Fatty and Mabel Adrift

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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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.

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.

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was the second most popular film comedian behind Charlie Chaplin during the mid-1910's. Arbuckle had frequently teamed up with Mabel Normand during their early Keystone Studio days in 1913. Their January 1916 movie, "Fatty and Mabel Adrift" is considered the pair's best. "Adrift" is a departure from their usual slapstick-filled mayhem on the screen by containing a romantic angle, which boyfriend/producer Mack Sennett must have approved despite his inherent jealous demeanor.

"Adrift's" premise slots Arbuckle, a farmboy, marrying his sweetheart Mabel and spending their honeymoon in a cabin by the sea. An envious rival, played by Al St. John, who in real life was Arbuckle's nephew, makes things interesting for the newlyweds by hiring a gang to create some memorable moments.

Arbuckle hardscraple life began when his father refused to support his son at 11 years old upon the death of his mother. A velvety singing voice opened up doors for the young boy, introducing him to an early acting career in vaudeville. Touring internationally throughout the early 1900's, Arbuckle latched on to Chicago's Selig Polyscope Company in 1909 before signing on with Keystone in 1913. The over 300-pound comedian refused to be in skits involving his weight, like getting stuck in doorways, and lobbied to emphasize his physical dexteriety, of which he was super coordinated for his size.

Sennett remembers first seeing Arbuckle, that he "skipped up the stairs as lightly as Fred Astaire and without warning went into a feather light step, clapped his hands and did a backward somersault as graceful as a girl tumbler."

This film must rate as one of the best in the Fatty and Mabel series. Fatty Arbuckle plays his usual overgrown clumsy self and Mabel N is – well – Mabel. Connoisseurs of Mabel will note that Miss Keystone is particularly alluring in this picture, in which she sports especially long banana curls. Al St. John provides the villainy and much of the comedy in his own zany style.

Fatty and Mabel are again country kids living an idyllic life down on the farm, with Mabel's parents, Mai Wells and Frank Hays. Idealism is catered for by the numerous domestic animals around the place – a Keystone staple. Al enters the film as the neighbor's son, eager to have Mabel's hand in marriage. It appears, though, that the sweet girl is betrothed to Fatty, and Mabel's parents send the stupid lad off with a series of oaths echoing in his ears. Al is livid and tearful, but hangs around the farmyard until he accidentally receives a bucket of milk over his head, thrown by Fatty. Fatty makes off, and helps a car driver with a flat tire by lifting the vehicle with his bare hands and blowing a new tire up by mouth. The next scene sees Al tormenting the Mabel by eating a peach, and the scene stands as a testament to Mabel's ability to seamlessly change expression – it is almost poetic. Al chivalrously gives Mabel the peach stone, but Mabel quickly snatches Al's second peach and wolfs it down, whereupon Al tries to throttle her. Fatty returns and there is trouble, which terminates with Al running down the road, a pitchfork in his backside, and Fatty's dog (Luke) on his tail.

In the meantime, Mabel's parents have bought the loving couple a house, and a wedding takes place. Fatty is a sight to behold in a dated frock coat from which he is threatening to burst out. It was reported that Mabel was injured by a flying shoe during this wedding scene – some people say the Queen of Keystone was 'crowned' with a vase by a love- rival, others say none of this ever happened. Fatty and Mabel's new cottage is at Castle Rock Beach, Malibu and Fatty and Mabel seem blissfully happy in their new abode. While Fatty, with dog perched on a rock,is fishing, Mabel busies herself making biscuits, which turn out to be rock hard, and smash plates when dropped on them. Our newly- wed is somewhat shocked, but, being a scatterbrain, resorts to smiling in the inimitable Mabel way, and preparing the meal. The next scene sees Mabel outside, calling Roscoe. A bit of unusual photography provides atmosphere in the form of the setting sun reflected in the cottage window. The setting sun over the sea also forms the background for Roscoe's fishing escapades, during which he apparently hooks a shark, and is sent, along with his dog, scurrying and falling around the beach.

Inside the house the dog gets to the table first and starts to drink the milk from a jug. However, things liven up when Roscoe tries to cut one of the biscuits. Mabel pretends she knows nothing of the rock- like biscuits, but after a series of comical performances by Roscoe, including tapping one with a tuning fork (actually a knife), Mabel breaks down in tears. There are some touching scenes set around Mabel going to bed, but the pair is later roused by a tremendous storm, accompanied with equally tremendous photography. In the middle of the night, however, Al and some villainous acquaintances knock the house from its flimsy foundations and set it to sea. The couple awake to find themselves floating in their beds. Panic ensues, and Luke appears to bite Roscoe's nose. However, Roscoe gets himself together, and ties a 'Help' note to the dog, and sends it to shore. The note reads: 'At sea – Aboard cottage – Sinking – Help! Fatty'.The Keystoners are saved!

Some people today might be surprised that, although Fatty and Mabel are married, they do not share a bed, or even a bedroom – Mabel sleeps with the dog. In fact, Mabel never did 'bed' anybody on-screen, and possibly two in a bed was one too many for Edwardian audiences. Of course, Sennett was a shrewd dude, and ensured that Mabel, despite her flirtations, always appeared 'available' to her male fans.

Luke the dog drinks from a milk jug, and Fatty and Mabel drink from a dirty bucket, this could be yet another Keystone bid to offend, as in Mabel's Busy Day in which Mabel licks her fingers and wipes her nose with her hand while serving hot dogs. On the other hand, 'Adrift' is noted for its touching love scenes, but notice that the kisses are not in the true Hollywood style, and could be termed 'off-centre' pecks (applies also to other Mabel kisses with Chaplin and co). See Simon Louvish's book 'Keystone' for an explanation of this oddity, and why Mabel was deemed to be 'unusually pure'.

In a 1915 photograph of Sennett, Adam Kessell and Mabel standing in the Keystone lot during reconstruction, Mabel's hair looks unkempt / wet, and her dress possibly damp. Could it be, considering 'Adrift' was made around this time, that Mabel had been plucked from the sinking house scene, thrust into a dress, and hustled off to a photo opportunity with Keystone's chief executive.

The Arbuckles had a house at Venice, just down the coast from this cottage– cheaper than Hollywood or Edendale in those days.Mabel used to visit regularly and it was said that Roscoe and Mabel swam with a dolphin here. However, it seems Fatty got fed up with this after a while – Mabel was Minta's friend, not his. A house near Castle Rock beach today will cost at least $2.5 million, but the main rock has long gone.