A Submarine Pirate (1915)

An inventor and his accomplice plan to rob a ship carrying gold bullion by using a submarine. A waiter overhears their plans, buys himself an admiral's uniform, tricks his way into command of the sub and plots to take the ship himself.

Directors:

Charles Avery, Syd Chaplin

Writer:

Mack Sennett

Stars:

Syd Chaplin, Phyllis Allen, Glen Cavender

Cast

Cast overview:
Syd Chaplin	...	A Waiter
Phyllis Allen	...	A Militant Guest
Glen Cavender	...	A Shrewd Inventor / Ship Captain
Wesley Ruggles	...	Inventor's Accomplice / Sub Officer
Josh Binney	...	Hotel Manager (as Harold J. Binney)

Storyline

A witless waiter working in a hotel restaurant often causes problems for the other staff members of the restaurant, his manager, and the customers. One day, an inventor and his associate dine in the restaurant and is served by the waiter. Gaining access via a submarine moored offshore with its ready crew, the inventor and his associate plan to rob a passenger steamer of a large shipment of gold on board. As they seem so secretive, the waiter devises a system of listening in on their conversation without being detected. As such, the waiter learns their plans to rob the steamer. Using a naval disguise, the waiter plans to take their place first on the submarine so that he can rob the steamer himself. Even with the help of the submarine's crew - or in spite of it - the waiter finds that stealing the gold and getting away scot-free isn't as straightforward as he anticipated.

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 December 1915 (USA)

Also Known As:

Submarine Story

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Keystone Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

24 min 24 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

A Submarine Pirate was a pretty entertaining Syd Chaplin comedy short

Just watched on the "American Slapstick" DVD collection this Mack Sennett comedy short starring Charlie Chaplin's brother Syd. In this one, he plays a waiter who overhears two men planning to rob a ship. Syd then steals their plans and, wearing a pirate captain's uniform, decides to execute them himself. From there, we go aboard a submarine where "his" men are waiting...I thought the restaurant/kitchen scenes were quite hilarious to me while the ones at sea not so much and I wasn't thrilled at Syd's sudden change to a villain. Still, overall, I liked A Submarine Pirate and would heartily recommend it to anyone who loves silent movies.