Marital problems can stymie many artists' creative juices. And boy, did Charlie Chaplin have marital problems, so he was no exception. His marriage to Mildred was crumbling almost from the day he crossed the alter. With a false pregnancy, then a real pregnancy, then the death of his three-day-old baby, Chaplin felt his world closing in on him. Despite his mentally-draining personal problems, he created two short films in a span of a little over a year.
His eight-picture deal with First National signed in June 1917 had yet to be fulfilled. In fact, he had just finished two shorts for them right when he got married in September 1918. The company was hounding him to produce a movie, even a quickie to satisfy his obligation to the distributor as well as to his fans. He was to stitch together a series of vignettes with the theme of a family's day out in December 1919's "A Day's Pleasure."
After somewhat stumped on the framework for his latest film, Chaplin spotted young Jackie Coogan during a vaudeville show and was impressed by how he danced the shimmy. The comedian drew inspiration upon the young actor when he selected him for his upcoming movie, by now gestating as an idea of a family's adventures it experiences when going on a boating trip.
"A Day's Pleasure' is broken down into three parts: the family getting into a sputtering car, the cruise trip where everyone becomes queasy, and a return trip where a traffic cop is holding up Chaplin's car, causing a series of gaffs.
His eight-picture deal with First National signed in June 1917 had yet to be fulfilled. In fact, he had just finished two shorts for them right when he got married in September 1918. The company was hounding him to produce a movie, even a quickie to satisfy his obligation to the distributor as well as to his fans. He was to stitch together a series of vignettes with the theme of a family's day out in December 1919's "A Day's Pleasure."
After somewhat stumped on the framework for his latest film, Chaplin spotted young Jackie Coogan during a vaudeville show and was impressed by how he danced the shimmy. The comedian drew inspiration upon the young actor when he selected him for his upcoming movie, by now gestating as an idea of a family's adventures it experiences when going on a boating trip.
"A Day's Pleasure' is broken down into three parts: the family getting into a sputtering car, the cruise trip where everyone becomes queasy, and a return trip where a traffic cop is holding up Chaplin's car, causing a series of gaffs.