The Kid (1921)

The Tramp cares for an abandoned child, but events put that relationship in jeopardy.

Director:

Charles Chaplin (as Charlie Chaplin)

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (as Charlie Chaplin)

Stars:

Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Jackie Coogan

Top Rated Movies #97 | 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Carl Miller	...	The Man
Edna Purviance	...	The Woman
Jackie Coogan	...	The Child (as Jack Coogan)
Charles Chaplin	...	A Tramp (as Charlie Chaplin)

Storyline

The opening title reads: "A comedy with a smile--and perhaps a tear". As she leaves the charity hospital and passes a church wedding, Edna deposits her new baby with a pleading note in a limousine and goes off to commit suicide. The limo is stolen by thieves who dump the baby by a garbage can. Charlie the Tramp finds the baby and makes a home for him. Five years later Edna has become an opera star but does charity work for slum youngsters in hope of finding her boy. A doctor called by Edna discovers the note with the truth about the Kid and reports it to the authorities who come to take him away from Charlie. Before he arrives at the Orphan Asylum Charlie steals him back and takes him to a flophouse. The proprietor reads of a reward for the Kid and takes him to Edna. Charlie is later awakened by a kind policeman who reunites him with the Kid at Edna's mansion.

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Plot Keywords:

lucifer morningstar character | the little tramp character | thug | star | woman carrying a child | 

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Taglines:

This is the great picture upon which the famous comedian has worked a whole year.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 February 1921 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Waif

Filming Locations:

55 Fremont Pl, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$26,916

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min 50 min (1971 edit with new Chaplin score) 51 min (DVD) 53 min (re-release)

Sound Mix:

Mono (new music score) (1971) Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charles Chaplin decided to make a film around Jackie Coogan after seeing him in a vaudeville performance with his father Jack Coogan Sr.. The elder Coogan essentially put his career on hold to coach little Jackie through filming. Chaplin, in turn, rewarded Jack Sr.'s role in coaching the boy, as well as assuaged his performer's ego, by paying him $125 a week, almost double the $75 a week Jackie was getting to costar. Jack Sr. also played several roles in the film, as a bum who picks the Tramp's pocket, as the Devil in the Heaven sequence and as a party guest.

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Goofs

When the Tramp finds the baby while sitting in the sidewalk, he leaves his stick by his right side. After the shot of the baby's mother's letter, there is no stick by Tramp's side, and after another shot, it appears again and in a different position.

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Quotes

Devil: Vamp him.

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Alternate Versions

The original credits, with references to First National, of this film have never been available after the initial release.

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Connections

Featured in Making Life Beautiful (1999)

User Reviews

the greatest

Is there a way to name the greatest filmmaker of all time? Probably not, to different people it's gonna be different person, so I can speak only for myself. Let me try to describe my favorite contestant for this award:

This man is the true embodiment of the "American Dream": Having grown up in poverty and misery and virtually without parents (without a father and with insane mother), moving to America with basically nothing but his ability to speak English (in the era of the silent movies), this man manages to establish his own film company (United Artists) and becomes one of the creators of Hollywood. He produces, directs, writes, plays the leading role and composes the music for his movies. He is the creator of the most famous movie image on the earth-the Little Tramp. As you all probably know I am talking about sir Charles Spencer Chaplin.

There are attempts, sometimes I read, to make Buster Keaton candidate for the Chaplin's throne. Well, I won't comment on that for I am not familiar with Keaton's work; I grew up with Chaplin so you could say I am being biased, however I would mention only one fact here: the only time the two meet on the screen is in a Chaplin's movie "Limelight." I think this says a lot.

Why did I choose the movie "The Kid" as a podium for my tribute to the great Charlie? I have to say I like all of his movies, mistake, I love all of his movies, but this one is the true purl in his work to me. I don't think of any other movie, not only Chaplin's, that made me cry, I mean really cry, and laugh, I mean really laugh, like "The Kid." The closest I can think of now is another Chaplin's masterpiece "City Lights" but unlike the later one in the former one that is only him, the tramp, and the kid; and everything is silent. Think about it: the movie making at its purest.

I don't know whether I could make my point with this review-probably not. There are not enough words to describe the respect and gratitude I feel towards Chaplin. To me he is simply the greatest filmmaker of all time.