Mabel's Blunder (1914)

Mabel works in a commercial office, and the boss’s son is engaged to her. But both father and son are prone to philandering. When an overdressed woman arrives at the office and the son takes her into his private room, Mabel looks through the keyhole and sees them embracing, and realises that it is more than a business meeting. The woman turns out to be his sister, but this is not evident from the screenplay.

When Mable's chauffeur brother arrives with a message for the son that he is invited to a party at La Ramada, Mabel decides to keep an eye on him, and she persuades her brother to exchange clothes with her. So when the son leaves with the woman for the party, Mabel is their driver. At the venue, which turns out to be open-air, she keeps watch on things, but when the son pays too much attention to yet another female, his sister leaves the table weepily. Mabel, still dressed as the chauffeur, puts her arm around her to console her, and when the son spots this, he comes over and strikes Mabel.

Meanwhile at the office, the boss himself realises that Mabel (as he thinks, but in fact it is her brother wearing her clothes) is alone there, he insists on taking her in his car to La Ramada also, with amorous designs. When they are there, he eventually realises that "Mabel" is an impostor just as his son realises that his chauffeur is really Mabel; they all fight for a while and then it turns to embarrassed confusion and the short film ends.

HF December 2009

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