Work (1915)

Charlie and his boss have difficulties just getting to the house they are going to wallpaper. The householder is angry because he can't get breakfast and his wife is screaming at the maid ... See full summary »

Stars:

Charles Chaplin, Billy Armstrong, Marta Golden

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Chaplin	...	Izzy A. Wake's Assistant

Storyline

Charlie and his boss have difficulties just getting to the house they are going to wallpaper. The householder is angry because he can't get breakfast and his wife is screaming at the maid as they arrive. The kitchen gas stove explodes, and Charlie offers to fix it. The wife's secret lover arrives and is passed off as the workers' supervisor, but the husband doesn't buy this and fires shots. The stove explodes violently, destroying the house.

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Plot Keywords:

maid | slapstick | wagon | gas leak | explosion | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1915 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charlie the Decorator

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

31 min 41 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was one of several Chaplin comedies scheduled to be shown at the New-York Historical Society in September of 2001. In the wake of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, however, this film and one other, Dough and Dynamite, were pulled from the program, because each one ends with Charlie emerging from the rubble of a destroyed building.

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Connections

Referenced in Hustling for Health (1919)

User Reviews

Chaplin's Earlier Comedies

Although the storylines in Chaplin's earlier comedies are somewhat to be desired, the fact that he created a working class version of 'Vanity Fair' in the format of episodic one or two reelers was ground breaking. If the 19th century was about the middle classes, then Chaplin made sure that the 20th century exposed the working classes.