Charlie Chaplin began his acting career in 1914 with the shorts "Making a Living" and "Kid Auto Races at Venice." Before the year was over, he played in "Tillie's Punctured Romance," which was really a vehicle for Marie Dressler. In the slapstick film, Chaplin already shows aspects of his famous "Little Tramp" character (funny mannerisms, odd walk, baggy pants), although his personality here is that of a scoundrel, unlike that of a helping and sympathetic gentleman. He plays a city slicker out to dupe portly and clumsy Tillie Banks (Marie Dressler) out of her money. Diminutive Charlie was 25 years old at the time; Dressler was nearly twice his age!
On her father's farm, Tillie throws a thick block of wood for her dog to fetch. It accidentally strikes Charlie the stranger as he walks by on a dirt road. She helps him up and invites him into her house. He notices her papa's thick wad of bills, and suddenly is in "love." Chaplin and Tillie soon elope to the big city, where we see the Los Angeles of 1914. There are cars and trolleys, but we do not see any horses and wagons. Anyway, Chaplin takes Tillie to a small restaurant (notice her duck hat), where he abandons her after getting her drunk and taking the money. He hooks up with his accomplice and love interest (Mabel Normand), and they go into an early 20th century movie house, with the mandatory piano player. Now we are seeing an apropos drama – a film within a film (a feature first?), where our two anti-heroes imagine themselves acting nastily on screen. Meanwhile Tillie's drunkenness gets her a visit to jail for a time. Then Charlie reads in a newspaper that Tillie's rich uncle fell mountain climbing from the summit of Old Baldy, leaving her three million dollars. So it is "bye-bye" Mabel and back to Tillie.
Will Tillie again become a patsy? Soon the scorned woman has a pistol in her hand (a feature first?), and starts shooting at the group attending the festivities at her (presumed late) uncle's mansion. There is even a Keystone Cops zany rescue in the finale. Tillie may yet be saved from herself, but will she stay dry?
We see the many slapstick gags: butt-kicking galore, the waiter pulling out a chair from under a customer (Chaplin), and a soapy floor in the restaurant kitchen that claims many victims. Chaplin even strikes a newsboy in the face, and later chest kicks and beats up a mustached fellow. (Towards the end Chaplin even kicks Tillie in the stomach!) In reality the movie is weakly scripted, and is crudely edited in places (missing scenes?). Although the film has three praised stars in Chaplin, Normand, and Dressler, it is not really that well crafted. This is Mack Sennett's film, not the fledgling Chaplin's. But it has enormous historical value, and remains a real curio.
On her father's farm, Tillie throws a thick block of wood for her dog to fetch. It accidentally strikes Charlie the stranger as he walks by on a dirt road. She helps him up and invites him into her house. He notices her papa's thick wad of bills, and suddenly is in "love." Chaplin and Tillie soon elope to the big city, where we see the Los Angeles of 1914. There are cars and trolleys, but we do not see any horses and wagons. Anyway, Chaplin takes Tillie to a small restaurant (notice her duck hat), where he abandons her after getting her drunk and taking the money. He hooks up with his accomplice and love interest (Mabel Normand), and they go into an early 20th century movie house, with the mandatory piano player. Now we are seeing an apropos drama – a film within a film (a feature first?), where our two anti-heroes imagine themselves acting nastily on screen. Meanwhile Tillie's drunkenness gets her a visit to jail for a time. Then Charlie reads in a newspaper that Tillie's rich uncle fell mountain climbing from the summit of Old Baldy, leaving her three million dollars. So it is "bye-bye" Mabel and back to Tillie.
Will Tillie again become a patsy? Soon the scorned woman has a pistol in her hand (a feature first?), and starts shooting at the group attending the festivities at her (presumed late) uncle's mansion. There is even a Keystone Cops zany rescue in the finale. Tillie may yet be saved from herself, but will she stay dry?
We see the many slapstick gags: butt-kicking galore, the waiter pulling out a chair from under a customer (Chaplin), and a soapy floor in the restaurant kitchen that claims many victims. Chaplin even strikes a newsboy in the face, and later chest kicks and beats up a mustached fellow. (Towards the end Chaplin even kicks Tillie in the stomach!) In reality the movie is weakly scripted, and is crudely edited in places (missing scenes?). Although the film has three praised stars in Chaplin, Normand, and Dressler, it is not really that well crafted. This is Mack Sennett's film, not the fledgling Chaplin's. But it has enormous historical value, and remains a real curio.