Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914)

A con man from the city dupes a wealthy country girl into marriage.

Directors:

Mack Sennett, Charles Bennett (uncredited)

Stars:

Charles Chaplin, Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Marie Dressler	...	Tillie
Charles Chaplin	...	The City Slicker
Mabel Normand	...	Mabel
Mack Swain	...	Tillie's Father
Charles Bennett	...	Douglas Banks - Tillie's Millionaire Uncle / 1st Restaurant Proprietor
Chester Conklin	...	Mr. Whoozis / Singing Waiter

Storyline

Charlie talks wealthy farmer's daughter Tillie into eloping with him (and taking her father's money). In the city Tillie gets drunk and lands in jail while Charlie runs off with her money and his old girlfriend Mabel. Later Charlie reads that Tillie (now working as a waitress) has inherited the estate of her multi-millionaire uncle. Charlie dumps Mabel and talks Tillie into moving into her uncle's villa, and Mabel arranges to become a housemaid there. The uncle (never really dead) returns and summons the police to have them all thrown out.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | marriage | curtain call | revenge | millionaire | 

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Taglines:

The WORLD'S OUTSTANDING COMEDIANS IN THE FUNNIEST COMEDY OF ALL TIME

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 December 1914 (USA)

Also Known As:

For the Love of Tillie

Filming Locations:

Sans Souci Castle, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Keystone Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min 82 min (2003 restoration)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only film in which Marie Dressler appeared with either Charles Chaplin or Mabel Normand.

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Goofs

Tillie's uncle falls off the summit of Mount Baldy face-forward, but he slides down the hill on his back when he should have slid down on his stomach.

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Quotes

Mabel: Try her now - that bevo has gone to her head.

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Alternate Versions

Re-released in the 1950s with a organ score and narration. The narration, though, was being read while the title cards were seen.

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Connections

References The Water Dog (1914)

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Soundtracks

New Orleans Bump
(used as a music insert in later public domain sound copies)
Written and performed by Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton

User Reviews

Not as funny as Chaplin's later films but a good solid feature

A city con-man leaves for the country where he meets a young country girl. In order to get her father's money, he proposes to her and they run off to the city with the money. Once there he abandons her for his own love, Mabel and Tillie is locked up for vagrancy. However one all to her millionaire Uncle and she's free. The con-man is happy until he reads Tillie's Uncle has been killed in a climbing accident and that Tillie is set to inherit the lot. He goes back to her but things are never that simple in love and money.

Best known for being the first ever full length comedy feature made and also for setting Chaplin on his way to greater things, this is a well plotting amusing comedy. Based on a Broadway who the plot stands up well and uses some nice devices (like the movie within the movie) to tell the story. The comedy is less routines than little touches added to the narrative – only the climax with the keystone cops feels like a well worked routine.

This may be it's weakness to some who expect more physical comedy from Chaplin, but he still does plenty of that as well. He is good here and it's one of the more morally bankrupt characters that I've seen him play. Dressler is good as Tillie but she is so ugly for a female lead that I assumed I must have mixed her up with the other actress. But once over the superficial things she is very good and matches Chaplin for times.

The main weakness of the film was a fault of the copy. On top of the soundtrack was a voice over that talked you through the action as if I was too stupid to work it out for myself!