non-features watched (shorts)
Wanted this in the m/n alpha.
Don't want to clutter my ratings or other watched lists with these.
Don't want to clutter my ratings or other watched lists with these.
List activity
24 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
- 74 titles
- DirectorGus MeinsStarsThelma ToddPatsy KellyDon BarclayThe girls win a car in a raffle.(actually, all 24 shorts from the list https://www.imdb.com/list/ls026298401/)
Hal Roach Studios, distr. MGM; 6
http://bdrdiary.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-complete-hal-roach-thelma-todd.html - DirectorHenry LehrmanStarsCharles ChaplinRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbuckleEmma CliftonAn out-of-work swindler takes a job as a reporter. After witnessing a car go over cliff, he grabs a rival reporter's camera and races to the newspaper office to enter the photo as his own. His rival is delayed when he gets caught in a woman's bedroom by her jealous husband. The swindler follows the distribution of the paper containing his 'scoop' around town where he is once again chased by the rival reporter. Both end up on the cow-catcher of a streetcar.Not the tramp costume: nice clothes that fit, long mustache. Too few titles, but that might be a restoration problem. Good print. Ok comedy. 13min 6-
- DirectorHenry LehrmanStarsCharles ChaplinHenry LehrmanGordon GriffithThe Tramp wanders into and disrupts the filming of a go-kart race.Full tramp costume, and movement, but not the persona. Just a camera hog. 7min 6-
- DirectorMabel NormandStarsMabel NormandCharles ChaplinChester ConklinIn a hotel lobby, an inebriated Charlie runs into an elegant lady, gets tied up in her dog's leash, and falls down. He later runs into her in the hotel corridor, locked out of her room. They run through various rooms. Mabel ends up in one, hiding under the bed of an elderly husband. Enter the jealous wife and Mabel's lover.Mabel gets herself locked out of her hotel room. Loiterer Tramp and other characters get involved inadvertently (and the suitor intentionally). 12min 6-
- DirectorHenry LehrmanStarsCharles ChaplinFord SterlingChester ConklinCharlie and another man compete in trying to help a young lady cross a muddy street. The rival finds a wooden plank which Charlie takes from him. They fight over an umbrella belonging to the rival. A policeman settles the dispute, ultimately arresting the rival. An innocent tramp is pushed into the lake.Tramp and 2 others fight over an umbrella. 14min 6-
- DirectorGeorge NicholsStarsCharles ChaplinRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbucklePeggy PearceCharlie attempts to meet his favorite movie actress at the Keystone Studio, but does not win friends there.Tramp wants to be in movies, but life on the set is too much, especially for an interloper. 12min 6-
- DirectorMack SennettStarsCharles ChaplinFord SterlingRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbuckleOut of costume, Charlie is a clean-shaven dandy who, somewhat drunk, visits a dance hall. There the wardrobe girl has three rival admirers: the band leader, one of the musicians, and now Charlie.Drunken Charlie (not the Tramp) & bandleader get into fisticuffs over hat check girl. F.Arbuckle is used little. 10min 6-
- DirectorGeorge NicholsStarsCharles ChaplinRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbucklePeggy PearceA very plastered fella follows a pretty woman home, and proceeds to make a nuisance of himself.The Tramp, finally with his bendable cane, is drunk in a bar & swings at everyone. He follows the maid of a pretty lady home, easily walking right in the home unobserved. Lots of people in this house! The maid and a bar attendant are whites in blackface. 13min 6--
- DirectorsGeorge NicholsMack SennettStarsCharles ChaplinEdgar KennedyMinta DurfeeA silly aristocrat who believes that he has been jilted attempts suicide but he is saved from death and reunited with his fiancée.Charlie (not the Tramp) has a misunderstanding with his betrothed, she breaks it off, he drinks something bad given by his neighbor, thinks he's very ill/dying. Fiancee clears up the misunderstanding, doctors arrive at Charlie's house, lots of people get kicked around. 10min 6--
- DirectorGeorge NicholsStarsCharles ChaplinMinta DurfeeEdgar KennedyA brat's magic lantern show exposes an indiscreet moment between a landlady and her star boarder.Charlie/Tramp-almost causes chaos where he lives with lots of others in a boarding house. 12min 6-
- DirectorsMabel NormandMack SennettStarsCharles ChaplinMabel NormandHarry McCoyCharlie, competing with his rival's race car, offers Mabel a ride on his motorcycle but drops her in a puddle. He next joins some dubious characters in abduction of his rival just before the race for the Vanderbilt Cup. With her boyfriend locked up in a shed, Mabel takes his place. Charlie does what he can to sabotage the race, even causing Mabel's car to overturn.Much longer film, better story. Mabel (Normand) is gf to a race driver. Villain Charlie wants her, and detains him. She drives in the race instead. Villain continues to sabotage, so he must have more reasons. The Villain does not prevail. 23min 6
- DirectorsJoseph MaddernCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinMinta DurfeeEdgar KennedyCharlie is hanging around in the park, finding problems with a jealous suitor, a man who thinks that Charlie has robbed him a watch, a policeman and even a little boy, all because our friend can't stop snooping.The Tramp tries to horn in on couples smooching on a park bench, picks the pocket of a pickpocket. meh. 11min 6-
- DirectorMabel NormandStarsCharles ChaplinMabel NormandDan AlbertCharlie is a clumsy waiter in a cheap cabaret and must endure the strict orders from his boss. He meets a pretty girl in the park and pretends to be a fancy ambassador but must contend with the jealousy of her fiancé.Waiter Charlie/Tramp deals with unruly customers in the cabaret, and steals the affections of Mabel in the park when he thwarts a robbery. Things go less well at the party at her mansion, and poorly when she visits the cabaret. Too much violent humor. 23min 6--
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinMack SwainAlice DavenportWhen a married couple become separated in the park, Charlie takes up with the lady and is beat up when her husband rejoins her. He takes a room in their hotel, and she sleepwalks into his room so that when her husband returns from his walk he must go out again to look for her. Charlie returns the lady to her room but must climb out onto the window ledge in a downpour.The title describes only a few seconds of the film. Otherwise, the Tramp gets involved with the couple staying in the hotel room across the hall from his. Not much to it. 12min 6--
- DirectorMack SennettStarsCharles ChaplinMack SwainPhyllis AllenA jealous wife is chasing her unfaithful husband during a parade, after he starts to flirt with a pretty woman.Chaplin in drag, playing a woman. He does a lot more facial expressions than usual. Lots of hitting and kicking, including cops. 6min 6---
- DirectorMack SennettStarsCharles ChaplinMabel NormandMack SennettThree man will fight for the love of a charming girl. Charlie will play dirty, throwing bricks to his contender, and using a huge hammer to hurt one of them. But a precocious kid will be the fourth suitor in discord.Nothing actually fatal here. But lots of kicking and hitting each other with fists, bricks, and yes, a mallet. The Tramp, Mabel & 2 Macks. 14min 6--
- DirectorMack SennettStarsRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbuckleEdgar KennedyCharles ChaplinTo show his girl how brave he is Fatty challenges the champion to a fight. Charlie referees, trying to avoid contact with the two monsters.Charlie (fight referee) is only in about 4min of this, and his pratfalls are far better than the others. Mostly this is F.Arbuckle knocking people over, and falling over himself. 30min 6--
- DirectorMack SennettStarsCharles ChaplinMabel NormandDan AlbertA hotdog girl gives one to a policeman who then allows her into a race track. While other customers swipe her hotdogs, Charlie runs off with the whole box, pretending to sell them while actually giving them away. She calls her policeman who battles Charlie.More hitting, kicking. Fancy Tramp steals hotdogs from vendor Mabel. 13min 6--
- DirectorMack SennettStarsCharles ChaplinMabel NormandMack SwainAccosted by a masher in the park and unable to motivate husband Charlie into taking action, Mabel gets him a boxing mannequin to sharpen his fighting skills.More hitting and kicking. Mabel's married to Fancy Tramp, who's inebriated the whole film. M.Swain (also married) makes passes at her in the park while Tramp is in the bar. He & Tramp fight a bit over her. On her way home, Mabel sees a man-size boxing dummy dressed as masher M.S, has it sent to her home/hotel. She fights with it for a while, but it has a round base, so it fights back. Drunk Tramp comes home and fights with it, thinking it's M.S. Mabel shows Tramp it's really a dummy. 15min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinFritz SchadeAlice HowellCharlie pretends to be a dentist though he is only his assistant. When a patient can't stop laughing from the anesthesia Charlie knocks him out with a club. He is sent to the drug store, gets in a fight with a man who (after a brick in the face) becomes another patient, and pulls the skirt off the dentist's wife (who is out walking). At one point Charlie pulls a tooth (the wrong one) using enormous pliers.Tramp employed as dentist's clean-up guy. More kicking & hitting, plus teeth pulling. This time, when Tramp hits M.Swain in face with brick, teeth are lost. 13min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinPhyllis AllenCharles BennettCharlie has trouble with actors' luggage and conflicts over who gets the star's dressing room. There are further difficulties with frequent scene changes, wrong entries and a fireman's hose. At one point he juggles an athlete's supposed weights. The humor is still rough: he kicks an older assistant in the face and allows him to be run over by a truck.Backstage at low-rent vaudeville, Tramp & old feeble guy employed to do heavy lifting. Lots of hitting & kicking, falling down short flight of stairs. Capped by a fire hose, with water felling people repeatedly. 24min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinCecile ArnoldJess DandyThe plot is a satire derived from Hugh Antoine D'Arcy's poem of the same title. The painter courts Madeleine but loses to the wealthy client who sits for his portrait. The despairing artist draws the girl's portrait on the barroom floor and gets tossed out. Years later he sees her, her husband and their horde of children. Unrecognized by her, Charlie shakes off his troubles and walks off into the future.Relatively free of violence until the final minute. Chaplin's acting is much more like his future work. This is a drunken Tramp explaining his downfall in a flashback to more prosperous days. 12min 6
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinCharles BennettHelen CarruthersCharlie is walking in the park. A girl leaves a seaman on one bench and joins Charlie on another. The seaman wakes up. He and Charlie stage a brick fight. Policemen get hit and arrest both men. During an ensuing fight on the dock the policemen, the seaman, Charlie and the girl wind up in the water.About 1 min of the film has image clear enough to be worth watching, but the action is not. It's more bricks and slaps thrown, with a "romantic" triangle enhanced by 2 cops in the melee. (These are not the typical Keystone Kops, but virile lads who nonetheless act Keystone.) Aren't people tired of the masher in the park plot yet? 7min 5
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbuckleChester ConklinCharlie is an actor in a film studio. He messes up several scenes and is tossed out. Returning dressed as a lady, he charms the director. Even so, Charlie never makes it into film, winding up at the bottom of a well.2nd time Charlie's in drag, this time really masquerading as a woman to regain entry into the movie studio where he's employed. He was fired for shirking his acting duties. The best part was the very beginning where we see Charlie as the actor arriving for work: nice regular clothes, no mustache. He really was slightly built, and his face looks so young (b. '89) Lots of kicking, hitting, thrown bricks 13min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinCharley ChaseHelen CarruthersA nephew takes his wheelchair-bound uncle and sweetheart to the park, where he meets the Little Tramp. The Tramp knows a money-making opportunity when he sees one.Still a bunch of shoving, hitting, kicking, but the masher in the park is now operating on the pier, and was hired as the impromptu caretaker of a man bandaged for gout. 12min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinRoscoe 'Fatty' ArbucklePhyllis AllenTwo drunks live in the same hotel. One beats his wife, the other is beaten by his. They go off and get drunk together. They try to sleep in a restaurant using tables as beds and are thrown out. They lie down in a rowboat which fills with water, drowning them--a fate apparently better than going home to their wives.2 married drunks, who happen to be neighbors at a hotel, join forces to avoid their angry wives and stumble into misadventures. meh. 14min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinJohn T. DillonAl St. JohnCharlie is janitor for a firm the manager of which receives a threatening note about his gambling debts. He throws a bucket of water out the window which lands on his boss and costs him his job. The boss, attempting to steal the money heeds from the office safe, is caught by his secretary and Charlie comes to save her and the money. He is briefly accused of being the thief but ultimately triumphs.This one is different! The violence has a point, although still comically executed. And the Tramp saves the day. 12min 6
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinChester ConklinCecile ArnoldCharlie and a rival vie for the favors of their landlady. In the park they each fall for different girls, though Charlie's has a male friend already. Charlie considers suicide, is talked out of it by a policeman, and later throws his girl's friend into the lake. Frightened, the girls go off to a movie. Charlie shows up there and flirts with them. Later both rivals substitute themselves for the girls and attack the unwitting Charlie. In an audience-wide fight, Charlie is tossed through the screen.More violence posing as humor, again with romantic rivals in an outdoor setting, but now with 2 girls and 3 boys. The final fight involves strangers as well. 12min 6--
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinChester ConklinFritz SchadeCharlie and another waiter must become bakers when the regular bakers go out on strike. The strikers put dynamite in a piece of bread which is delivered to the cake counter. It winds up in the oven and explodes.Awful. More violence. Couldn't watch enough to determine the story, other than the broad strokes provided by synopsis; I didn't see the promised explosion. The dough is so sticky, it's like putty mixed with glue. Avoid. 30min 5
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinMack SwainMabel NormandMabel and her beau go to an auto race and are joined by Charlie and his friend. As Charlie's friend is attempting to enter the raceway through a hole, the friend gets stuck and a policeman shows up. Charlie sprays the policeman with soda until he friends makes it through the hole. In the grandstand, Mabel abandons her beau for Charlie. Both Charlie's friend and Mabel's are arrested and hauled away.Some tussling as spectators at the races. Nothing appealing here. 15min 6--
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinMack SwainFritz SchadeCharlie and his partner are to deliver a piano to 666 Prospect St. and repossess one from 999 Prospect St. They confuse the addresses. The difficulties of delivering the piano by mule cart, and most of the specific gags, appeared later in Laurel and Hardy's "The Music Box".Piano movers humor with the Tramp (employed) on the underside of a staircase push, and with a 2nd piano, losing control as it glides downhill on a sidewalk, with a lake ahead. But the best part by far was the mule. They're delivering on a 2-wheel cart, mule in harness. While stopped, the cart tips backward, raising the mule completely in the air. After being suspended for a while, the mule manages to tip himself within the harness, and gets a hoof back on the ground, whereupon the cart tilts forward again, and they can proceed. Not funny so much as fascinating. 14min 6
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinMabel NormandMack SwainCharlie's wife sends him to the store for a baby bottle with milk. Elsewhere, Ambrose offers to post a love letter for a woman in his boarding house. The two men meet at a restaurant and each takes the other's coat by mistake. Charlie's wife thinks he has a lover; Ambrose's believes he has an illegitimate child.2 couples get acquainted the hard way in a park. Charlie @home with wife Mabel and child. Charlie burns himself various ways on the kitchen stove (open flame), carries the toddler by the back of his shirt, and exits to avoid it all. Charlie & M.Swain meet in a restaurant, get into a tussle, accidentally exchange coats. Swain heads for his rendezvous, Charlie back home. Mabel discovers the invitation to tryst in the coat pocket, and each head out of the house. (Mabel has the child, but it was gone when I looked next.) They all end in the park at the exact bench where the tryst happens to be (location NOT specified in the note), and more melee ensues. Ugh. 21min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinPhyllis AllenMack SwainA continuous exchange of meetings between husbands and wives of different couples in which a policeman intrudes in daring chase until both couples are found.Tramp as masher in the park again, with another worse character (what's with the knife?) around the shrubbery. Most of the hitting is done by the cop. <eyeroll> 13min 6--
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinMack SwainMay WallaceCharlie dreams he is in the Stone Age, where King Low-Brow rules a harem of wives. Charlie, in skins and a bowler, falls in love with the king's favorite wife, Sum-Babee. During a hunting trip the king is pushed over a cliff. Charlie proclaims himself king, but Ku-Ku discovers the real king alive. They return to find Charlie and Sum-Babee together.Oh, brother. Tramp hat and cane with animal skin clothing. 4 other males, several females, but they're in grass outfits. Instead of kicking & throwing bricks, we have clubs and arrows. (Prehistoric men with pottery??) The gags are lame. Even worse, when the Tramp wakes. 22min 6--
- DirectorFord SterlingStarsFord SterlingKeystone KopsPhyllis AllenThe Keystone Cops pursue a thief.Partial, 6min. Charlie appears very briefly, as a Keystone Kop. Totally skippable. 5-
- DirectorJohn Coleman TerryAn animated Charlie Chaplin must find a white elephant for the girl he loves. He resorts to trickery, but is foiled by Fatty.Cartoon of the Tramp & Fatty, with Charlie seeking an Elephant from the circus for his girl. The titles are in French, with translation offered. UGH. 6min 5-
- DirectorPauline RichardStarSerge BrombergDocumentary regarding the preservation and restoration of the worldwide remains of the Keystone films.The best part of the 4 Keystone discs. Explained the sources and the techniques for reconstruction. Computer used to smooth images, etc. 10min 7
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinBilly ArmstrongAgnes AyresCharlie is trying to get a job in a movie. After causing difficulty on the set, he is told to help the carpenter. When one of the actors doesn't show, Charlie is given a chance to act but instead enters a dice game. When he does finally act, he ruins the scene, wrecks the set, and tears the skirt from the star.First film from Essanay, with B.Turpin; no credited director. Better than the Keystones, still a lot of hitting and kicking, but other sources of humor contribute. 28min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinBen TurpinCharles Allen DealeyAfter a visit to a pub, Charlie and Ben cause a ruckus at a posh restaurant. Charlie later finds himself in a compromising position at a hotel with the head waiter's wife.2 drunk roommates (Charlie, B.Turpin) stumble around town making everyone at least a little bit miserable. Kicking, slapping, hitting with a brick to the head; nothing new here. 1st appearance of Edna Purviance with Charlie. 27min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinBud JamisonGilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' AndersonWalking along with his bulldog, Charlie finds a "good luck" horseshoe just as he passes a training camp advertising for a boxing partner "who can take a beating." After watching others lose, Charlie puts the horseshoe in his glove and wins. The trainer prepares Charlie to fight the world champion. A gambler wants Charlie to throw the fight. He and the trainer's daughter fall in love.Charlie uses a horseshoe to improve his chances against a champion boxer. As if we didn't get enough hitting in regular shorts. 31min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinLeona AndersonBilly ArmstrongAn amorous couple. A crook. A policeman. A nursemaid and a stolen handbag. These are some of the things the Little Tramp encounters during a walk in the park.The Tramp harasses couples and a pickpocket. He sells the purse stolen from one couple to another. Didn't we have this plot with a watch at Keystone? The Tramp is not his future self yet; he's selfish, dishonest and aggressive. He'll become chivalrous and defensive, with a touch of larceny thrown in. 14min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceLloyd BaconEdna's father wants her to marry wealthy Count He-Ha. Charlie, Edna's true love, impersonates the Count at dinner, but the real Count shows up and Charlie is thrown out. Later on Charlie and Edna are chased by her father, The Count, and three policeman. The pursuers drive off a pier.A jitney was a coin-operated car; jitney was slang for a nickel. Also fascinating: the father was willing to pay the Count a million dollars to marry his daughter. Now the Tramp is chivalrous, taking Edna from her father's plan to add royalty to the family. 25min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinBilly ArmstrongLloyd BaconThe Little Fellow finds the girl of his dreams and work on a family farm.The Tramp is tempted by greed to help some hobos rob the farmer who's giving him work, but loyalty to daughter Edna prevents it. Lots of violence. Sad ending with 1st use of future signature shot: iris out on the Tramp walking away down a lonely road. 27min 6
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinBilly ArmstrongEd ArmstrongIt is windy at a bathing resort. After fighting with one of the two husbands, Charlie approaches Edna while the two husbands themselves fight over ice cream. Driven away by her husband, Charlie turns to the other's wife.The Tramp just gets into tussles with folks again. Edna's there as a potential love interest, but she's actually attached to another? Same violence as usual. 14min 6-
- DirectorGilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' AndersonStarsGilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' AndersonLee WillardMarguerite ClaytonAn unrepentant crook enters a dance hall and gets in a fight over a girl. As he, unknowingly, breaks into her house, another bloody mess stains the residence's thick carpets. Can a simple act of kindness pave the way for his regeneration?Not a Chaplin comedy. The Tramp provides some comic moments at the beginning, but disappears. This is a crime drama, and I had to watch the beginning again to understand the story. I wonder if the few title cards are how it was originally shown; no explanatory intro on this. 15min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinBilly ArmstrongMarta GoldenCharlie and his boss have difficulties just getting to the house they are going to wallpaper. The householder is angry because he can't get breakfast and his wife is screaming at the maid as they arrive. The kitchen gas stove explodes, and Charlie offers to fix it. The wife's secret lover arrives and is passed off as the workers' supervisor, but the husband doesn't buy this and fires shots. The stove explodes violently, destroying the house.Well, at least this time when someone shot a gun upward, it went through the ceiling to the floor above and grazed the Tramp. Lots of violence, with unbelievably thick wallpaper paste. Don't forget the Tramp as a dray beast. Weird that this is rated higher than most. 28min 6--
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinBilly ArmstrongMarta GoldenA man disguises himself as a lady in order to be near his newfound sweetheart, after her father has forbidden her to see him.Still mostly violent, but also Charlie/Tramp ends up dressing as a woman to escape a situation, even "shaving" his mustache and donning Edna's shoes. We get a few closeups in this film, and you really see future daughter Geraldine's look. 23min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceBilly ArmstrongCharlie does everything but an efficient job as janitor. Edna buys her fiance, the cashier, a birthday present. Charlie thinks "To Charles with Love" is for him. He presents her a rose which she throws in the garbage. Depressed, Charlie dreams of a bank robbery and his heroic role in saving the manager and Edna ... but it is only a dream.Plenty of violence before the robbery. At least the violence during it was for a purpose. Trick ending. 25min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinBilly ArmstrongLawrence A. BowesIntent on scuttling his ship, a financially-pressed shipowner conspires with the vessel's captain to collect the insurance money, unbeknownst to him that his daughter and her beau, Charlie, are aboard. Will they get away with it so easily?Naughtical violence. Edna barely involved. 28min 6--
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinPhyllis AllenLloyd BaconMr. Pest tries several theatre seats before winding up in front in a fight with the conductor. He is thrown out. In the lobby he pushes a fat lady into a fountain and returns to sit down by Edna. Mr. Rowdy, in the gallery, pours beer down on Mr. Pest and Edna. He attacks patrons, a harem dancer, the singers Dot and Dash, and a fire-eater.Charlie in a dual role: posh drunk right behind the orchestra and low-class drunk in balcony. __min 6-
- DirectorsCharles ChaplinLeo WhiteStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceBen TurpinA gypsy seductress is sent to sway a goofy officer to allow a smuggling run.Previously rated 6, I'm bumping this up today. This closely follows the story shared with the Bizet opera Carmen, and lasts only 31min. One of the big gags is renaming (and re-ranking) the male lead, normally Don Jose; if you don't know that, the big gag falls flat. This version of the film has the very pleasant Bizet music. The film has obvious gaps, so hopefully more restoration will happen in future. Charlie does some dramatic acting in the last few minutes, and it's no surprise he's very good. By far the most developed story of a Chaplin vehicle so far. As a fan of the opera, I enjoy & appreciate this burlesque. Generous, but I watched it twice to be sure: 8
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceWesley RugglesCharles Chaplin, a convict, is given $5.00 and released from prison after having served his term. He meets a man of the church who makes him weep for his sins and while he is weeping takes the $5.00 away from him. Chaplin goes to a fruit stand and samples the fruit. When he goes to pay for it he finds his $5.00 is missing. This results in a battle with the fruit dealer, but Chaplin finally escapes. He is held up by a footpad and finds it is his former cellmate. He is inveigled into joining him in robbing a house. They put a police officer out of commission with a mallet and stack up the silverware. They then start upstairs to search the upper rooms, but are met by a young woman who implores them to leave because her mother is ill and fears the shock will kill her. Chaplin's heart is touched but the footpad insists on ransacking the house. This results in a battle between the footpad and Chaplin. While they are fighting, a squad of police arrives. The footpad makes his escape, but the police capture Chaplin. The woman of the house, however, saves him by telling the police he is her husband. She gives him a dollar and he leaves. He goes to a lodging house and in order to save his dollar from thieves puts it in his mouth, swallowing it while he sleeps. A crook robs all the men in the lodging house but Chaplin takes the money away from him, and also the rings his "pal" had stolen. This starts a battle in which all join. Chaplin flees. In order to do a good turn to the woman who had saved him from the police, he takes her rings back.Still a lot of kicking, shoving, etc. A little better story than usual, with Tramp falling back into crime immediately after release from prison. But Edna saves the day. 26min 6
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinBen TurpinFred GoodwinsThe story evolves as the tramp heads home drunk on a Saturday night and finds it hard to make it to his room and when he finally does, he could not make it to the bed.Note the release date. Long after Chaplin left Essanay Studios, they recycled and repurposed segments of film into a "new" story. Very poor video quality, but recognizable. Not worth watching. 10min 5
- DirectorsCharles ChaplinLeo WhiteStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceBilly ArmstrongForeign agents try to steal a wireless explosive from an inventor. Only the clueless Little Tramp and the Keystone Cops can stop them.Another short constructed from past footage, although the lengthy flop-house sequence was unfamiliar, it's subpar, even for 1915 stuff. 23min 6--
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinEric CampbellEdna PurvianceThe Tramp is tricked into impersonating an embezzling floorwalker in a department store.1st Mutual release. Still slapstick violence. Events are very scattered. Tramp as floorwalker floats between departments, acts as clerk but interrupts himself helping a customer at the slightest breeze. Throughline of embezzlers & detectives is annoying, yet central. 25min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceLloyd BaconCharlie is a fireman who always does everything wrong. A man talks the Fire Chief into ignoring his burning home (he wants the insurance money) unaware that his daughter (the love of the Chief) is upstairs in the house. When the house next door catches fire its owner rouses Charlie who rouses the force.Instead of Keystone Kops, we have similar firemen here. Lots of slapstick, a plot to destroy property for insurance, and a spectacular building climb by Charlie (stuntman?), both up and down, down with a dummy, er, Edna being rescued. That's toward the end, so maybe ffd through the film to get there, and you'll still get the whole story. 24min 6-
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceEric CampbellCharlie, the emotional violinist, flees to a gipsy camp, only to find himself playing for an abducted girl. Soon, a unique birthmark will pave the way for an unexpected rescue and a marvellous new life. But, will she forget him so easily?Now here's a real film, with more drama than comedy; even the slapstick is serious (the violence has a purpose). This is the future Chaplin, complete with pathos. 26min 7
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinAlbert AustinA drunken homeowner has a difficult time getting about in his home after arriving home late at night.It's really only Charlie in this one (other than the cabbie who does nothing but hold out his hand for the fare.) The physical humor is brilliant, but he's playing drunk the whole time, which I don't like. 27min 6
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinEdna PurvianceEric CampbellThe fifth film in the Mutual series Charlie Chaplin impersonates a man of means in order to underscore the contrast between rich and poor.Cute but lacking substance. Not clear to me why so many men, including the Tramp, are welcome in this wealthy kitchen. Nice coincidence that the Tramp's former boss ends up there too. Of all the kicking, Charlie's handstand-back-kick is the most impressive, and he does it twice here. 24min 6
- DirectorCharles ChaplinStarsCharles ChaplinHenry BergmanEdna PurvianceCharlie competes with his fellow shop assistant. He is fired by the pawnbroker and rehired. He nearly destroys everything in the shop and himself. He helps capture a burglar. He destroys a client's clock while examining it in detail.Back to pure slapstick. blech. 26min 6--
- DirectorWladyslaw StarewiczMr Beetle seeks companionship from a statuesque dragonfly dancer, unaware that her ex-boyfriend, a slender grasshopper and an industrious cameraman, watches their every move. Will Mrs Beetle forgive him? Will he get away with adultery?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccgYIHVDniE
Gross. Stop Motion Beetles, walking on hind legs. Infidelity on both sides of a marriage, and a snoopy beetle cameraman filming through a keyhole. Silly story with creepy protagonists. 5 - DirectorsWinsor McCayJ. Stuart BlacktonStarsWinsor McCayJohn BunnyMaurice CostelloCartoon figures announce, via comic strip balloons, that they will move - and move they do, in a wildly exaggerated style.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-9FIFDHjLg
7 min of humans pretending to discuss the project of making 4000 drawings to create an animated cartoon, then the animated figures moving. No story per se. 7.1 (1,395); 5 - DirectorRoy MackStarsDorothy LeeArthur HavelMorton HavelA group of pilots and their planes are arriving at an air strip in New York City to do some flights for the public. One of the pilots, Freddy Richmond, is in love with a young groupie named Dottie. However, Dottie feels Freddy's flying is too conventional, and she loves the thrill of the more dangerous flying of Jack and Bill, who are renowned as the worst pilots in the group. To make names for themselves, Jack and Bill announce that they will make an around the world attempt, while in reality they will fly off, hide out for a few days, then arrive back from the opposite direction. Their trip gains greater notoriety as Dottie stows away in their plane. As Jack, Bill and Dottie tell of their exotic adventures of various locations around the globe, will their fraud be discovered?(dvd extra) One of the musical numbers was imitation B.Berkeley: lengthy overhead shot of dancers on a spiral riser. Otherwise skippable. 6--
- DirectorAndrea BlackStarsHarry AndersonRonald J. FieldsW.C. Fields(dvd extra) Don't really want to rate it, so putting it on this list. Bonus feature on International House ('33). Seemed like a lot of speculation, and definite inaccuracies (compared with IMDb filmography). Can't help wondering if the photo of Fields' "mother" wasn't really him in a wig. 7.5 (76); 6
- DirectorHumphrey BurtonStarsLeonard BernsteinJerry HadleyJune AndersonAll's for the best in the best of all possible worlds. Isn't it?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMIzHnyuiNY
Doesn't really belong on this list, except that I've decided not to rate it. This is a concert performance (evening gowns & tuxes), very little interaction between the singers; they are on-book. The story didn't seem like it was stagable; all talk about philosophy (can this really be the best of all possible worlds?). If you can see the Chenowith/LuPone version, try that one. I couldn't finish this (fell asleep and restarted more than once). - DirectorAlice GuyA woman performs a music hall act with her extremely well-trained dogs.Disc 1, 0:04:33
- DirectorAlice GuyA tumultuous time in French history affects the life of one particular man, an innocent bystander swept up in the confusion around him.Disc 1, 0:05:36
- DirectorAlice GuyStarsMace GreenleafBlanche CornwallMarian SwayneTrixie believe the only way she can save her older sister from dying of tuberculosis is by preventing the autumn leaves from falling, so one night she steals into the garden in her nightie and fastens fallen leaves to branches with twine.Disc 1, 0:14:09
- DirectorAlice GuyStarsLee BeggsBlanche CornwallA recent immigrant learns several hard lessons about how husbands in America are expected to behave.Disc 1, 0:14:18
- DirectorAlice GuyStarsBlanche CornwallMace GreenleafLee BeggsFrank Watson was spending a month in New York when one day he receives a letter from his father requesting him to come home and also that a surprise awaits him on his return. This aroused Frank's curiosity, so immediately he made preparations to leave at once. One arriving home he went at once to the drawing room and there to his surprise he saw a very attractive girl sitting by the fire-place seeming to be perfectly at home with her surroundings. Frank coughs. The girl turns around and then nods to him but leaves the room at once. Just then his mother and father come in and greet him. At once Frank begins to question them about the girl. For an answer Frank's father walks to the desk and brings Frank a letter. There he learns that this girl is the daughter of his father's best friend who has just died and has made his father guardian. The girl's name is Peggy and she has been left a large fortune. Frank does not approve of this and begins to offer his objections. At the same time Peggy is seen coming down the stairs at the back of the room and accidentally overhears what Frank is saying. She then comes into the room and they are introduced. Six months later we find Frank in bad company. He has started gambling and has hard times settling all his debts. At present he owes $500 to a very miserly Jew who has Frank's promissory note to pay in a week's time. Poor Frank is almost a nervous wreck, for he has no means by which he can lift this debt. The day has come and we now see Frank nervously awaiting the Jew's arrival. The Jew is ushered in and at once starts business. He then learns that Frank is unable to pay and then swears that he will go to Frank's father for payment. Frank pleads not to tell his father. The Jew looks around the room in order to find some plan with which to force Frank to pay. Suddenly he notices a small safe in the desk marked EMERGENCY SAFE. He calls Frank's attention to it. After much arguing the Jew has persuaded Frank to get his payment from this safe with the hope of winning it back and then replace the money before the father finds it out. Frank takes the money, gets a receipt from the Jew and orders him out. Frank leaves the room at once. Suddenly we see Peggy getting up out of the large chair by the fireplace. She has accidentally overheard all that has passed between them without their knowledge and she realizes Frank's position at once. She decides to help Frank out of his trouble and starts to think of a plan. Later we see her coming into the drawing room all ready for a journey, carrying a suitcase in her hand. She puts a letter on the table for Frank's father and then leaves the house. The girl makes a splendid sacrifice to save Frank and later, in an impressive scene Frank admits his guilt and asks for forgiveness of the girl he has grown to love.Disc 1, 0:12:56
- DirectorsPhillips SmalleyLois WeberStarsLois WeberVal PaulDouglas GerrardAbandoned by her maidservant in an isolated country house, a mother must protect herself and her baby from an invading tramp while her husband races home in a stolen car to save them.Disc 1, 0:10:21
- DirectorsAllen G. SieglerLois WeberStarsJ. Edwin BrownCharles HammondKatherine GriffithAn aging veteran, tired of his life in the veterans' home, decides to move in with his wealthy uncle.Disc 1, 0:24:50
- DirectorGeorges MélièsStarGeorges MélièsDeep into a vast cavern of the pitch-black inferno, a couple of professional dancers demonstrate the cakewalk that is currently so much in vogue, and now, everyone in the once-gloomy underworld is doing the crazy dance. Who is the best?only interesting as a curio, a marker in the history of film. Felt long, wanted it to end multiple times. On Scorsese's 125 faves. 6.1 (1,061);