A Dog's Life (1918)

The Little Tramp and his dog companion struggle to survive in the inner city.

Director:

Charles Chaplin (uncredited)

Writer:

Charles Chaplin

Stars:

Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Dave Anderson

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Chaplin	...	Tramp

Storyline

Poor Charlie lives in a vacant lot. He tries to get a job but when he gets to the head of the employment line the jobs are gone. Back "home" he rescues Scraps, a bitch being attacked by other strays. Together they manage to steal some sausages from a lunch wagon. They enter a dance hall where Edna is a singer and unwilling companion to the clientele. He is thrown out when he can't pay. Back "home" Scraps digs up a money-filled wallet buried by crooks. They return to the dance hall to find Edna fired. The wallet goes back and forth between Charlie and the crooks. Charlie, Edna and Scraps end up very happily.

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Plot Keywords:

wallet | dog | dance hall | tramp | police | 

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Taglines:

In his First Million Dollar Picture

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 April 1918 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Dog's Life

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

First National Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

33 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 Charles Chaplin's first film for First National Films.

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Goofs

During the fight at the lunch cart, one of the props holding up the awning gets knocked away. In subsequent shots, the prop is back in place.

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Connections

Referenced in Freaks and Geeks: Discos and Dragons (2000)

User Reviews

Good Comedy With Some Particularly Good Scenes

This is an entertaining comedy with a couple of particularly amusing scenes. Chaplin is joined by several of his regular supporting players like Edna Purviance and Henry Bergman, plus Syd Chaplin, and the cast works together well. The story is funny, yet not without some substance either.

As his usual 'tramp' character, Charlie is already living "A Dog's Life" when he befriends a stray dog, and they share some adventures together. Chaplin hits a good balance in keeping himself and the dog sympathetic without overdoing the sentiment. There are some slow stretches that keep it from being even better, but the good parts make up for them and make this definitely worth watching. One particular highlight is a scene where Charlie tries to outwit two thieves - it's very cleverly done and very funny.

Anyone who likes Chaplin's comedies should enjoy this one. It has good comedy, a talented and familiar cast, and some worthwhile material - just about everything you would expect in one of Chaplin's features.