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:

flea | pet dog | sleeping with a dog | flirting | shyness | 

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Taglines:

Charlie Chaplin In his First Million Dollar Picture

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Genres:

Short | Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Charles Chaplin's first film for First National Films under a $1M contract where Chaplin had full creative control over his films for the first time.

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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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Quotes

Title Card: When dreams come true.

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Connections

Edited into The Chaplin Revue (1959)

User Reviews

One of my favorites

Of Charlie Chaplin's many works, "A Dog's Life" is in my top 5, under "The Kid", "City Lights" and "Modern Times". Though just a short, I think this film is one of Chaplin's funniest and most poignant of them all. It had me laughing the whole time and this is the film that made me fall in love with his hands: It was the miming scene where the Tramp has to pretend to be the bully he's just knocked out, to get the wallet back, simply by using hand gestures! It's a moment that shines for all silent movies, showing how little sound is needed to communicate - it's a favorite scene of mine. This is a great film, and especially when coupled with "The Kid" (Chaplin's best work, I think, and my favorite film of all time) how could *anyone* refuse?

Details

Official Sites:

Instagram Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

None 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