Mabel's Blunder
Encyclopedia
Mabel's Blunder is a silent
comedy film
directed by, written by, and starring Mabel Normand
, the most successful of the early silent screen
comediennes.
's Keystone Studios
, known at the time as "The Fun Factory", Mabel's Blunder showcases Normand's spontaneous and intuitive playfulness and her ability to be both romantically appealing and boisterously funny.
by the Library of Congress
in December 2009 for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by, written by, and starring Mabel Normand
Mabel Normand
Mabel Normand was an American silent film comedienne and actress. She was a popular star of Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios and is noted as one of the film industry's first female screenwriters, producers and directors...
, the most successful of the early silent screen
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
comediennes.
Plot
Mabel's Blunder tells the tale of a young woman who is secretly engaged to the boss's son. When a new employee catches the young man's eye, a jealous Mabel dresses up as a (male) chauffeur to spy on them.Production background
Produced at Mack SennettMack Sennett
Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"...
's Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios was an early movie studio founded in Edendale, California in 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from Adam Kessel and Charles O. Bauman, owners of the New York Motion Picture Company...
, known at the time as "The Fun Factory", Mabel's Blunder showcases Normand's spontaneous and intuitive playfulness and her ability to be both romantically appealing and boisterously funny.
National Film Registry
This film, with its unusual gender-bending aspect, was added to the National Film RegistryNational Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
in December 2009 for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
See also
- A Florida EnchantmentA Florida EnchantmentA Florida Enchantment is a silent film directed by and starring Sidney Drew and released by Vitagraph Studios. The film is based on the 1891 novel and 1896 play of the same name written by Fergus Redmond and Archibald Clavering Gunter....
(1914) cross-dressing comedy directed by and written by Sidney Drew