History Film / MabelsStrangePredicament

* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: It didn't for Mabel Normand, here in her usual comic misadventures.

* NiceHat: Mabel wears a fancy hat with an enormous feather on top.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/s_strange_predicament_nrfpt_02_8160.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:That guy looks like he has a future.]]

This ten-minute short, one of hundreds made by Creator/KeystoneStudios during this era, is remembered today as the first on-screen appearance of Chaplin's iconic character, TheTramp.[[note]]For many years that was believed to be ''Kid Auto Races at Venice'', but later research revealed that while that film was shown in theaters first, this one was filmed first.[[/note]] It was the second film for Chaplin, the new hire at Keystone, whose debut film ''Making a Living'' had been a disappointment. Versions of the story differ, but apparently Chaplin more or less on the spot invented the character of the Tramp--bowler hat, undersized coat and vest, oversized pants and shoes, and rattan cane. By the end of 1914, Chaplin had appeared in the costume in over 30 films and become a massive star. He would wear that same costume in almost every film he made for the next 22 years.

This ten-minute short, one of hundreds made by Creator/KeystoneStudios during this era, is remembered today as the first on-screen appearance of Chaplin's iconic character, TheTramp. It was the second film for Chaplin, the new hire at Keystone, whose debut film ''Making a Living'' had been a disappointment. Versions of the story differ, but apparently Chaplin more or less on the spot invented the character of the Tramp--bowler hat, undersized coat and vest, oversized pants and shoes, and rattan cane. By the end of 1914, Chaplin had appeared in the costume in over 30 films and become a massive star. He would wear that same costume in almost every film he made for the next 22 years.

!!Thi film provides examples of:

* TheTramp: Sort of. Chaplin invented the costume for this film and would wear it for two decades. However, the character as he appears in this film doesn't appear to be a tramp. He is evidently a paying guest of the hotel, as he isn't thrown out for being a drunken nuisance in the lobby, and he has enough money to bribe a bellhop. He is also somewhat different in manner than the Tramp was in later films, here being an obnoxious drunk.

''Mabel's Strange Predicament'' is a 1914 film starring Mabel Normand and Creator/CharlieChaplin, directed by Normand. In this film Mabel is a well-to-do lady (if her fancy dress is any indication) who is staying at a hotel with her fiance. Mabel has also brought along her dog, and when she happens to step outside the door to her hotel room in her pajamas, the dog pushes the door shut, leaving her trapped outside. A panicked Mabel then dives into the opposite room and hides from the occupant, a husband whose wife has gone off to complain about all the noise Mabel has been making.

!!Tropes:

* TheTramp: Sort of. Chaplin invented the costume for this film and would wear it for two decades. However, the character as he appears in this film doesn't appear to be a tramp. He is evidently a paying guest of the hotel, as he isn't thrown out for being a drunken nuisance in the lobby, and he has enough money to bribe a bellhop. He is also somewhat different in manner than the Tramp was in later films, here being an obnoxious drunk.

* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: Played for laughs as the man from the other is violently assaulted by his wife after the wife catches Mabel hiding under the bed.

''Mabel's Strange Predicament'' is a 1914 film directed by and starring Mabel Normand, and also starring Creator/CharlieChaplin. In this film Mabel is a well-to-do lady (if her fancy dress is any indication) who is staying at a hotel with her fiance. Mabel has also brought along her dog, and when she happens to step outside the door to her hotel room in her pajamas, the dog pushes the door shut, leaving her trapped outside. A panicked Mabel then dives into the opposite room and hides from the occupant, a husband whose wife has gone off to complain about all the noise Mabel has been making.