The Champion (1915 film)
| The Champion | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster of The Champion (1915) | |
| Directed by | Charlie Chaplin |
| Written by | Charlie Chaplin |
| Produced by | Jess Robbins |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Harry Ensign |
| Edited by | Charlie Chaplin |
| Music by | Robert Israel (Kino video release) |
| Distributed by | Essanay Studios General Film Company |
Release date |
|
Running time | 33 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Languages | Silent film English (original intertitles) |
The Champion is a 1915 American silent comedy film released by Essanay Studios, starring Charlie Chaplin alongside Edna Purviance and Leo White. Essanay co-owner and star, Broncho Billy Anderson can be seen as an enthusiastic audience member in the boxing match scene.
Plot
In this comedy, Charlie Chaplin has a companion—a pet bulldog. Walking along a street with his bulldog, Charlie finds a "good luck" horseshoe just as he passes the training camp of an enormous fighter named Spike Dugan. Outside the camp is a large, painted advertisement which states Dugan is seeking sparring partners "who can take a punch." After watching other better fighters be soundly beaten by Dugan, Charlie decides his best bet is to put the horseshoe inside his boxing glove. Using the loaded glove, Charlie connects with a solid punch and wins. The trainer prepares Charlie to fight the world champion. A gambler wants Charlie to throw the fight. He and the trainer's daughter fall in love.
Notes
In some versions of the film, an inter-title introducing the heavyweight boxers refers to Spike Dugan as "Spike Hennessey"—although the surname Dugan is clearly painted on the wall surrounding his training camp.
This was the second Chaplin film to focus on boxing. He had already made a comedy for Keystone Studios, titled The Knockout (1914), in which he was a secondary character—a boxing referee. In City Lights (1931) he would again play an outsized and outclassed pugilist.
Cast
- Charlie Chaplin as Challenger
- Edna Purviance as Trainer's daughter
- Ernest Van Pelt as Spike Dugan
- Lloyd Bacon as Second sparring partner / Referee
- Leo White as Crooked gambler
- Carl Stockdale as Sparring partner
- Billy Armstrong as Sparring partner
- Paddy McGuire as Sparring partner
- Bud Jamison as Bob Uppercut, Champion
- Ben Turpin as Ringside vendor
Production
The Champion was filmed entirely on location in downtown Niles, California, at the corner of G Street and Niles Boulevard,[1] around the Essanay Studio,[2] as the second of five films Chaplin made for Essanay in the San Francisco Bay Area before returning to Los Angeles to finish out his one-year contract with Essanay.[3]
The roots of The Champion go back to a Fred Karno troupe music hall sketch "The Football Match", in particular, the scene in which Leo White attempts to bribe the Tramp to throw the boxing match and the climatic fight evokes a Fred Karno troupe favourite, The Yap Yaps, as well as the Chaplin-Arbuckle Keystone short The Knockout.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Welsh, Tim (9 October 2016). "Charlie Chaplin in Niles". San Francisco Film Locations Then & Now. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Charlie Chaplin Days in Niles, California, 2016". San Francisco Film Locations Then & Now. 13 June 2016.
- ^ Bengtson, John (7 November 2016). "How Chaplin Filmed The Champion – on Location in Niles". silent film locations (and more). Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ Robb, Brian J. (11 March 2015). "The Champion (11 March 1915)". Chaplin: Film by Film. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
External links
- The Champion at IMDb
- The Champion is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- Bonham, Michael (25 June 2021). "An Introduction to Chaplin's 'The Champion'". Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum – via YouTube.
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