The New Janitor (1914)

Charlie is janitor for a firm the manager of which receives a threatening note about his gambling debts. He throws a bucket of water out the window which lands on his boss and costs him his... See full summary »

Stars:

Charles Chaplin, John T. Dillon, Al St. John

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Chaplin	...	Janitor
John T. Dillon	...	Villainous Manager
Al St. John	...	Elevator Boy
Glen Cavender	...	Luke Connor - Gambler
Jess Dandy	...	Bank President
Frank Hayes	...	Accountant
Peggy Page	...	Secretary

Storyline

Charlie is janitor for a firm the manager of which receives a threatening note about his gambling debts. He throws a bucket of water out the window which lands on his boss and costs him his job. The boss, attempting to steal the money heeds from the office safe, is caught by his secretary and Charlie comes to save her and the money. He is briefly accused of being the thief but ultimately triumphs.

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Plot Keywords:

public domain

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Genres:

Short | Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 September 1914 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Blundering Boob

Company Credits

Production Co:

Keystone Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

16 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Charlie Chaplin: The Little Tramp (1980)

User Reviews

better than average

I've seen quite a few Chaplin shorts from early in his career and I've noticed that his early stuff (done for Keystone Studios) is pretty dreadful stuff. Unlike his wonderful full-length films from the 20s and 30s, the films from 1914-1915 are incredibly poorly made--having no script but only vague instructions from the director. In most cases, the films had almost no plot and degenerated to people punching and kicking each other.

However, unlike MOST Keystone comedies, this short actually has a pretty well-defined plot. Charlie is a janitor and gets fired when he accidentally dumps a pail of water on the boss' head. Later, an employee with gambling debts tries to steal from the company safe but is caught by a female employee. The cad attacks the lady and Charlie springs to the rescue.

Unfortunately, despite having more plot, this film isn't all that funny. Still, compared with MOST early Chaplin films, this is worth watching.

By the way, the bellboy appears to be Al St. John--a perennial extra in silent comedies and Fatty Arbuckle's nephew.