Pay Day (I) (1922)

Charlie is an expert bricklayer. He has lots of fun and work and enjoys himself greatly while at the saloon. As he leaves work his wife takes the pay he has hidden in his hat. But he steals... See full summary »

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin

Stars:

Charles Chaplin, Phyllis Allen, Mack Swain

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Chaplin	...	Laborer (as Charlie Chaplin)
Phyllis Allen	...	His Wife
Mack Swain	...	Foreman
Edna Purviance	...	Foreman's Daughter
Syd Chaplin	...	Charlie's Friend and Lunch Cart Owner
Albert Austin	...	Workman
John Rand	...	Workman
Loyal Underwood	...	Workman
Henry Bergman	...	Drinking Companion
Al Ernest Garcia	...	Drinking Companion and Policeman

Storyline

Charlie is an expert bricklayer. He has lots of fun and work and enjoys himself greatly while at the saloon. As he leaves work his wife takes the pay he has hidden in his hat. But he steals her purse so he can go out for the evening. He has a terrible time getting home on a very rainy night. When he does so he finds his wife waiting for him with a rolling pin.

---

Plot Keywords:

saloon | bricklayer | foreman | sequel | bachelor's club | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Short

---

Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 April 1922 (USA)

Also Known As:

A fizetés napja

Filming Locations:

Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

21 min 21 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) (re-issue) Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reportedly Charles Chaplin's favorite among his own short films.

---

Quotes

Foreman: [the Laborer's digging up tiny bunches of dirt] You're working by the hour, not the ounce!

---

Connections

Follows Flies (1922)

User Reviews

Generally funny and enjoyable short with Chaplin on inventive good form

Arriving late for work on the construction site is not a good idea when you're trying to earn enough money to keep some back from your domineering wife. That is just the situation our hero finds himself in though, but it doesn't stop him enough a drink or five from night through to early morning.

An afternoon of Charlie Chaplin shorts and features was mine recently as I tried to catch up on some things I had not seen before. Pay Day was one of those short films and while being roundly good, it is still an affair of two halves. The first half has some great bits in it, the reverse filmed bricklaying sequence being my favourite but the service elevator stuff is as good but in different ways. The second half is nearly as good but is too dominated by the device of drunkenness for my liking. That said it does still have some laugh-out-loud moments in there but for sure the first half is the strongest.

Chaplin delivers with strength as usual. Whether it be his work with his face or his ability to work in reverse on the brick sequence, he is quite brilliant and you can see here some of the reasons that his name is mentioned when discussing genius. The support cast is not as important here as in some other films, as Chaplin tends to play off things more than people here. Still, regulars Swain, Perviance, Bergman and others are all here.

Overall then a generally funny and enjoyable short film with Chaplin on inventive good form even if the second half is not quite up to the level of the first.