The Charlie Chaplin Collection - Detail| pdcomedy.com

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The Charlie Chaplin Collection - Detail - In release date order [Icon View]

Kid Auto Races At Venice Beach: 1914: Here we join Charlie Chaplin as The Tramp character for the first time ever. He's making mischief at Venice Beach, determined to get in front of the camera. Hilarious. Silent, black and white. Run time 5mins 50 secs. A star is born..

Mabel's Strange Predicament, 1914: Mabel is hiding under the bed. Charlie is mucking about. According to IMDB this is Charlie Chaplin's second ever film. It's from 1914 so don't expect HD quality here... Here's the 25 year old Charlie Chaplin near the beginning of his journey...

Between Showers, 1914: It's been raining so there are puddles everywhere... This is the best quality version I could find of the 10 minute or so version that seems to be up on a number of sites. There is an approx 14 minute version around which has been restored beautifully (with a new soundtrack) but because of all the hard work they have put in it is under copyright by lobsterfilms - recommended.

Film Johnny, 1914: The picture on this video has dated so badly it would look dreadful projected onto a large screen... Smaller mobile devices however and it's a better bet... Some behind the screens shenanigans from 1914. (The original video file cut most of the heads off too... sorry)

Tango Tangle, 1914: Charlie Chaplin without his moustache in this short. He and Roscoe Arbuckle star. We join our heroes at a 1914 high society ball. Includes a man-on-man lip kiss amongst other stunts.

His Favorite Pastime, 1914: The heads are almost - but not quite - off the top of the screen at times... if I ever find a better print I will put it up. Charlie is down the pub. Cheers - from 1914.

Cruel Cruel Love, 1914: Charlie's in love... as a high class toff not the tramp...

Star Boarder (The Landlady's Pet), 1914: Charlie has an easy life in this short, as his married landlady fancies him. Reasonable quality considering its age, but there is a bit when they play tennis and the heads go off the top of the screen. Sorry about that, I'll correct it when I find a better print.

Mabel At The Wheel, 1914: A bit of a Charlie Chaplin rarity here. Charlie isn't the tramp in this short, he's the villain. Some superb stunts and general mayhem as Charlie tries to steal the attentions of a woman... (Silent, no music)

Twenty Minutes Of Love, 1914: Purists will be horrified that there is a black box on the tree when Charlie kisses it, (he's frustrated with watching others making love outside while he's on his own...) Sorry, I'll replace the copy if I can find an equal quality print without the need for that black box there. Love in the 1914 sunny park...

Caught In A Cabaret, 1914: Charlie plays a waiter in a restaurant with dancing...

Caught In The Rain, 1914: Charlie gets into trouble in the park, and has to defend himself against a sleep walking fellow boarder, amongst other things...

A Busy Day (The Militant Suffragette), 1914: Chaplin removes the moustache and dons a dress as he plays The Militant Suffragette in this short from 1914. According to wikipedia, 1912 was the year that the Suffragette movement became militant in the UK as women demanded the right to vote...

The Fatal Mallet, 1914: A back country set farce of attempted murder and a mallet....

The Knockout, 1914: Rosco Arbuckle is the star of this short, Charlie Chaplin takes a very minor role as the referee in the boxing ring - but his performance is memorable and, as the title of the short indicates, there's a knockout - Charlie. Unfortunately this video has a poor image quality, but it's the best I've seen.

Mabel's Busy Day, 1914: Mabel is the hamburger seller at the race track - Charlie is the trouble maker who has an endless number of fights...

Mabel's Married Life, 1914: The second half of this movie is a slapstick classic: We have a knockabout dummy dressed up like Mabel's husband and Charlie and Mabel keep hitting it and it keeps bouncing back and knocking them over.

The Property Man, 1914: Charlie is the props man in a theatre. He also picks a fist fight with a very old man...

Face On The Bar Room Floor, 1914: Some pathos here - pretty much the destruction of an artists due to his own hand... Loads of jokes set in a pub though...

Recreation, 1914: Now for what could possibly be just a clip from Charlie Chaplin's 21st movie - and it looks every year of it's age (made in 1914). The heads are off the top, the picture is blurry, but you can see the stunts and what better way than to spend the afternoon in the park throwing bricks at people...?

The Masquerader, 1914: Charlie Chaplin and Rosco Arbuckle are a pair of thespians and ass kickers...

The Good For Nothing (His New Profession), 1914: Unfortunately, at times the heads are off the top of this public domain film (having said that there's a gorgeous close up sequence at the start of the film) otherwise this is one of the better quality films in the collection. Charlie takes a job in the care services...

The Rounders, 1914: RECOMMENDED Chaplin was discovered by Mack Sennet performing his drunk act in English music halls. In this movie we see that performance committed to celluloid. Perfect slapstick - Charlie Chaplin, and Rosco Arbuckle also stars.

The New Janitor, 1914: Charlie Chaplin is the new very naughty Janitor...

The Rival Mashers, 1914: We waved our magic wand over this originally very dark print of The Rival Mashers...

Dough And Dynamite, 1914: Charlie is a waiter / general employee of a bakery with a cafe attached. Mayhem ensues. Silent.

Gentlemen Of Nerve, 1914: It's off to the races and some great gags, along with an incident where it looks like Chaplin was improvising in front of a live crowd which seemed to be getting angry after he almost hit them with his cane (in the main picture at the top).

The Musical Tramp, 1914: Charlie has problems moving a piano, including a painful looking stunt in which it sits on a guys head...

His Trysting Place, 1914: Charlie goes around causing trouble, including picking a fight with a guy - he throws a pie at him - "Did you give me the raspberry?" asks the guy...

A Fair Exchange (Getting Acquainted), 1914: A sunny park, a pretty girl, Charlie Chaplin, a policeman, a fat lady, and an angry guy. Pure bliss from 1914...

His Prehistoric Past, 1914: Back to prehistory, although thankfully Charlie Chaplin still has his bowler hat on. Stand by for a number of jokes about violence to women - it's from a less sensitive time...

1915:

His New Job, 1915: It's a job that demands he wears a big hat and an elaborate costume... What could possibly go wrong?

A Night Out, 1915: Charlie Chaplin and Ben Turpin play a couple of guys out for a night on the town. They get intoxicated and cause trouble in a restaurant. (aka 'Charlie's Drunken Daze', 'His Night Out' and 'Charlie's Night Out'.)

The Champion, 1915: Charlie becomes a boxer in this first half of the movie.

In The Park, 1915: Charlie causes mischief in the park with his walking stick...

The Tramp, 1915: Classic Chaplin comedy here with all the laughs and then the sensitivity (in the second half). Thanks to archive.org for the original public domain footage and music.

By The Sea, 1915: A nice day out, by the sea... Chaplin style. The movie is pretty ragged due to age, and there are a couple of horrible edits but the rest is great.

Work, 1915: Charlie plays a painter decorator in this gem. Made in 1915. Shhhh it's silent...

A Woman, 1915: A real treat here. 1915 silent comedy perfection, I would say. The film starts in a park where Charlie has found a useful application for his walking stick, the sort with the crook at the top... Charlie also dresses up as a woman later... Hilarity ensues. Recommended.

The Bank - Charlie gets a job in a bank and ultimately becomes a hero. There's also a nice old school sketch when Charlie has a mop over his shoulder - he knocks people over when he turns around...

Charlie Shanghaied, 1915: Charlie finds himself on a ship... cue a violently rocking boat and waitering with a large plate on his shoulder...

A Night In The Show, 1915: Charlie Chaplin plays a rascal in the orchestra and other characters. From 1915...

1916:

The Police, 1916: The Keystone Cops star with Charlie Chaplin in this short - the print of which has seen better days...

Burlesque On Carmen, 1916: Carmen was a popular opera of the time and this is Charlie Chaplin's parody of it. Ben Turpin also stars, along with a number of studio actors of the day...

The Floorwalker, 1916 An innovative use for the moving staircase in this short - Charlie works in a department store.

The Fireman, 1916: Charlie takes on yet another job in this fast paced slapstick classic.

The Vagabond, 1916: Charlie plays the good hearted vagabond - he finds love and rescues her from an abusive family, but then she finds someone else... Great silent film...

One AM, 1916: In this short, Charlie Chaplin plays a drunk playboy. Probably based on a routine he perfected in his very early years (he was only about 27 when he made this). Includes being hit in face with an oversized clock pendulum, running on a table and general acrobatics. Complete.

The Count, 1916: I found this movie on a public domain site. It always worries me when there is sound attached but the sound in this instance enhances the movie so I kept it in.

The Pawnshop, 1916: Charlie fights a fellow employee in the first half of this hilarious silent movie... The file was originally found on a public domain site with music and special effects that add to the comedy.

Behind The Screen - The Bewildered Stagehand, 1916: Problems with a Greek column, levers and assorted extras in this behind the scenes parody.

The Rink, 1916: If you didn't think you liked Charlie Chaplin then this is the place to start. The Rink is a Chaplin comedy gem.

There are two versions on here and some highlights. One complete version has music and sound effects but a slightly poorer picture quality; the other is completely silent and one of the best picture qualities I have seen.

1917:

Easy Street, 1917: There is a much nicer print of this out there but it seems to be copyright by the guy who restored it. This is the best quality version of the public domain Easy Street I have seen so far. Charlie becomes a policeman as he tries to tame the rough streets... Silent.

The Cure, 1917: Mayhem ensues as Chaplin enters a health spa.

The Immigrant, 1917: From the boat to his first experiences in America. Charlie Chaplin is in full creative flow in The Immigrant...

The Adventurer, 1917: Charlie escapes and then saves a girl...

1921:

Is this Charlie Chaplin's greatest work in the public domain? It is both heartbreaking (it has a great ending) and at times hilarious. Charlie finds a baby on the street and brings it up in hard times.

The best print of this movie I have ever seen, it is presented here silent in five parts.

I have put everything Charlie Chaplin has done that is in the public domain, apart from the following:

Pre 1923: The First National Pictures movies were made by Chaplin under a complicated arrangement in which he leased the movies to the company for 5 years and then regained copyright afterwards - so they aren't all public domain under the 'everything is public domain if it was published before 1923 in the USA rule'. Also Chaplin wasn't a US citizen so it adds another complicating factor. However, copies of The Kid are common in the public domain and so we have a copy of that on the site.

The only copy of A Jitney Elopement I could find was the restored copyright version.

Her Friend The Bandit, 1914: No copy of this exists, apparently.

The Bond was brought out by Essany in 1918 and is a compilation of scenes deleted from other movies. It was a very poor quality print.

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By saying that these works are in the Public Domain, we mean that copyright of these pieces of intellectual property have expired because they were not renewed with the correct authorities.