Wedded bliss for Mabel and Charlie (?), but just as well Mabel spurned the Tramp-man's real-life advances, and chose not to be the first to enter Chaplin's harem. The resulting chaos would have much worse than anything Keystone could ever conjure up.
Mabel positively dotes on her screen baby, as she seemed to do in studio stills and private photos with other children. Keystone claimed that children absolutely adored Mabel and were instinctively drawn to her (wasn't everybody?). Notably, Mabel never had kids of her own and apparently never wanted them. It's doubtful that Miss Keystone would have trusted herself alone with them – she once said she loved to 'pinch babies and twist their legs'. She also found it amusing when she once switched a baby left in a pram for one of a different hue, causing the mother to collapse in hysterics on her return. In this film, however, when Mabel leaves the kitchen, big bad Chaplin sets the baby crying. On Mabel's return its eyes light up and an arm reaches out for her.
Charlie plays the disinterested father and Mabel the poor drudge of the usual Keystone type. After Charlie almost burns everyone, and gives the baby a gun to play with, he decides it best to depart and head for a 'greasy spoon' eating joint. Here he helps himself to an old man's bread, prior to wiping his hands on the aging fellow's Zee-Zee Top beard. He then runs into old Keystone adversary Mack Swain, and Mack quickly receives a bowl of soup in the face. Following the ensuing fight, during which 6 foot-four Mack gets a good whipping from 5 foot-four Charlie, terrified Mack flees the scene taking Charlie's coat by mistake. Charlie himself bolts back to the perceived safety of the family home, but unfortunately he has Mack's coat, which contains a letter alluding to a meeting with a lover. Mabel searches the coat pockets for baby's promised present, but finds the letter. There follows some classic Mabel changes of expression, before she hurls a bowl of water at Charlie, and follows up by splitting an ironing board over the Englisher's head. The ironing board is a typical Keystone lash- up, which almost falls apart before Mabel reaches her spouse. Charlie proceeds to throw the 99 lb Mabel to the floor, but thinks it best to flee the coop before she can give him a mouthful of knuckles.
Charlie is next seen at Hollenbeck Park, talking to himself and wondering what has happened. The usual series of Keystone capers occurs when the lorn betrayed Mabel, and babe in shawl, catches up with Charlie, and Mack reappears on the scene. The scene is complicated still further, as Mack's wife (Phyllis Allen) is also in the park, and Mabel tries to strangle the seemingly 'loose' woman. Eventually, Charlie and Mabel return to wedded bliss, while Mack and wife remain at loggerheads. In Mabel's Married Life it was the other way round.
Note: Continuity obviously counted for nothing at Keystone, as, for some reason, when Mabel departs the kitchen she takes her rolled pastry with her, but returns to find the same pastry attached to the baby's bottom. She had clearly forgotten that she'd walked out with this stuff earlier. The rolling pin Mabel's been using mysteriously disappears just before she leaves the kitchen, but miraculously reappears just prior to her return. Clearly a gag had been added after the original scene was filmed, but, film costing what it did, this was retained in the movie. Mabel's attempts at rolling pastry with one hand, while holding a baby in the other, are amusing, as are her attempts at ironing, which involves the use of water by the gallon. Fortunately, the real-life Mabel had a house-full of servants!
Mabel positively dotes on her screen baby, as she seemed to do in studio stills and private photos with other children. Keystone claimed that children absolutely adored Mabel and were instinctively drawn to her (wasn't everybody?). Notably, Mabel never had kids of her own and apparently never wanted them. It's doubtful that Miss Keystone would have trusted herself alone with them – she once said she loved to 'pinch babies and twist their legs'. She also found it amusing when she once switched a baby left in a pram for one of a different hue, causing the mother to collapse in hysterics on her return. In this film, however, when Mabel leaves the kitchen, big bad Chaplin sets the baby crying. On Mabel's return its eyes light up and an arm reaches out for her.
Charlie plays the disinterested father and Mabel the poor drudge of the usual Keystone type. After Charlie almost burns everyone, and gives the baby a gun to play with, he decides it best to depart and head for a 'greasy spoon' eating joint. Here he helps himself to an old man's bread, prior to wiping his hands on the aging fellow's Zee-Zee Top beard. He then runs into old Keystone adversary Mack Swain, and Mack quickly receives a bowl of soup in the face. Following the ensuing fight, during which 6 foot-four Mack gets a good whipping from 5 foot-four Charlie, terrified Mack flees the scene taking Charlie's coat by mistake. Charlie himself bolts back to the perceived safety of the family home, but unfortunately he has Mack's coat, which contains a letter alluding to a meeting with a lover. Mabel searches the coat pockets for baby's promised present, but finds the letter. There follows some classic Mabel changes of expression, before she hurls a bowl of water at Charlie, and follows up by splitting an ironing board over the Englisher's head. The ironing board is a typical Keystone lash- up, which almost falls apart before Mabel reaches her spouse. Charlie proceeds to throw the 99 lb Mabel to the floor, but thinks it best to flee the coop before she can give him a mouthful of knuckles.
Charlie is next seen at Hollenbeck Park, talking to himself and wondering what has happened. The usual series of Keystone capers occurs when the lorn betrayed Mabel, and babe in shawl, catches up with Charlie, and Mack reappears on the scene. The scene is complicated still further, as Mack's wife (Phyllis Allen) is also in the park, and Mabel tries to strangle the seemingly 'loose' woman. Eventually, Charlie and Mabel return to wedded bliss, while Mack and wife remain at loggerheads. In Mabel's Married Life it was the other way round.
Note: Continuity obviously counted for nothing at Keystone, as, for some reason, when Mabel departs the kitchen she takes her rolled pastry with her, but returns to find the same pastry attached to the baby's bottom. She had clearly forgotten that she'd walked out with this stuff earlier. The rolling pin Mabel's been using mysteriously disappears just before she leaves the kitchen, but miraculously reappears just prior to her return. Clearly a gag had been added after the original scene was filmed, but, film costing what it did, this was retained in the movie. Mabel's attempts at rolling pastry with one hand, while holding a baby in the other, are amusing, as are her attempts at ironing, which involves the use of water by the gallon. Fortunately, the real-life Mabel had a house-full of servants!