By the Sea (1915)

It is windy at a bathing resort. After fighting with one of the two husbands, Charlie approaches Edna while the two husbands themselves fight over ice cream. Driven away by her husband, Charlie turns to the other's wife.

Director:

Charles Chaplin (uncredited)

Stars:

Charles Chaplin, Billy Armstrong, Ed Armstrong

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Chaplin	...	Stroller

Storyline

Charles Chaplin, with his big feet performing their usual mirth-provoking perambulations, wanders down to the sea shore. There is some wind blowing, so Chaplin anchors his hat to his head with a cable. He meets a pedestrian whose hat is similarly attached. The two bump, their hats fly off and they scramble for them. When the hats finally are recovered, each has the wrong one. This causes considerable embarrassment when the two cables go taut as the two men separate. Anger soon takes the place of embarrassment when the cables become hopelessly entangled, and they battle all over the beach. After they have fought themselves weary, they shake hands and decide to have a drink. They get ice cream cones and each insists the other have the honor of paying for them. This is unsatisfactory to the drug clerk and another row starts. They smear each other with ice cream and incidentally bespatter a six-foot dandy, which precipitates still more trouble. While the battle is still in progress ...

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Genres:

Short | Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 1915 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charlie by the Sea

Filming Locations:

Venice, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

14 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Edited into Chase Me Charlie (1918)

User Reviews

quick and simply and funny, if not Chaplin's very best

This is the kind of shtick put up to please those paying a nickel (or less) 'back in the day' when seeing this for nine minutes could amount to a decent time. What Chaplin is after here is just straight up pantomime, and this is both the strength and weakness of the short. It's great to see bits like Tramp and the man switching hats in the wind, or Tramp and the woman cavorting on the beach, or the "fighting" that ensues between him and a huge handle-bar mustached man. But it seems a little too quick, as if it was shot in a day (or less) and done mostly to cash in on good lighting on a beach. I chuckled throughout, don't get me wrong, though I'm sure there are better ones out there starring the Tramp.