A Muddy Romance (Normand 1913)

There's so much talking in some of these Keystone shorts- do lip-readers ever have a go at transcribing the dialogue? Whatever your thoughts about Mabel, this is pretty shoddy stuff. It has a certain reputation (in as much as any pre-1920 non-Chaplin film has any reputation at all these days) due to the spontaneous manner in which it was filmed and the advantageous use it made of the draining of a lake, but to be frank the lake scenes aren't any funnier than anything else in it.
And I don't like Sterling much. He over-acts and seems to be known for it, but I hate all the playing to the camera, the exaggerated protestations. He's a pantomime character, and this sort of schtick is almost unwatchable now- the look he had is a distinctive one but he's one of the most irritating silent comedians I've come across so far. Maybe he'll grow on me; it's not impossible.
Two rivals for Mabel's affections then, engaging in a tit-for-tat throwing contest, which somehow ends in an elopement to the lake with the Kops in attendance. There aren't really any saving graces to this one.

Mabel's Strange Predicament (Normand / Chaplin 1914)

This was a tiny joy and I really wasn't expecting it to be. Perhaps that's the thing- it's all about expectations. The Chaplin Mutuals were going to be masterpieces, the Chaplin Keystones were going to be simple-minded, barbaric slugfests. And it was silly of me to be thinking like that, even subconsciously. A lot of the other Kesytones I've seen I've really enjoyed. And I really enjoyed this one. Smile on my face all the way through. Lousy DVD print though- French intertitles, inappropriate music, and I'm not even sure the whole thing was there. But the film itself? I loved it.
And such a great, simple farce idea- Mabel is locked out of her hotel room in her pyjamas. After an encounter with an amorous drunk (Chaplin really doesn't seem to be playing a tramp here, it's just the same costume isn't it?) she ends up under Chester Conklin's bed while his wife is out of the room. So simple, and so pregnant with possibilities for the aspiring slapstick hound.
Charlie is actually rather more than a bit player here- whether it's a question of the presentation of the surviving material or not I couldn't say, but his amount of screentime seems pretty much equal with Mabel's: he has whole scenes to himself and he makes the most of them. He is hypnotic for all manner of reasons. Mabel herself is extraordinarily cute, but I've seen her better than this- she is outshone in the scene she shares with Chaplin in the hotel corridor. I'm not buying her the way I'm buying Chaplin. Her movements belong to another age, Chaplin's belong to every age. And I like Mabel Normand, don't get me wrong.

Mabel And Fatty's Married Life (Normand / Arbuckle 1915)

There's not much going on here, not a huge number of laughs to be had, yet its got a nice feel to it and Fatty and Mabel are always lovely to watch together. There's something easy-going and spontaneous about them, especially their scenes together where they seem so relaxed and care-free. This is very rare for films of this vintage, to my eyes at least. Having two actors appear so natural and at home on the screen makes the film enjoyable even when the material may be a little lacklustre.
The film is an anecdote really, a throwaway shaggy dog story. Cursed by an organ grinder in the park, Mabel finds herself terrified of strange movements around the house while her husband's away. It turns out to be the organ grinder's monkey playing peek-a-boo around her curtains. Damn I've spoilt the twist for you. This one is very much about Mabel, and she oozes class with those heavy eyelids of hers, dishevelled hair and pretty but slightly geeky face. Both of these comedians could have made it big in films at any time I think- their appeal is timeless and that's why it's a shame that the films themselves can appear quite dated. I can't imagine sitting down and watching one of these Keystone films with my 7 year old daughter- wind forward to the early twenties though and the films become so much more approachable for modern audiences.
The Keystone cops help to wrap things up, but they are going through the motions rather.
Lovely giggle at the end from Fatty as his Mabel recounts her experiences.

Fatty's Spooning Days (Mabel, Fatty and the Law) (Arbuckle / Normand 1915)

Spooning, I'm assuming, is an Americanism, and presumably an Americanism anachronism, for any kind of flirting or courting behaviour? The great, silly premise for this one-reeler is that absolutely anything of this nature is forbidden in a big, public (but suspiciously empty) park. Fatty and Harry Gribbon and their respective wives end up in this big, public park, not only spooning like there's no tomorrow, but also spooning with each other's partners. Spooning- I like this term, I'm going to be using it more often.
All four of them end up in the police station, having to pay hefty fines. That's your entire plot, to be frank, save for a bit of nonsense with a couple of maids early on. The idea of the police, in great numbers, loitering around the park just waiting to pounce on devious spooners is such a lovely one- it's dumb and cheeky, but it knows it's dumb and cheeky and is so brazen about it you just don't care.
Harry Gribbon I don't think I've seen before- he's very tall and slightly rubbery faced and faux-elegant, and he seems of a different time altogether, as if he's just been plonked down in the middle of 'Fatty's Spooning Days' from his safe house in the 40s, the 60s, the 90s even. I like him, he's got a certain something. Mabel has looked better than she does here, I have to say. She's a little dowdy, a little plain- maybe it's the outfit. There's some great pantomime between her and Gribbon though, and the four leading players- with the Keystone cops supporting them in a relatively subdued and subtle manner- make this very enjoyable. You're not going to fall out of your chair, but neither will you have the slightest inclination to turn away from the screen of your choosing.

Mabel's Wilful Way (Normand / Arbuckle 1915)

This is a joy, especially coming on the back of 'That Little Band Of Gold' which was pleasant enough without ever coming close to knocking anything out of the park. They cram so much into ten minutes here! Now admittedly some of this is stuff you find yourself watching with your jaw slung low on the floor, but we are going to have to make some cultural allowances I think if we are intent on furthering this relationship...
Now the venerable IMDB is telling me that Al St John is playing 'vendor' here and Edgar Kennedy 'Fatty's pal' but even my slim knowledge of silent comedies is enough for me to stand here and bravely tell you that Al St John is Fatty's partner here. Fatty and Al then have a day's entertainment at the amusement park with straggly haired Mabel and her straight-laced folks. Bored at afternoon tea, Mabel wanders off from her guardians and encounters the rival lovers who proceed to battle each other- and anyone else who crosses their paths- for the girl's affections. Mabel ends up with a smacked bottom from her parents. This is far from being the oddest or most noteworthy moment in the film however.
You get, for yer money, an ice-cream eating bear, a horrendously bullied black chap, a practically psychotic cop, and an ingenious reversed-film fairground ride. I think more than anything else though you get a feeling of innocence (squirm inducing racism aside- though could we argue that the film-makers are only capturing what presumably was an example of a genuine fairground attraction? no, probably not...) and a feeling that this is young, brave, fearless America and anything's possible. The whole thing is lovely- fresh and spontaneous, just a good old-fashioned day at the fair turned into a single reel of gold.

That Little Band Of Gold (Arbuckle / Normand 1915)

Arbuckle- how do we refer to him these days? Bear with me, my knowledge in these matters still aint great. Roscoe or Fatty- which is it to be? My heart says Roscoe, but damnit all he made his money as Fatty and he never seemed to have a problem with it (correct me, please correct me, if I'm wrong...) So Fatty, for now, it is. The only films of his I'd seen before this one were a batch of the Keaton shorts, and this I don't think is quite in that class. But that's ok, that's no great shame, I loved those films- 'That Little Band of Gold' doesn't need to be feeling too inadequate. And this is my first glimpse of Mabel Normand (second glimpse shortly to follow (now read on dot dot dot)). And she's eye-catching. She's not exactly forgotten these days, but people, the general public, just know her as a name now don't they? How many people out of a hundred would recognize her picture, let alone be able to name one of her films?
This is a bright two-reeler of romantic entanglements and lazy diversions. Arbuckle (that's Fatty to you, my friend) and Normand are newly married, but he has a wandering eye and enjoys a decadent life, and he soon begins to stray. Ford Sterling is the over-acting friend / rival whose paramour he takes up with. There is a long opera house scene which, despite offering no amusing moments whatsoever, is culturally fascinating- our band of heroes seem to have been plunked down in the middle of a genuine opera audience and so we end up with our own little slice of cinéma vérité. It's fun to watch their get-up and reactions.
Fatty is the antithesis of Chaplin here- was this a standard character for him? Rich and pampered, he lives in a mansion surrounded by servants, and he lives in his own moral vacuum, existing for his own hedonistic pleasures alone. Sure he ends up with Mabel again at the film's conclusion, but how many people are buying that as a long-term commitment? Jeremy Kyle surely beckons a few months down the line. We never learn what it is that allows him to live this extravagant lifestyle either. The film's highlight, probably the only moment (for all Arbuckle and Normand's genuine charisma and chemistry) that you'd want to revisit, is a scene of first-rate clowning with Fatty and his new wife's scandalized mother.