''Tango Tangles'' is a 1914 American film comedy short starring

Charles Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

and

Roscoe Arbuckle Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (; March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked ...

. The action takes place in a dance hall, with a drunken Chaplin,

Ford Sterling Ford Sterling (born George Ford Stich Jr.; November 3, 1883 – October 13, 1939) was an American comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios. One of the 'Big 4', he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops. Biography ...

, and the huge, menacing, and acrobatic Arbuckle fighting over a girl. The supporting cast also features

Chester Conklin Chester Cooper Conklin (January 11, 1886 – October 11, 1971) was an early American film comedian who started at Keystone Studios as one of Mack Sennett’s Keystone Cops, often paired with Mack Swain. He appeared in a series of films with ...

and

Minta Durfee Araminta Estelle "Minta" Durfee (October 1, 1889 – September 9, 1975) was an American silent film actress from Los Angeles, California, possibly best known for her role in ''Mickey'' (1918). Biography She met Roscoe Arbuckle when he was atte ...

. The picture was written, directed and produced by

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...

for

Keystone Studios Keystone Studios was an early film studio founded in Edendale, California (which is now a part of Echo Park) on July 4, 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from actor-writer Adam Kessel (1866–1946) and Charle ...

and distributed by

Mutual Film Mutual Film Corporation was an early American film conglomerate that produced some of Charlie Chaplin's greatest comedies. Founded in 1912, it was absorbed by Film Booking Offices of America, which evolved into RKO Pictures. Founding Mutual's ...

Corporation. In ''Tango Tangles'', Charlie Chaplin appears without makeup and his usual mustache, baggy pants, and oversized shoes. The film was shot at a dance hall without any sort of formal script. Mack Sennett, in his 1954 autobiography ''King of Comedy'', said of the impromptu nature of ''Tango Tangles'', "We took Chaplin,

ord Ord or ORD may refer to: Places * Ord of Caithness, landform in north-east Scotland * Ord, Nebraska, USA * Ord, Northumberland, England * Muir of Ord, village in Highland, Scotland * Ord, Skye, a place near Tarskavaig * Ord River, Western Austral ...

Sterling, oscoeArbuckle and

hester Hester is both a female given name and a surname. As a given name Hester is a variant of Esther. As a surname it is of Germanic origin and uncertain meaning, possible roots being the Middle High German ''heister'' beech tree indicating residence ne ...

Conklin to a dance hall, turned them loose, and pointed a camera at them. They made funny, and that was it." ''Tango Tangles'' marked the last time that Ford Sterling and Chaplin appeared in the same film. Sterling had decided to leave Keystone where he had gained most of his fame as the chief of the Keystone Cops.

Reviews

The movie publication Bioscope wrote of ''Tango Tangles'', "Jealousy in a dance room ends in a fight which is engaged by the dancers, musicians and attendants." Another reviewer in ''The Cinema'' wrote, "The ballroom is soon converted into a battlefield which results in this Keystone being a real scream."

Cast

- Tipsy Dancer *

- Clarinettist *

- Band leader *

- Guest in Police Costume *

- Guest * Charles Avery ... Guest in Straw Hat (uncredited) *

Glen Cavender Glen Cavender (September 19, 1883 – February 9, 1962) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1914 and 1949. Biography Glen Cavender was born in Tucson, Arizona, and died in Hollywood, California. He start ...

... Drummer in band / Guest in Cone Hat (uncredited) *

Alice Davenport Alice Davenport (née Shepphard; February 29, 1864 – June 24, 1936) was an American film actress. She appeared in 140 films between 1911 and 1930. She was born Alice Shepphard in New York City, and died in Los Angeles, California. She mad ...

... Guest with Man in Overalls (uncredited) *

Billy Gilbert William Gilbert Barron (September 12, 1894 – September 23, 1971), known professionally as Billy Gilbert, was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects a ...

... Guest in cowboy hat (uncredited) *

William Hauber William Hauber (May 20, 1891 – July 17, 1929) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1913 and 1928. He was born in Brownsville, Minnesota, and died in California in a plane crash during aerial scouting for f ...

... Flutist (uncredited) * Bert Hunn ... Guest (uncredited) * George Jeske ... Cornet Player / Guest with Bow Tie (uncredited) *

Edgar Kennedy Edgar Livingston Kennedy (April 26, 1890 – November 9, 1948) was an American comedic character actor who appeared in at least 500 films during the silent and sound eras. Professionally, he was known as "Slow Burn", owing to his ability to por ...

... Dance Hall Manager (uncredited) * Sadie Lampe ... Hat Check Girl (uncredited) *

Hank Mann Hank Mann (born David William Lieberman, May 28, 1887 – November 25, 1971) was a Russian Empire-born and American comedian and silent screen star who was a member of the Keystone Cops. According to fellow actor and original member of th ...

... Guest in Overalls (uncredited) *

Harry McCoy Harry McCoy (December 10, 1893 – September 1, 1937) was an American film actor and screenwriter. He appeared in more than 150 films between 1912 and 1935. Early years McCoy was born on December 10, 1893, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ...

... 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 Peggy Pearce (born Velma Pearce; June 4, 1894 – February 26, 1975) was an American film actress of the silent era. She worked primarily in short subjects at the L-KO Kompany and Keystone Studios. She appeared alongside stars including C ...

... Guest (uncredited) *

Al St. John Al St. John (also credited as Al Saint John and "Fuzzy" St. John; September 10, 1892 – January 21, 1963) was an early American motion-picture comedian. He was a nephew of silent film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, with whom he often performed on ...

... Guest in Convict Costume (uncredited)

External links

* * * 1914 films 1914 comedy films American black-and-white films American silent short films Films directed by Mack Sennett Films produced by Mack Sennett 1914 short films Silent American comedy films Articles containing video clips Keystone Studios films American comedy short films 1910s American films {{1910s-short-comedy-film-stub

Reviews

Cast

See also

External links