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His New Job

  • 1915
  • TV-G
  • 31m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
2.1K
YOUR RATING
Charles Chaplin and Ben Turpin in His New Job (1915)
SlapstickComedyShort

Charlie 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 in... Read allCharlie 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, an... Read allCharlie 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.

  • Director
    • Charles Chaplin
  • Writers
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Louella Parsons
  • Stars
    • Charles Chaplin
    • Billy Armstrong
    • Agnes Ayres
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    2.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Charles Chaplin
    • Writers
      • Charles Chaplin
      • Louella Parsons
    • Stars
      • Charles Chaplin
      • Billy Armstrong
      • Agnes Ayres
    • 17User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos127

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    Top cast15

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    Charles Chaplin
    Charles Chaplin
    • Film Extra
    Billy Armstrong
    Billy Armstrong
    • Extra
    • (uncredited)
    Agnes Ayres
    Agnes Ayres
    • Secretary
    • (uncredited)
    Arthur W. Bates
    • Carpenter
    • (uncredited)
    Robert Bolder
    Robert Bolder
    • Studio President
    • (uncredited)
    Francis X. Bushman
    Francis X. Bushman
    • Man in Office
    • (uncredited)
    Frank J. Coleman
    Frank J. Coleman
    • Manager
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Hitchcock
    • Leading Man
    • (unconfirmed)
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Inslee
    Charles Inslee
    • Director
    • (uncredited)
    Charlotte Mineau
    Charlotte Mineau
    • Film Star
    • (uncredited)
    Jess Robbins
    Jess Robbins
    • Cameraman
    • (uncredited)
    Charles J. Stine
    • Director
    • (uncredited)
    Gloria Swanson
    Gloria Swanson
    • Stenographer
    • (uncredited)
    Ben Turpin
    Ben Turpin
    • Film Extra in Anteroom
    • (uncredited)
    Leo White
    Leo White
    • Office Receptionist
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    • Director
      • Charles Chaplin
    • Writers
      • Charles Chaplin
      • Louella Parsons
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews17

    6.02.1K
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    Featured reviews

    7springfieldrental

    Chaplin's First With Essanay

    As soon as he signed on to a lucrative one-year contract with Essanay Studios late 1914, Charlie Chaplin traveled at once from the warmth of Southern California's Keystone Studios to his new digs in Chicago, where Essanay had its headquarters. Not only was the money better at Essanay, but the studio gave the young comedian more freedom and time for teh development of his movies.

    Chaplin's first scenario he wrote and directed for Essanay was January 1915's "His New Job," a fictional embellishment paralleling his new position at Essanay. The opening scene shows Chaplin going into the film production studio office to interview for a job. Seen in her first movie role as an office secretary is 15-year-old Gloria Swanson, soon to be a huge film star. Also, in one of only a handful of movies he's teamed up with Chaplin during his Essanay days is janitor-turned-main comic for the studio, Benny Turpin. And new to Chaplin was his name appearing for the first time in the opening credits. Since Keystone kept his entire tramp wardrobe, Chaplin personally was force to shop around Chicago to buy duplicate clothing.

    A rewarding start for Chaplin's year with Essanay.
    5CinemaSerf

    His New Job

    Charlie Chaplin turns up for an interview at the "Lockstone" film studios (they've even got a water cooler!) - desperate for a job... He'll do anything, which is just as well because every task he his assigned by the director he manages to cock up. It's funny for about ten minutes, the timing and precision seems effortless but, despite the introduction of a few new foils for his humour (the leading lady, leading man and a poor old chippie just trying to get the sets built) it gets quite predictably repetitive pretty soon. There are only so many times you can get away with poking someone with a sword, or a stick; or hitting them on the head with a plank - before the performance becomes, well, routine. It shows off the acrobatic talents of the star well, too - but again, as with slapstick in general for me, has no subtlety to keep the humour crisp and fresh.
    6nukisepp

    His New Job

    How appropriate that after leaving The Keystone Studios Charles Chaplin's first picture with the Essanay Studios was titled 'His New Job'. Although, new job in the new studio where Chaplin was allowed more creative freedom, this movie is nothing spectacular. The plot is quite loose and Chaplin uses all his old tricks he became known in the Keystone pictures. Chaplin's Tramp is still quite far from the loveable fella whom the world learned to admire. For me, the other silent comedy giant, Ben Turpin, managed to steal the whole show from Chaplin in this one. The fictional movie company in the movie was named Lockstone, an obvious jab at The Keystone. Not quite the riot fun like the poster promises neither it's very memorable but entertaining movie nonetheless. This movie is the first where Charles Chaplin starts to shine as a director.

    Gloria Swanson also makes a screen appearance - the girl Chaplin is having a conversation with at the beginning of the movie.
    8Anonymous_Maxine

    Charlie struggling to get a job in the movies…

    There is something uniquely charming about the short comedies that Chaplin made that poke fun at his art form or that show us a little bit of the mechanics of how these movies are made. The most notable example other than His New Job is the charming and fun Behind the Screen, although this film is a lot of fun, too.

    It starts out in the waiting room, apparently for the opportunity to interview for a job as a film extra. He immediately begins flirting with a woman in the room, and soon does the old hat gag where someone demands that he take it off but he keeps putting it back on, finally doing that cute trick where he flips it up in the air. I feel like I've seen him do that in at least four or five films, although I have to say that he does it best in The Immigrant.

    It seems that the characterization is getting pretty developed by this point, and that the little tramp has earned a good following of fans who want to see him in each new Chaplin film. There is less and less effort put into giving him a role in each film, he generally just comes out and plays himself.

    There are lots of traditional Chaplin antics in the waiting room as he competes for the film extra position, although when he finally gets into the interview room and blows into that earpiece, it might be the first time I've literally laughed out loud at one of these short comedies in quite a while.

    Charlie is dressed as a soldier for his part in the film within the film, although as is to be expected, things soon go wrong and his lack of acting talent becomes abundantly clear. I always find it a little amusing when actors play roles in which, at some point, they lament the fact that they have no acting talent.

    But my favorite part of the film is that it shows us behind the scenes, what some of the film sets looked like back in 1915. I always find it fascinating when I catch a glimpse of something real in these old movies, even if it's something tiny, like wafting smoke or the unintentional movement of curtains or a throw rug. It is endlessly fascinating to me to imagine what it was like to really be there, what the set looked like to the naked eye, in real life and in color.

    Here, we are treated to some shots of the inside of the soundstage, which I guess is the next best thing. Generally, the movie is clever and fun, but other than some interesting behind the scenes shots there's really nothing new here. The ending is even a little violent, but this is still one of the more fun of Chaplin's earliest work.
    6lee_eisenberg

    Charlie comes to Essanay

    Charlie Chaplin's first movie with Essanay (hence the title) casts him as a guy attempting to get a break in a movie, only to repeatedly make a mess of the production. There's plenty of funny gags, as is often the case in these relics of early cinema. The plot isn't the most complex, since Chaplin hadn't fully ironed out his style. A notable thing about the movie is that it features a young Gloria Swanson, years before her role as a certain big star amid small pictures.* It's not a great movie, but as far as I'm concerned, any Chaplin movie is a good one. You'll probably like "His New Job".

    *Swanson later testified on behalf of John Lennon when he was trying to gain US citizenship.

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    Related interests

    Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
    Slapstick
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)
    Short

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The was the first film on which Charles Chaplin received screen credit. On all his previous comedies for Keystone he was not credited (though credits would be added to later reissues of those films).
    • Goofs
      A taped "X" on Ben Turpin's neck, used by Charlie to strike a match against, disappears when the gag is over.
    • Quotes

      Director: You're rotten! This ham's fired! Put on his uniform!

    • Connections
      Edited into Mixed Up (1915)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 1, 1915 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Instagram
      • Official Site
    • Languages
      • None
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Charlie's New Job
    • Filming locations
      • Essanay Studios - 1333-45 W. Argyle Street, Uptown, Chicago, Illinois, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 31m
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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