The Pilgrim (1923)

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (written by)

Release Date:

26 February 1923 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy

Tagline:

4 Great Reels

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Escaped Convict | Church | Preacher | Fugitive | Mistaken Identity

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Phyllis Allen	...	Congregation Member (uncredited)
Frank Antunez	...	Bandit (uncredited)
Sarah Barrows	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Monta Bell	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Edith Bostwick	...	Congregation Member (uncredited)
George Bradford	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
William Carey	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
George Carruthers	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Mickey Daniels	...	Sniffling Kid in Church (uncredited)
Marion Davies	...	Congregation Member (uncredited)
Laddie Earle	...	Congregation Member (uncredited)
J. Espan	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Miss Evans	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Callie Frey	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Della Glowner	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Lee Glowner	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Theresa Gray	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
F.F. Guenste	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Charles Hafler	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Mary Hamlett	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Cecile Harcourt	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Martha Harris	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Anna Hicks	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Harry Hicks	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Carl Jensen	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Mrs. C. Johnson	...	Congregation Member (uncredited)
Ethel Kennedy	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Emily Lamont	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Florence Latimer	...	Congregation Member (uncredited)
Raymond Lee	...	Boy in Congregation (uncredited)
Frank Liscomb	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Agnes Lynch	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Paul Mason	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Jack McCredie	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Beth Nagel	...	Congregation Member (uncredited)
Donnabelle Ouster	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Catherine Parrish	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Mildred Pitts	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Tom Ray	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Carlyle Robinson	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Edna Rowe	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Georgia Sherart	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Mabel Shoulters	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
James J. Smith	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Robert Traughbur	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Louis Troester	...	Congregation Member (uncredited)
Joe Van Meter	...	Bandit (uncredited)
Rose Wheeler	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
S.D. Wilcox	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
Paul Wilkins	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
S.W. Williams	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)
H. Wolfinger	...	Bit Part in Church Scene (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles Chaplin		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Charles Chaplin		written by

Produced by
Charles Chaplin	....	producer

Cinematography by
Roland Totheroh		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Charles Chaplin		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Charles D. Hall		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Reisner	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Wilson	....	second camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mother Vinot	....	seamstress (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Toraichi Kono	....	driver: Mr. Chaplin (uncredited)

Other crew
Nellie Bly Baker	....	secretary: Mr. Chaplin (uncredited)
Elsie Codd	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Tom Harrington	....	assistant: Mr. Chaplin (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Charles Chaplin Productions

Distributors

• Associated First National Pictures (1923) (USA) (theatrical)
• Playhouse Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS) (For CBS/Fox Video included in "The Chaplin Revue")
• Key Video (1989) (USA) (VHS) (For CBS/Fox Video included in "The Chaplin Revue")
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• MK2 Diffusion (2001) (worldwide) (all media)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

Germany:39 min (re-release) (1950s) | USA:40 min (TCM print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Charles Chaplin Productions

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 (1923) and produce her lost film, A Woman of the Sea (1926), and she would have cameos in a couple of his later films, but this was their last major acting work together.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin (2003)

Soundtrack:

I'm Bound for Texas

"Moo and rattle"

As was now his tradition when leaving a studio, Charlie Chaplin here begins his final short feature for First National with an escape from prison. It also appears he was vengefully trying to bankrupt the studio, with lots of fancy sets, costumes and location shooting in what is one of his larger scale short pictures.

But what really makes The Pilgrim stand out is that, like his earliest works for First National, A Dog's Life and Shoulder Arms, it is really a concerted effort, with all the breadth, sincerity and care in production of his full-length features. After some experimentation in The Idle Class and Pay Day the comic now returns to his roots, pushing pure pantomime to its limits. Sequences like his acting out of the story of David and Goliath or little asides such as his gestures describing features of people in a photo album demand the intention and intelligence of the audience, and are very rewarding gags as a result. The business with the hat in the cake is also a great routine, a classic Chaplin situation of the chaos caused by the little tramp becoming bigger than the tramp himself.

Chaplin regulars such as Henry Bergman make only fleeting appearances in The Pilgrim. One time stalwart Albert Austin, now busy as a director, does not feature at all. Making up for this deficit however is one of the more substantial appearances by Charlie's brother Syd Chaplin. His pompous husband makes a great counter-foil for the tramp – his looks of horror and indignant gestures are priceless – and he was really strong enough to have become a recurring character in his own right. Sadly this was Syd's last appearance in one of his brother's films.

The nicest thing about The Pilgrim is that it is a great return to stories driven by the little tramp's character – something that had been wavering in the last couple of Chaplin shorts. Many of the gags stem from his status as a plucky fugitive, and his complete inappropriateness – yet clever bluffing – in the role of a preacher. Once again we have a rounded yet unfulfilled love for Edna Purviance, and his redemption for her sake is given a credible build-up. With his last ever short, Chaplin demonstrates that these little movies where he had honed his craft were far from idle throwaways.

We end with the all-important statistic – Number of kicks up the arse: 2 (2 for).