Early Charlie Chaplin The Artist as Apprentice at Keystone Studios

by Neibaur, James L.

• ISBN13: 9780810882423
• ISBN10: 0810882426
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-12-30
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Summary

Charlie Chaplin produced some of the greatest films of all time, including The Gold Rush, The Circus, City Lights, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator. Before making a name for himself as an undisputed master of cinema, however, Chaplin first developed his acting, writing, and directing skills at Keystone Studios. Mack Sennett, who attended one of Chaplin's music hall shows, thought the entertainer would be a good fit at his newly established studio, where they specialized in the roughhouse slapstick Chaplin performed on stage. Intrigued with the idea of preserving comedy on film, Chaplin began work for Sennett in 1913.While some of the first efforts were crudely filmed, they allowed Chaplin to understand the rudiments of performing for the camera. As he became more interested in directing his own films, Chaplin learned techniques that set his work apart from other comedies. The films Chaplin made at Keystone were the catalyst for a significant motion picture career, and a character that he would create and develop at the studio would become among the most iconic images in the history of entertainment.In Early Charlie Chaplin: The Artist as Apprentice at Keystone Studios, James Neibaur examines each of these films, assessing the important early work of a comedian who became a timeless icon. From his debut as a fast talking con man in Making a Living to his role in the six-reel Marie Dressler vehicle, Tillie's Punctured Romance, Chaplin displays many of the characteristics that would endear him to audiences around the world. The majority of these films have been made available on DVD, allowing the reader to appreciate the background behind these works. Early Charlie Chaplin is a must, not only for fans of silent cinema and Chaplin, but for anyone who appreciates film history.

Author Biography

James L. Neibaur is a film historian and educator who has written several books on film, including Arbuckle and Keaton: Their 14 Film Collaborations (2005), Chaplin at Essanay: A Film Artist in Transition. 1915-1916 (2008), and The Fall of Buster Heaton (Scarecrow, 2010).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
Charlie Chaplin's Early Years	p. 1
Mack Sennett and the Keystone Studios	p. 4
Chaplin's Keystone Films	p. 10
Making a Living	p. 12
Kid Auto Races at Venice, Cal.	p. 18
Mabel's Strange Predicament	p. 21
A Thief Catcher	p. 25
Between Showers	p. 28
A Film Johnnie	p. 33
Tango Tangles	p. 37
His Favorite Pastime	p. 41
Cruel Cruel Love	p. 45
The Star Boarder	p. 51
Mabel at the Wheel	p. 55
Twenty Minutes of Love	p. 62
Caught in a Cabaret	p. 67
Caught in the Rain	p. 75
A Busy Day	p. 81
The Fatal Mallet	p. 85
Her Friend the Bandit	p. 88
The Knockout	p. 90
Mabel's Busy Day	p. 94
Mabel's Married Life	p. 99
Laughing Gas	p. 105
The Property Man	p. 112
The Face on the Bar Room Floor	p. 119
Recreation	p. 124
The Masquerader	p. 126
His New Profession	p. 132
The Rounders	p. 138
The New Janitor	p. 144
Those Love Pangs	p. 151
Dough and Dynamite	p. 155
Gentlemen of Nerve	p. 165
His Musical Career	p. 174
His Trysting Places	p. 181
Getting Acquainted	p. 188
His Prehistoric Past	p. 193
Tillie's Punctured Romance	p. 198
Chaplin after Keystone	p. 209
Supporting Players in Chaplin Keystone Comedies	p. 217
Chaplin's Post-Keystone Films	p. 225
Bibliography	p. 229
Index	p. 233
About the Author	p. 237
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