7/10
Mabel at the Wheel has Mabel Normand racing with Charlie Chaplin doing some funny villainy
14 June 2011
Just watched this-a Keystone comedy short starring Mabel Normand and Charlie Chaplin-on YouTube. Ms. Normand is also the director and Chaplin does not play The Tramp but the comic villain. As such, he's the funniest thing here as he does overacting to a T which is such a standard technique in these silent movies whether melodrama or slapstick comedy. Mabel is quite an accomplished comic herself whether taking a fall, throwing bricks, or biting Charlie's hand. The race sequence doesn't really have any laughs but is quite exciting to watch as we see Ms. Normand do as the title says. Overall, Mabel at the Wheel is highly recommended. P.S. It would have been nice if any of the versions I checked out had a music accompaniment but I can't complain too much about the complete silent version I watched.
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