cleaning tools fell upon him. The others paused their gear-up to stare dumbfounded at the pile of cleaning tools that buried Neil.

“Ow…” the boy moaned in pain.

“Oops…” Mabel spoke, drawing silent sighs from the rest. “I completely forgot about that prank…”

Coraline face palmed. The whole time, as her friends immediately dropped their antics and got down to business, a feeling of pride starts welling up inside her. The fact that the ragtag bunch is capable of getting serious when needed is definitely something to be proud of. However, that prank is like the world trying to remind her that they are all still pre-teens after all. 

She took her hand off her face, intending to help Neil, but she was surprised to find that they are already gone, all of the brooms and cleaning equipment crammed back in Neil’s locker. Hurried footsteps from the door suggest that they stuffed them back in and immediately left.

Coraline let a small smile out. Definitely not your everyday pre-teens though. 

Realizing that everyone else must already be ready downstairs, she hurried to her locker. She fished out and put on her signature yellow coat and police cap. Unlike Mabel and Norman, her coat doesn’t have any added protective padding. She pulled out her satchel and, after quickly checking to see if all her equipments are in there, puts it on. Lastly, she took out her mace, securing it to a strap on her satchel. 

Now, the blue-haired girl is ready. But, before she left the room, she opened Wybie’s locker and took out his signature mask. She sprinted out of the room, through the house and out the Mystery Shack’s back door.

Outside, the rest of her friends are waiting for her, preparing all three of their ‘Mystery Rides’. The first one, the Mystery Cart, now with some modifications by Wybie, with the materials coming from Raz and Lili’s Psychonaut connections. After getting it from Stan through a lengthy argument, they all worked together and turned the golf cart into their main mystery solving vehicle. While the exterior might still look like an ordinary golf cart, it now has dozens of compartments to store their equipments, and it also has dozens of new functions, most of them can be activated with just a press of a button.

Currently, Dipper, Mabel, Raz, Lili and Neil are tending to it. Dipper is checking and filling some compartments with several of his chemical tubes, Mabel is pumping the tires while Raz, Lili and Neil are seated on their usual spots. Lili and Neil sat on the back, while Raz still stubbornly chooses to place himself on the roof. 

The second one of the Mystery Rides, Wybie’s bike-motorcycle hybrid, currently being tended by Wybie. Surprisingly, even though it is his bike, it is the one that Wybie modifies the least. For Coraline, the bike looks the same as it was two years ago, when she first arrived at the Pink Palace. 

And finally, the last of the Mystery Rides, Norman’s bicycle. After weeks of persuasion from the others, Norman finally agreed to make his bicycle a part of the Mystery Rides, letting Wybie turn it into a bike-motorcycle hybrid similar to his own. Currently, Norman and Aggie are tending to it.

“You guys ready?” Coraline shouted, catching their attention. 

“Just waiting on you, Jonesy.” Wybie replied, getting on his bike.

Stepping towards her friends, Coraline pulled out nine earpieces from her satchel and tossed one to each of them, keeping one for herself. She placed it on her right ear, the others following suit, though Aggie fumbled with it a little. 

She walked towards Wybie, handing him his mask. “I think you forgot this. Again.”

Wybie slapped his forehead. “My mask! I knew I forgot something!” He looked at the blue-haired girl sheepishly. “Thanks for getting it for me. Again.” 

“Just don’t get used to it.” Coraline replied. “You set or what?”

Grinning from ear to ear, Wybie dons his mask. “More than set.”

“What about the rest of you dorks?”

“Definitely!” Raz shouted from his perch on the Cart’s roof.

“All set!” Dipper exclaimed, hopping onto the Cart’s driver seat, while his twin occupies the seat next to him.

“Same here!” Neil exclaimed cheerfully from the back seat. 

“We’re ready.” Norman stated, speaking for him and Aggie as they mounted Norman’s bike. Aggie added a confidant nod as she got on the passenger seat.

“Told ya; we’re just waiting on you.” Wybie spoke.

In response, Coraline gave him a jab in the shoulder. She hopped onto Wybie’s bike. Fixing her cap’s position, she looked around at her friends. To think, that just a few minutes ago they are a bunch of raucous pre-teens. But now, the Mystery Kids are ready to hunt down a mysterious and potentially deadly creature.

Oh yeah, definitely not your average, everyday kids.

“Rev up those engines guys!” At her command, the Mystery Rides roared to life.  Adrenaline coursed through their veins, each of them already feeling the thrill of the hunt. 

A determined grin made its way to each of their features, and that is a sure sign of one thing and one thing only.

“The hunt is on!”

-

I told you guys I’m gonna make the MK badassly gearing up! Did I ever disappoint? 

So my MK one-shot has begun at last! I’m super excited to see how this develops, and I hope you guys are too! Y’know, this was supposed to be semi-canon… right up to the point where I went crazy with the equipments. And so, anything canon in this fic are probably hints and foreshadowings of what’s about to happen in the series. In fact, I planted quite a few hints in this chapter. Do you guys know which is which?

This chapter is basically just an introductory chapter, to get you guys familiar with the MK and their various gizmos. Keep those stuffs in mind; I have several chapters planned where they become crucial. 

Feel free to leave ideas and suggestions if you want! I have a ton of stuff planned, but I wanna see what the MK fanbase can come up with. Plus, this can be some sort of place where you can put ideas that might not be used in the actual series. So you can leave your ideas here and stop bothering Zach at Tumblr!

That’s all from me right now, folks! Hopefully another chapter is gonna be up soon! I should really get some sleep, it’s half past ten right now…

A quick one before I end this chapter, what do you want the next chapter like? Actually hunting creatures or daily antics?

[lesbiancolumbo]

hello !! do you have any recommendations for 20s/30s movies?? I've been watching a lot of 40s and 50s ones lately but I'm not sure where to start with earlier stuff ❤

sure! i’m actually gonna go back even farther to the 1910s because if you’re going back that far you might as well go all the way back :) (also there was a movie i want to recommend but it’s from 1916 lol)

this is going to be long - i’ve highlighted the films i think you should start with, though i’d recommend any of these. i also just want to say that because this is my list and it’s my taste, when editing this down (yes, it was longer) i took out as many of the most “popular” films as i could because i want some underseen gems to get more love! that’s all - happy watching! 💛

shoes (1916, lois weber) scandal (1915, lois weber) falling leaves (1912, alice guy blache) mabel’s strange predicament (1914, mabel normand) bread (1918, ida may park) the dream lady (1918, elise jane wilson) the cheat (1915, cecil b. demille) the curse of quon gwon (1917, marion e. wong) la cigarette (1919, germaine dulac)

safety last! (1923, fred c. newmeyer and sam taylor) the grub stake (1923, nell shipman) the smiling madame beudet (1923, germaine dulac) sherlock jr. (1924, buster keaton) strike (1925, sergei eisenstein) the adventures of prince achmed (1926, lotte reininger) flesh and the devil (1926, clarence brown) metropolis (1927, fritz lang) sunrise: a song of two humans (1927, fw murnau) the passion of joan of arc (1928, carl th. dreyer) celles qui s’en font (1928, germaine dulac) show people (1928, king vidor) a woman of affairs (1928, clarence brown) ethnographic films (1929, zora neal hurston) the letter (1929, jean de limur) the wild party (1929, dorothy arzner)

the divorcee (1930, robert z. leonard) m (1931, fritz lang) private lives (1931, sidney franklin) merrily we go to hell (1932, dorothy arzner) back street (1932, john m. dahl) one way passage (1932, tay garnett) i am a fugitive from a chain gang! (1932, mervyn leroy) frisco jenny (1932, william a. wellman) the eagle and the hawk (1933, stuart walker) the story of temple drake (1933, stephen roberts) baby face (1933, alfred e. green) dinner at eight (1933, george cukor) design for living (1933, ernst lubitsch) night flight (1933, clarence brown) the sin of nora moran (1933, phil goldstone) journal of a crime (1934, william keighley) magnificent obsession (1935, john m. dahl) hands across the table (1935, mitchell leisen) the petrified forest (1936, archie mayo) dodsworth (1936, william wyler) born to dance (1936, roy del ruth) the last of mrs. cheyney (1937, dorothy arzner and richard boleslawski) stage door (1937, gregory la cava) the bride wore red (1937, dorothy arzner) it’s love i’m after (1937, archie mayo) the divorce of lady x (1938, tim whelen) holiday (1938, george cukor) pygmalion (1938, anthony asquith and leslie howard) the mad miss manton (1938, leigh jason) tail spin (1939, roy del ruth) love affair (1939, leo mccarey) only angels have wings (1939, howard hawks) the rules of the game (1939, jean renoir) bachelor mother (1939, garson kanin)

[chaplinfortheages]

The tramp and the public meet for the first time - Cinema would never be the same.

Charlie Chaplin’s second film for the Keystone Studios, his first as his creation “the tramp”. Though technically his tramp character stepped in front of a movie camera first on “Mabel’s Strange Predicament” though released two days after “Kid Auto Races at Venice” released February 7th 1914.

"Kid Auto Races at Venice" - this is the second film in which Charlie Chaplin appeared. It was filmed in 1914 and directed by Henry Lehrman. The film was made during the Junior Vanderbilt Cup, an actual race. The characters played by Chaplin and Lehrman improvise gags in the presence of real observers (not actors).

The film "Kid Auto Races at Venice" is extremely important as a comedy in which viewers first saw Chaplin's character - the Tramp. It is also invaluable because it gives you the opportunity to learn about the first audience's reaction to Chaplin's character - the motor racing spectators - and their reactions to his comic antics. In the improvised film (allegedly shot in just forty-five minutes), a comical situation occurs in which Tramp constantly disturbs the cameraman. At first, viewers don't know what to make of this funny boy. Is he really a nuisance? As the action continues, their surprise turns into real fun. Unlike other screen comedians, Chaplin immediately creates oneness with his audience. It was a kind of film experiment.

[historical-babes]

Mabel Normand (1892-1930).

American actress, screenwriter, director and producer.

.

She was one of the greatest comedians of the silent era. Known for her gaiety and spontaneous spirit, Normand appeared in hundreds of films (and directed several of them) and rose to such heights of popularity that she briefly rivaled Mary Pickford as “America’s sweetheart.”

.

About the age of 15 she became an artist’s model including for Charles Dana Gibson. In 1910, despite her lack of acting experience, she succeeded in getting a job as an extra at the Biograph motion picture studio in New York City. While at Biograph, Normand met director Mack Sennett with whom she began a relationship. In 1912 she left Biograph with Sennett to join his new Keystone Film Company in California.

.

She was a popular star and collaborator of Sennett, and at the height of her career in the late 1910s and early 1920s had her own movie studio and production company. Onscreen, she appeared in 12 successful films with Charlie Chaplin and 17 with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, sometimes writing and directing (or co-writing/directing) movies featuring Chaplin as her leading man. In 1918, as her relationship with Sennett came to an end, Normand signed a $3,500-per-week contract with Samuel Goldwyn. Goldwyn released her from her contract in 1920 as she had become increasingly unreliable because of her cocaine and alcohol abuse, and she rejoined Sennett.

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Throughout the 1920s, her name was linked with widely publicized scandals, including the 1922 murder of William Desmond Taylor, a Hollywood director and close friend of Normand’s, which was the beginning of the end of her career and the 1924 shooting of Courtland S. Dines (a wealthy friend of hers), who was shot by Normand's chauffeur using her pistol. She was a suspect in the first crime for a short period, but disregarded from the latter. Her film career declined, and she suffered a recurrence of tuberculosis in 1923, which led to a decline in her health, retirement from films, and her death in 1930 at age 37.

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William Desmond Taylor shared her interest in books, and the two formed a close relationship. Author Robert Giroux claims that Taylor was deeply in love with Normand.

In 1926, she married actor Lew Cody, with whom she had appeared in Mickey in 1918.

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Some movies:

Mickey

The Extra Girl

Mabel's Strange Predicament

Tillie's Punctured Romance

[Submission]

[lostgoonie1980]

231. Carlitos no Hotel (Mabel’s Strange Predicament, 1914), dir.ª Mabel Normand