Fatty and Mabel Adrift

Anyone who scorns silent comedy should see this little piece of work. It has crude slapstick and goofy rustic humor, but also charming moments of pure beauty. Roscoe Arbuckle, still unfairly maligned as a rapist, is boyishly romantic with the unbeatable Mabel Normand. Their puppy love antics warm the heart and make one despise Hollywood for cutting short these two amazing careers simply because of circumstantial evidence in two of early Hollywood's biggest scandals (Arbuckle: Virginia Rappe's death; Normand: William Desmond Taylor's death). This film, under the helm of Arbuckle and Normand, is a stark contrast to the grotesqueries of the main output of Keystone and Mack Sennett. One of the most beautiful moments I have ever seen in film is Roscoe's silhouette bending down to kiss Mabel, who is asleep in bed, their dog curled up next to her. This one is not to be missed by silent film fans.

Fatty and Mabel Adrift (1916)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

One of Keystone's best films has Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle and Mabel Normand playing kids from the farm who fall in love and decide to get married even though it drives a rival (Al St. John) mad. Her parents buy them a house right on the ocean but to get even with them the rival hires some men to push the house into the ocean one night. The next morning the couple wakes up floating in the ocean. FATTY AND MABEL ADRIFT is somewhat of a masterpiece for the company. I say that because I find a lot of their two reelers to be way too long and short on actual material but this thing here clocks in at 34-minutes and it goes by so quickly and without a problem that it's clear the studio put a little extra into it. There's no question that Fatty and Mabel were their two biggest stars and that's why they appeared in many films together. This one here works on so many levels but the one thing running throughout is the wonderful chemistry of the two actors. This is so obvious in the scenes on the farm as they flirt with one another and just play around. It really does seem like the two are very legit in their feelings. The chemistry is top-notch from start to finish but I thought the two of them were also perfect in their comic timing. Al St. John is a real blast as the nutty maniac who wanted Mabel for himself. The stunts involving the house in the ocean are actually pretty good and I'd also add that we get some pretty funny stuff in this sequence. Fans of Keystone or the stars will certainly enjoy this one as it's clearly one of the best they ever delivered.

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle directed and acted in a number of slapstick comedies, often as in this film with Mabel Normand and his nephew Al St. John. He was during the 1910's one of the most famous cinema actor in America. His career was abruptly interrupted in 1921 when he was falsely accused of having raped and killed actress Virginia Rappe. His movies were instantly prohibited as he went through two trials with hung juries. He was eventually acquitted in a third trial and received formal excuses from the jury but his career never took off again.

This film shows his creativity in the use of gags alternating with periods of emotion. Outdoor filming in a farm and on the seaside gives authenticity to the performance of the actors. Cross-cutting, with a rapid succession of short duration shots, is particularly efficient during the last section of the film where everybody is rushing to the rescue of Fatty and Mabel, using a tandem and various boats. The villains are deliberately made caricatural and stupid.

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"Fatty & Mabel Adrift" is very enjoyable, has a little bit of everything, and was also made with care and skill. It would have been a very good film even in a somewhat later era when movie-making was more refined, and for the mid-teens it is impressive. There are some short features from this era that are quite entertaining, but that were rather obviously thrown together without careful planning. Then there are other short features from the 'teens (such as those of D.W. Griffith) that are quite impressive for the time in terms of their technique and refinement, but whose content sometimes leaves you feeling distant or even cold. This is one of the rare shorts from the era that is strong in both respects.

The opening sequence is mostly just pleasant slapstick silliness in a farm setting, nothing especially creative, but enjoyable. The characters are simple, but well-defined. Then, when the couple gets to their honeymoon cottage, the rest of the film is a fine combination of humor and action. Mabel Normand is at her most charming, Roscoe Arbuckle is full of energy and good cheer, and the supporting cast pitches in too (and even the Keystone dog gets some good moments). There is a good assortment of comedy material; there are some nice, touching moments with the new couple; and then of course there is plenty of action in the later scenes. It's well-made and entertaining, and it remains just as enjoyable even after repeated viewings.

This is a wonderfully sweet and romantic movie. Mabel and Fatty speak slapstick fluently and poetically here. Al St. John and Teddy are great in it too. Does anybody know who did the cinematography? It is beautiful.

The scene of Roscoe's shadow kissing Mable goodnight is still incredibly beautiful after more than 100 years.

This is another movie where Mabel Normand gets to run around in her pajamas. It was risque for the day. It was the equivalent of a nude scene today. She also did it in 1914 in her first film with Charlie Chaplin - "Mable's Strange Predicament."

This should be included in all retrospectives of the best works of both Mabel Normand and Roscoe Arbuckle.

Watching it again, I noticed the actor Wayland Trask. I didn't know who he was and he was hilarious as the gang mob boss. I wondered why he hadn't gone on to be a known silent film comedian.

I looked him up on IMDB. It turns out that he died in an auto accident, the following year that this movie was released. He only had a four year career doing shorts. He appeared in 48 of them, most of them with Charles Murray and Louise Fazenda, and a few more with Al Saint John. He did get co-star billing with Murray in three or four films. He was talented and may have become a star if not for the accident.