Even Mrs. Soffel might be tempted to keep him locked up and toss away the key.

What happened to the handsome young actor who came to Pittsburgh to film "Mrs. Soffel" back in the day? The one who starred alongside Diane Keaton, Matthew Modine and Edward Herrmann in the story of the warden's wife who helped the Biddle brothers escape from the Allegheny County Jail?

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Please give us back that scandal and that Mel Gibson.

And, while you're at it, toss in the old Michael Jackson, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Lindsay Lohan, too.

The 50-year-old Gibson was arrested in Malibu early Friday for driving drunk, but that wouldn't have put a dent in the career of the man who made "The Passion of the Christ." After all, its North American take of $370 million made it the 10th highest grossing film of all time and a favorite among many Christians.

The entertainer whose "Braveheart" swept the 68th Academy Awards will need damage control for the widely publicized (and apparently verified) reports of his anti-Jewish rants and his use of an insulting term for a female sergeant that essentially reduced her to her breasts. For good measure, he threatened the arresting deputy, too.

Gibson denied being anti-Semitic while making "Passion of the Christ." And no matter how much he claims he didn't mean what he said while drunk, and maybe he didn't, some people will never believe him. They won't forgive and they certainly won't forget.

When "War of the Worlds" and, especially, when "Mission: Impossible III" came out, many people boycotted because of Cruise. They were turned off by his public declaration of love for the much-younger Holmes and the way he seemed to cut his fiancee off from her old life. Didn't matter if that was her choice, they saw it that way.

Along comes Gibson and Disney, the studio scheduled to release his next directing effort, "Apocalypto." They only have one thing to be thankful for: The original release date was Aug. 4 and he doesn't appear on camera in "Apocalypto" (although he is scheduled to act in other movies).

In mid-April, however, Disney announced it was moving the film to Dec. 8 and shifting the Mark Wahlberg football film "Invincible" into a late August slot.

Even though the film's Web site says, "From the Academy Award winning director of 'Braveheart' and 'The Passion of the Christ,' " the movie was never going to be an easy sell.

A "mythic action-adventure set against the turbulent end times of the once great Mayan civilization," it carries this tagline: "When the end comes, not everyone is ready to go."

In other words, it's no "Snakes on a Plane." Or "Pirates of the Caribbean."

I wouldn't be surprised if Gibson announces he's going into rehab and then books a spot on Oprah's couch or has his manager speed-dialing Diane Sawyer or Barbara Walters or Katie Couric for his first interview.

See Mel Gibson newly sober, highly contrite, clean-shaven and not looking crazy. Maybe his wife could be at his side. Maybe he can put his money where his mouth unfortunately was with fat donations to causes advancing Jews, women, cops and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Because the end could be near for Gibson and, like his movie's tagline says, he may not be ready to go.