Charlie Chaplin -- The Funniest Picture the World Has Ever Seen -- April 14, 2024

Photoplay, April, 1924

Charlie Chaplin was an avid amateur boxer, but I'm pretty sure Mack Swain is out of is weight class. Mack wears his costume from The Gold Rush. The referee is Kid McCoy, who was often called the dirtiest boxer in the world.

Motion Picture Magazine, April, 1924

Motion Picture Magazine, April, 1924

Chaplin's pretty new studio is presently (2024) occupied by the Jim Henson Company.

San Antonio Light, 15-April-1924

In 1914, Charlie Chaplin played a supporting role in his first feature film, Keystone's Tillie's Punctured Romance. Mabel Normand played a supporting role and Mack Sennett directed. The star was Marie Dressler. Tillie's Punctured Romance was repeatedly reissued to take advantage of Chaplin's fame.

Washington Times, 15-April-1924

Charlie Chaplin -- Fresh From Craplin's Fun Factory -- Aptil 23, 2023

Washington Evening Star, 14-April-1923

Chaplin's escaped convict posed as a minister in "The Pilgrim." I wonder if the writing on the top of this ad was on purpose. 

A lobby display in New York City contrasted the convict and the minister. < br />

Brownsville Herald, 21-April-1923

The way that this ad misspells his name is unfortunate.

Brownsville Herald, 21-April-1923

Meanwhile, lots of Chaplin films were being rereleased. I assume that Tillie's Romance is a rerelease of the 1914 feature Tillie's Punctured Romance, a Mack Sennett production which starred Marie Dressler. 

Perth Amboy Evening News, 30-April-1923

This all-comedy bill included:

The Bank -- Charlie Chaplin -- Essanay -- 1915

Bumping Into Broadway -- Harold Lloyd -- Roach -- 1919

The Bakery -- Larry Semon -- Vitagraph -- 1921

The Funniest Feature Comedy Ever Filmed -- June 7, 2020

Motion Picture News, 19-June-1920

Some sources claim that Tillie's Punctured Romance is the first feature-length slapstick comedy, or even the first feature-length comedy. I don't know if that is true, but it is certainly the first one to be a big success. Various companies kept flogging this movie for many years. 

Marie Dressler 150 -- November 9, 2018

www.listal.com

Marie Dressler was born 150 years ago today, on 09-November-1868.  She started in the theater at an early age and wound up on Broadway.  She made her first movie in 1914, in Keystone's Tillie's Punctured Romance with Charlie Chaplin.  She made more movies, but primarily appeared on stage.  Her career slowed down in the early 1920s, but she came back later in the 1920s and the early 1930s, appearing in many popular movies.  She died in 1934.

Moving Picture World, 12-December-1914

Some sources claim that Tillie's Punctured Romance is the first feature-length slapstick comedy, or even the first feature-length comedy. I don't know if that is true, but it is certainly the first one to be a big success, despite being advertised by the ALCO Film Corporation, which released the movie, with taglines like "The First Successful Picturizing of Comedy on a Whole Basis." I wonder what that means in English. Notice that the ad contains a photo of Charlie Chaplin dancing with star Marie Dressler, but does not mention his name. Neither does it mention director Mack Sennett, costar Mabel Normand, nor the Keystone company which produced the film.

Moving Picture World, 26-December-1914

This Alco ad mentions that Marie Dressler is "Supported by Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand."

www.listal.com

Marie Dressler has a wonderful scene with Jean Harlow in Dinner at Eight.

A Rare and Riotous Wholesome Comedy -- December 27, 2014

Moving Picture World, 12-December-1914

Some sources claim that Tillie's Punctured Romance is the first feature-length slapstick comedy, or even the first feature-length comedy. I don't know if that is true, but it is certainly the first one to be a big success, despite being advertised by the ALCO Film Corporation, which released the movie, with taglines like "The First Successful Picturizing of Comedy on a Whole Basis."  I wonder what that means in English.  Notice that the ad contains a photo of Charlie Chaplin dancing with star Marie Dressler, but does not mention his name.  Neither does it mention director Mack Sennett, costar Mabel Normand, nor the Keystone company which produced the film. 

We saw last month that Keystone was selling states rights to the movie:
http://bigvriotsquad.blogspot.com/2014/11/tillies-punctured-romance-november-17.html

Moving Picture World, 12-December-1914

This article from the same edition of Moving Picture World says that star Marie Dressler had sued Keystone's parent company, the New York Motion Picture Corporation, to obtain control of the picture, but that her suit had been dismissed and that NYMPC had sold the picture to Alco for $100,000. 

Motography, 12-December-1914

This article from Motography mentions that the "newly organized Alco Film Corporation ... had arranged to release the great comedy, 'Tillie's Punctured Romance,' with Marie Dressler as a regular unit on the Alco program."  It mentions Charlie Chaplin and director Mack Sennett. 

Moving Picture World, 19-December-1914

This ad says that Armbruster and Hock (good name) has states rights for the movie in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and the District of Columbia.  This ad mentions Mabel Normand and Chaplin. 

Moving Picture World, 26-December-1914

This Alco ad mentions that Marie Dressler is "Supported by Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand." 

The California Motion Picture Company had trouble with Alco as its distributor:
http://bigvriotsquad.blogspot.com/search/label/California%20Motion%20Picture%20Company

Tillie's Punctured Romance -- November 17, 2014

Motography, 14-November-1914

100 years ago, the Keystone Film Company offered states rights to its first feature production, Tillie's Punctured Romance.  Note that star Marie Dressler was billed above Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand and Mack Sennett. 

Some sources claim that Tillie's Punctured Romance is the first feature-length slapstick comedy, or even the first feature-length comedy.  I don't know if that is true, but it is certainly the first one to be a big success.  Marie Dressler was a comic star in vaudeville and Broadway.  She starred in Tillie's Nightmare on Broadway.  Tillie's Punctured Romance is loosely based on the play. 

Motography, 14-November-1914

"Up to the present time multiple reel comedies of three reels or more have been more or less experiments, and , in the majority of cases, absolute failures..."  "It is the 'Cabiria' of comedy."  "She is supported by the well-known Keystone pair, Mabel Normand and Charles Chaplin.  To the latter falls the greater part of the action, and there is probably no one on the screen better able to give it a comedy twist than this inimitable comic." 

If you would like to see the movie, there are many poor-quality version available.  It has recently been restored.  I want to see that version.