Tango Tangles (1914)

Director:

Mack Sennett

Writer:

Mack Sennett
(more)

Release Date:

9 March 1914 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

Out of costume, Charlie is a clean-shaven dandy who, somewhat drunk, visits a dance hall. There the wardrobe girl has three rival admirers: the band leader, one of the musicians, and now Charlie. |

Plot Keywords:

Pillow Fight | Slapstick | Dance Party

Cast

Charles Chaplin	...	Tipsy Dancer
Ford Sterling	...	Band Leader
Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle	...	Clarinettist
Chester Conklin	...	Guest in Police Costume
Minta Durfee	...	Guest
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Avery	...	Guest in Straw Hat (uncredited)
Glen Cavender	...	Drummer in band / Guest in Cone Hat (uncredited)
Alice Davenport	...	Guest with Man in Overalls (uncredited)
Billy Gilbert	...	Guest in cowboy hat (uncredited)
William Hauber	...	Flutist (uncredited)
Bert Hunn	...	Guest (uncredited)
George Jeske	...	Cornet Player / Guest with Bow Tie (uncredited)
Edgar Kennedy	...	Dance Hall Manager (uncredited)
Sadie Lampe	...	Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
Hank Mann	...	Guest in Overalls (uncredited)
Harry McCoy	...	Piano Player (uncredited)
Rube Miller	...	Guest Pushed Away (uncredited)
Dave Morris	...	Dance Organizer (uncredited)
Eva Nelson	...	Guest with Man in Cone Hat (uncredited)
Frank Opperman	...	Clarinetist / Guest (uncredited)
Peggy Pearce	...	Guest (uncredited)
Al St. John	...	Guest in Convict Costume (uncredited)

Directed by
Mack Sennett

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Charles Chaplin		uncredited
Mack Sennett

Produced by
Mack Sennett	....	producer

Cinematography by
Frank D. Williams

Production Companies

• Keystone Film Company

Distributors

• Mutual Film (1914) (USA) (theatrical)
• Grapevine Video (video)
• Madacy Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (video)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Video Yesteryear (video)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

12 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G

Company:

Keystone Film Company

Trivia:

Some sources credit the role of the Hat Check Girl to Minda Durfee; this role is actually played by Sadie Lampe; Durfee plays one of the guests at the dance hall.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: A young girl runs in front of the action during the ballroom scene, while her girlfriend is stopped and hustled off screen by a production assistant.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Birth of Hollywood: Episode #1.2" (2011)

Charlie is upstaged

Tango Tangles, one of Charlie Chaplin's earliest silents, was made before The Little Tramp became his film persona of choice. Here, without his moustache, the surprisingly young-looking comic does a variation on his popular music hall drunk act, playing a dandy who tries to woo a cute dancer, much to the chagrin of his rivals for her affections -- a band leader and a fat musician, the latter played by Fatty Arbuckle.

This is quite a rare film in that Chaplin is completely and utterly overshadowed by one of his co-stars. Ford Sterling, an actor little remembered today, plays the bandleader, and offers such balletic, graceful and funny slapstick in his comedic fights with both Chaplin and Arbuckle that one could think that Chaplin might have taken some inspiration from the older actor in his own later performances as The Tramp.

This was a movie that cries out for sound. The story takes place at a dance (apparently a real one, based on the fact that a number of bystanders can be seen smiling and waving at the camera!), yet the music usually heard on the stock soundtracks provided for these silents on DVD and video does not match the action on screen, which appears to be performed in time with whatever music was being played at the time.

This isn't a bad film by any means, and it's interesting for its rare glimpse of the silent era Chaplin without his Tramp disguise. It also offers some funny moments for Fatty Arbuckle. But this is very much Ford Sterling's show and he's a joy to watch.