Dough and Dynamite

Mack Sennett in his "King of Comedy" proposes that this is the film that made Chaplin a star. Like much else in his autobiography, Sennett seems to be relying on a jumble of memories and imaginations. This was released in late Oct. 1914, and Chaplin was certainly a huge star several months before this.

Moving Picture World had this to say about the film in 1914: "This picture, which is to be released on October 26, is the first of the long-promised two-reel Keystone comedies that are to be released hereafter at regular intervals. So far as the story itself it could easily have been told in a half reel. but there is a genuine laugh in nearly every scene and the picture is one of the cleanest ones that Keystone has done."

It does seem to have only half a reel of plot. The magazine is being kind when they say that there is a genuine laugh in nearly every scene. Many of the laughs are repetitious and only three or four sequences are well choreographed.

The picture lacks a love interest for Chaplin and the vicious beating he gives to co-worker Chester Conglin makes him less than lovable. While lots of pastry and dough gets flung around, the only pie appears at 23:40 and Chaplin flings it pretty quickly, so it is at best a very minor gag in the film.