An early Charlie Chaplin short film, Mabel’s Married Life has Mabel Normand married to the weak, easily intimidated Charlie – who seeks ‘liquid courage’
Mabel’s Married Life, starring Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand, originally released June 20, 1914
Mabel’s Married Life is another early Charlie Chaplin comedy from Keystone Studios. By this time, the studio was aware of what a large box office draw Charlie Chaplin was. Which explains why they kept teaming him with Mabel Normand, one of their largest stars. In this particular short silent film, Charlie and Mabel are married. But Charlie is too timid (or has too strong a sense of self-preservation) to step in when another man (Mack Swain, one of Charlie Chaplin’s regulars) tries to hit upon his wife romantically. Charlie is crushed, his self-confidence gone, feeling that he has utterly failed his wife. And like so many other men in that situation, he goes to a bar and gets drunk.
and Charlie Chaplin
In the meantime, Mabel decides to do something more constructive, and purchases a boxing dummy, in hopes that Charlie can build up both his muscles and his confidence. However, it’s much later that evening when a now-tipsy Charlie finally comes home, and sees the boxing dummy—thinking that it’s the masher, Charlie attacks the dummy, in the movie’s funniest scene.
Trivia about Mabel’s Married Life starring Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand
Also released as:
- Charlies rival (Sweden)
- Charlot, en la vida conyugal (Spain)
- The Squarehead
- When You’re Married
Cast of characters
- Charlie Chaplin (The Rink; Limelight) … Mabel’s Husband
- Mabel Normand (His Trysting Place) … Mabel
- Mack Swain (The Gold Rush (1925)) … Wellington – a Ladykiller
- Eva Nelson (Caught in a Cabaret) … Wellington’s Wife
- Hank Mann (Spite Marriage) … Tough in Bar
- Charles Murray (The Masquerader) … Man in Bar
- Harry McCoy (A Fair Exchange) … Man in Bar
Additional cast
- Dixie Chene (The Rounders) … Neighbor (uncredited)
- Alice Davenport (The Star Boarder) … Neighbor (uncredited)
- Alice Howell (The Knockout) … Neighbor (uncredited)
- Grover Ligon (His Prehistoric Past) … Bartender (uncredited)
- Wallace MacDonald (Those Love Pangs) … Delivery Boy (uncredited)
- Frank Opperman (Tango Tangle) … Sporting Goods Salesman (uncredited)
Trivia
- Included in the “Chaplin at Keystone” DVD collection.