Tango Tangle

Tango Tangles (1914) starring Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle, Ford Sterling

Tango Tangle (1914) starring Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle, Ford Sterling

Tango Tangle is an early (1914) silent short film comedy from Keystone.  It stars Charlie Chaplin, but he doesn’t play the Little Tramp in this film.  He’s dressed differently, without his trademark mustache, and plays an older character of his.  He plays the inebriate, a role that he played several times at Keystone.

Chaplin’s inebriate visits a dance hall, and competes with the band leader (Ford Sterling) and a musician (Fatty Arbuckle) for the affection of the wardrobe girl.  Other classic silent film stars appear in Tango Tangles  — Billy Gilbert, Chester Conklin, Edgar Kennedy, and Hank Mann.

Trivia

  • Some sources credit the role of the Hat Check Girl to Minda Durfee; this role is actually played by Sadie Lampe; Durfee plays one of the guests at the dance hall.
  • A young girl runs in front of the action during the ballroom scene, while her girlfriend is stopped and hustled off screen by a production assistant

Cast of characters

Additional cast

  • Charles Avery … Guest in Straw Hat
  • Glen Cavender (Dough and Dynamite) … Drummer in band / Guest in Cone Hat
  • Alice Davenport (Caught in the Rain) … Guest with Man in Overalls
  • Billy Gilbert (Block-Heads) … Guest in cowboy hat
  • William Hauber … Flutist
  • Bert Hunn … Guest
  • George Jeske … Cornet Player / Guest with Bow Tie
  • Edgar Kennedy (Angora Love) … Dance Hall Manager
  • Sadie Lampe (Tango Tangles) … Hat Check Girl
  • Hank Mann (City Lights) … Guest in Overalls
  • Harry McCoy … Piano Player
  • Rube Miller … Guest Pushed Away
  • Dave Morris … Dance Organizer
  • Eva Nelson (Cruel, Cruel Love) … Guest with Man in Cone Hat
  • Frank Opperman … Clarinetist / Guest
  • Peggy Pearce … Guest
  • Al St. John (The Rounders) … Guest in Convict Costume

(Updated June 29, 2023)

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