Mack Sennett had developed an interest in racing, and had recently purchased his own race car and driver to compete against speed demons Barney Oldfield, Earl Cooper, and Teddy Tetzlaff (misspelled in the film's title) in the 1913 Santa Monica Road Race. Sennett's car predictably lost, but Mack got what he really came for--he set up cameras around the track, and even mounted one on his own car, to capture the action. Then he drafted a scenario to fit around the footage, turning the race into a plot point in a silly love triangle involving Mabel Normand.

By David Kalat