The Pilgrim (1923)

The Tramp is an escaped convict who is mistaken as a pastor in a small town church.

Writer:

Charles Chaplin

Stars:

Edna Purviance, Charles Chaplin, Syd Chaplin

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Edna Purviance	...	The Girl
Charles Chaplin	...	The Pilgrim
Syd Chaplin	...	Eloper / Train Conductor / Little Boy's Father (as Sydney Chaplin)
Mai Wells	...	Little Boy's Mother (as ?)
Dean Riesner	...	Little Boy (as Dinky Reisner)
Charles Reisner	...	Crook (as Chuck Reisner)
Tom Murray	...	Sheriff
Kitty Bradbury	...	Girl's Mother
Mack Swain	...	Large Deacon
Loyal Underwood	...	Small Deacon
Henry Bergman	...	Sheriff on Train / Man In Railroad Station

Storyline

When Charlie escapes from prison he dons a preacher's clothes. By mistake he becomes the new minister for the town of Devil's Gulch. Later, discovered as the convict, the sheriff takes Charlie to the Mexican border where he can choose to return, a convict, or face Mexican bandits at war with each other.

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Plot Keywords:

escaped convict | church | preacher | fugitive | mistaken identity | 

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Taglines:

4 Great Reels

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Genres:

Short | Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 1923 (USA)

Also Known As:

A zarándok

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

40 min 39 min (re-release) (1950s) 40 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) (1959 re-issue) Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the last film in which Charles Chaplin co-starred with Edna Purviance. Chaplin would direct and have a cameo in her next film, A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate and produce her lost film, A Woman of the Sea, and she would have cameos in a couple of his later films, but this was their last major acting work together.

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Connections

Edited into The Chaplin Revue (1959)

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Soundtracks

"I'm Bound for Texas"
(1971)
Words and Music by Charles Chaplin
Sung by Matt Monro (as Matt Monroe)

User Reviews

Charming, fun, inessential little Chaplin flick

Barely reaching four reels, Chaplin plays a convict who escapes from the slammer and, needing a change of clothes, misappropriates the clothing of a minister while he bathes. He hitches a bus ride to a small Texas town, a town that just so happens to be in need of a new minister. He installs himself at the pulpit, and thus, acquires both respect and a place to sleep, but of course, neither is a breeze of contentment. There are several entertaining setpieces, notably his congregational depiction of David & Goliath in glorious pantomime, where David, a pathetic little wimp, finds his laughable methods ineffectual, and is beheaded for his efforts. The other great sequence involves the child of the lady he's staying with, who is a little terror, tormenting Chaplin and others in the house. The plot them proceeds to get in the way, as the little kid's father turns out to be an old cellmate, and the sheriff comes a-knockin', but the brevity of the enterprise ends up working most definitely to its advantage, as the problem is resolved quickly and amusingly, and fades out to presumably smiling patrons. A fun little quickie.

{Grade: 8/10 (B) / #4 (of 6) of 1923}