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Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914 film)
Encyclopedia
Tillie's Punctured Romance is the first feature-length comedy film
from Keystone Film Company
and the Christie Film Company
, produced in 1914. A silent film
directed by Mack Sennett
, the film stars Marie Dressler
, Mabel Normand
, Charles Chaplin, and the Keystone Cops. The film is based on Dressler's stage play Tillie's Nightmare. It is notable as being the last Chaplin film which he did not write nor direct himself. Chaplin also plays an utterly different role from his recently created Tramp
character in this movie.
Chaplin portrays a womanizing city man who meets Tillie (Dressler) in the country after a fight with his girlfriend (Normand). When he sees that Tillie's father has a very large bankroll for his workers, he persuades her to elope
with him. In the city, he meets the woman he was seeing already, and tries to work around the complication to steal Tillie's money. He gets Tillie drunk in a restaurant and asks her to let him hold the pocketbook. Since she is drunk, she agrees, and he escapes with his old girlfriend and the money.
Later that day, they see a picture show entitled "A Thief's Fate," which illustrates their thievery in the form of a morality play
. They both feel guilty and leave the theatre. While sitting on a park bench, a paperboy asks him to buy a newspaper
. He does so, and reads the story about Tillie's Uncle Banks, a millionaire who died while on a mountain-climbing expedition. Tillie is named sole heir and inherits three million dollars. The man leaves his girlfriend on the park bench and runs to the restaurant, where Tillie is now forced to work to support herself, as she is too embarrassed to go home. He begs her to take him back and marries her. Although she is skeptical at first, she believes that he truly loves her. They move into the uncle's mansion
and throw a big party
, which ends horribly when Tillie finds her husband with his old girlfriend, smuggled into the house and working as one of their maids.
The uncle is found on a mountaintop, and didn't die after all. He goes back to his mansion, which was in disarray after Tillie instigated a gunfight (a direct result of the husband smuggling the old girlfriend into the house) which, luckily, didn't harm anyone. Uncle Banks insists that Tillie be arrested for the damage she has caused to his house. The three run from the cops all the way to a dock, where a car "bumps" Tillie into the water. She flails about, hoping to be rescued. She is eventually pulled to safety, and both Tillie and the man's girlfriend realize that they are too good for him. He leaves, and the two girls become friends.
(uncredited)
Although he wears a moustache, Chaplin's characterization in this movie is distinctly different from that of his beloved "Little Tramp
". Although it's usually assumed that his performance in this film predated his crafting of the Tramp
persona, Chaplin had already appeared in more than 30 shorts as the Tramp by the time Tillie's Punctured Romance was released as the first full-length comedy feature on November 14, 1914.
The comedy in the film is largely slapstick
: people frequently kick each other or trip each other; four men unsuccessfully attempt to help Tillie up when she falls; Tillie, taken to the police station, has a police officer wave his finger in her face, and she bites it.
Milton Berle
always claimed that he played the five-year-old paperboy in the film, but the role was actually portrayed by Gordon Griffith
.
and Joan Crawford
by topping the exhibitors' poll as the screen's most popular actress three years in a row and becoming MGM's biggest star in the wake of two smash-hit films with fellow character actor Wallace Beery
: Min and Bill
(1930), for which she won an Academy Award, and Tugboat Annie
(1933). She died of cancer
the following year.
was released in 1928 starring W. C. Fields
as a circus ringmaster. Although often erroneously cited as a remake
, the later movie actually bears no resemblance to the 1914 film aside from sharing the same title. Chester Conklin and Mack Swain appear in both.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
from Keystone Film Company
Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios was an early movie studio founded in Edendale, California in 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from Adam Kessel and Charles O. Bauman, owners of the New York Motion Picture Company...
and the Christie Film Company
Christie Film Company
Christie Film Company was an American pioneer motion picture company founded in Hollywood, California by Al Christie and Charles Christie, two brothers from London, Ontario, Canada....
, produced in 1914. A silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
directed by Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"...
, the film stars Marie Dressler
Marie Dressler
Marie Dressler was a Canadian-American actress and Depression-era film star. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1930-31 in Min and Bill.-Early life and stage career:...
, Mabel Normand
Mabel Normand
Mabel Normand was an American silent film comedienne and actress. She was a popular star of Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios and is noted as one of the film industry's first female screenwriters, producers and directors...
, Charles Chaplin, and the Keystone Cops. The film is based on Dressler's stage play Tillie's Nightmare. It is notable as being the last Chaplin film which he did not write nor direct himself. Chaplin also plays an utterly different role from his recently created Tramp
The Tramp
The Tramp, also known as The Little Tramp was Charlie Chaplin's most memorable on-screen character, a recognized icon of world cinema most dominant during the silent film era....
character in this movie.
Plot
Elope
To elope, most literally, merely means to run away with a girl and to not come back to the point of origination. More specifically, elopement is often used to refer to a marriage conducted in sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving hurried flight away from one's place of residence together...
with him. In the city, he meets the woman he was seeing already, and tries to work around the complication to steal Tillie's money. He gets Tillie drunk in a restaurant and asks her to let him hold the pocketbook. Since she is drunk, she agrees, and he escapes with his old girlfriend and the money.
Later that day, they see a picture show entitled "A Thief's Fate," which illustrates their thievery in the form of a morality play
Morality play
The morality play is a genre of Medieval and early Tudor theatrical entertainment. In their own time, these plays were known as "interludes", a broader term given to dramas with or without a moral theme. Morality plays are a type of allegory in which the protagonist is met by personifications of...
. They both feel guilty and leave the theatre. While sitting on a park bench, a paperboy asks him to buy a newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
. He does so, and reads the story about Tillie's Uncle Banks, a millionaire who died while on a mountain-climbing expedition. Tillie is named sole heir and inherits three million dollars. The man leaves his girlfriend on the park bench and runs to the restaurant, where Tillie is now forced to work to support herself, as she is too embarrassed to go home. He begs her to take him back and marries her. Although she is skeptical at first, she believes that he truly loves her. They move into the uncle's mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
and throw a big party
Party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, or recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
, which ends horribly when Tillie finds her husband with his old girlfriend, smuggled into the house and working as one of their maids.
The uncle is found on a mountaintop, and didn't die after all. He goes back to his mansion, which was in disarray after Tillie instigated a gunfight (a direct result of the husband smuggling the old girlfriend into the house) which, luckily, didn't harm anyone. Uncle Banks insists that Tillie be arrested for the damage she has caused to his house. The three run from the cops all the way to a dock, where a car "bumps" Tillie into the water. She flails about, hoping to be rescued. She is eventually pulled to safety, and both Tillie and the man's girlfriend realize that they are too good for him. He leaves, and the two girls become friends.
Cast
- Marie DresslerMarie DresslerMarie Dressler was a Canadian-American actress and Depression-era film star. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1930-31 in Min and Bill.-Early life and stage career:...
... Tillie Banks, Country Girl - Mabel NormandMabel NormandMabel Normand was an American silent film comedienne and actress. She was a popular star of Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios and is noted as one of the film industry's first female screenwriters, producers and directors...
.. Mabel, Charlie's Girl Friend - Charles Chaplin ... Charlie, City Slicker
- Mack SwainMack SwainMack Swain was an American actor and vaudevillian, prolific throughout the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s.-Film career:...
... John Banks, Tillie's Father - Chester ConklinChester ConklinChester Cooper Conklin was an American comedian and actor. He appeared in over 280 films, about half of them in the silent era.-Early life:...
... Mr. Whoozis - Phyllis AllenPhyllis AllenPhyllis Allen was an American vaudeville and silent screen comedienne who worked with Charles Chaplin, Mabel Normand, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and Mack Sennett during a film career spanning 74 movies during the decade between 1913 and 1923.-Partial filmography:*Forced Bravery *Murphy's I.O.U....
... Prison Matron/Restaurant patron (uncredited) - Billie BennettBillie BennettBillie Bennett was an American film actress of the silent era. She appeared in 52 films between 1913 and 1930. She was born in Evansville, Indiana, and died in Los Angeles, California.Author E. J...
... Maid/Party Guest (uncredited) - Joe BordeauxJoe BordeauxJoe Bordeaux was an American film actor. He appeared in 73 films between 1914 and 1940.He was born in Colorado, and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:* The Great Dictator...
... Policeman (uncredited) - Glen CavenderGlen CavenderGlen Cavender was an American film actor. He appeared in 259 films between 1914 and 1949.He was born in Tucson, Arizona, and died in Hollywood, California.-Selected filmography:* Cruel, Cruel Love...
... First Pianist in Restaurant (uncredited) - Charley ChaseCharley ChaseCharley Chase was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for his work in Hal Roach short film comedies...
... Detective in Movie Theatre (uncredited) - Dixie Chene ... Guest (uncredited)
- Nick CogleyNick CogleyNick Cogley was an American actor, director and writer of the silent era. He appeared in over 170 films between 1909 and 1934.He was born in New York, New York and died in Santa Monica, California.-Selected filmography:...
... Keystone Cop Desk Sergeant (uncredited) - Alice DavenportAlice DavenportAlice Davenport was an American film actress. She appeared in some 140 films between 1911 and 1930.She was born Alice Shepphard in New York, New York, and died in Los Angeles, California. She made her stage debut at age five...
... Guest (uncredited) - Minta DurfeeMinta DurfeeAraminta Estelle "Minta" Durfee was an American silent film actress from Los Angeles, California, possibly best known for her role in Mickey .-Biography:...
... Crook's Girlfriend in "A Thief's Fate" (uncredited) - Ted Edwards ... Waiter (uncredited)
- Gordon GriffithGordon GriffithGordon S. Griffith was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors in the American movie industry. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in over 60 films, and surviving the transition from silent films to talkies—films with...
... Newsboy (uncredited) - William HauberWilliam HauberWilliam Hauber was an American film actor. He appeared in 66 films between 1913 and 1928.He was born in Brownsville, Minnesota, and died in California in a plane crash while performing a stunt for a film....
... Servant/Cop (uncredited) - Fred Hibbard ... Servant (uncredited)
- Alice HowellAlice HowellAlice Howell , was a silent film comedy actress from New York City.Early reviews of her movies describe her as the scream of the screen....
...Guest (uncredited) - Edgar KennedyEdgar KennedyEdgar Livingston Kennedy was an American comedic film actor, known as "the king of the slow burn". A slow burn is an exasperated facial expression, performed very deliberately; Kennedy embellished this by rubbing his hand over his bald head and across his face, in an attempt to hold his temper...
... Restaurant Owner/Butler (uncredited) - Grover Ligon ... Keystone Cop (uncredited)
- Wallace MacDonaldWallace MacDonaldWallace Archibald MacDonald was an Canadian silent film actor, and film producer....
... Keystone Cop (uncredited) - Hank MannHank MannHank Mann was a comedian and silent screen star who is best known as the last surviving member of the Keystone Cops. According to fellow actor and original member of the ensemble Edgar Kennedy, Mann was the originator of the idea for the Keysotne Cops...
... Keystone Cop (uncredited) - Gene Marsh ... Maid/Waitress (uncredited)
- Harry McCoyHarry McCoyHarry McCoy was an American film actor and screewriter. He appeared in 155 films between 1912 and 1935.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack....
... Second Pianist in Restaurant/Pianist in Theatre/Servant
(uncredited)
- Milton BerleMilton BerleMilton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...
... Kid (uncredited, and doubtful; see below) - Charles MurrayCharles Murray (actor)Charles Murray , was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 283 films between 1912 and 1938...
... Detective in 'A Thief's Fate' (uncredited) - Frank Opperman ... Rev. D. Simpson (uncredited)
- Fritz Schade ... Waiter/Diner (uncredited)
- Al St. John ... Keystone Cop (uncredited)
- Slim SummervilleSlim SummervilleSlim Summerville was an American film actor, best known as a comedy performer.-Life and career:Born George Joseph Summerville in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Summerville began his career as a "Keystone Kop" in 1912...
... Keystone Cop (uncredited) - A. Edward SutherlandA. Edward SutherlandA. Edward Sutherland aka Eddie Sutherland was a film director and actor. Born Albert Edward Sutherland in London, he was from a theatrical family. His father, Al Sutherland, was a theatre manager and producer and his mother, Julie Ring, was a vaudeville performer...
... Keystone Cop (uncredited) - Morgan Wallace ... Thief in the Movie within the Movie (uncredited)
Characteristics of the film
The film was based on the Broadway play Tillie's Nightmare, which Dressler had great success in, on Broadway, and on tour in the United States, from 1910–1912.Although he wears a moustache, Chaplin's characterization in this movie is distinctly different from that of his beloved "Little Tramp
The Tramp
The Tramp, also known as The Little Tramp was Charlie Chaplin's most memorable on-screen character, a recognized icon of world cinema most dominant during the silent film era....
". Although it's usually assumed that his performance in this film predated his crafting of the Tramp
The Tramp
The Tramp, also known as The Little Tramp was Charlie Chaplin's most memorable on-screen character, a recognized icon of world cinema most dominant during the silent film era....
persona, Chaplin had already appeared in more than 30 shorts as the Tramp by the time Tillie's Punctured Romance was released as the first full-length comedy feature on November 14, 1914.
The comedy in the film is largely slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
: people frequently kick each other or trip each other; four men unsuccessfully attempt to help Tillie up when she falls; Tillie, taken to the police station, has a police officer wave his finger in her face, and she bites it.
Milton Berle
Milton Berle
Milton Berlinger , better known as Milton Berle, was an American comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , in 1948 he was the first major star of U.S. television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr...
always claimed that he played the five-year-old paperboy in the film, but the role was actually portrayed by Gordon Griffith
Gordon Griffith
Gordon S. Griffith was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors in the American movie industry. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in over 60 films, and surviving the transition from silent films to talkies—films with...
.
Tillie's unique career
Dressler appeared as Tillie in two more movies, Tillie's Tomato Surprise (1915) and Tillie Wakes Up (1917), although in the latter film the Tillie character has a different last name. Dressler's career completely stalled in the late 1920s to the point that she found herself flat broke and unable to find work, but she came back stronger than ever between 1930 and 1933, beating out Greta GarboGreta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
and Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
by topping the exhibitors' poll as the screen's most popular actress three years in a row and becoming MGM's biggest star in the wake of two smash-hit films with fellow character actor Wallace Beery
Wallace Beery
Wallace Fitzgerald Beery was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in Min and Bill opposite Marie Dressler, as Long John Silver in Treasure Island, as Pancho Villa in Viva Villa!, and his titular role in The Champ, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
: Min and Bill
Min and Bill
Min and Bill is a 1930 American comedy-drama film starring Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery and based on Lorna Moon's novel Dark Star, adapted by Frances Marion and Marion Jackson....
(1930), for which she won an Academy Award, and Tugboat Annie
Tugboat Annie
For the 1957 syndicated television series, see The Adventures of Tugboat Annie.Tugboat Annie is a 1933 movie starring Marie Dressler and Wallace Beery as a comically quarrelsome middle-aged couple who operate a tugboat...
(1933). She died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
the following year.
The 1928 film
Another comedy called Tillie's Punctured RomanceTillie's Punctured Romance (1928 film)
Tillie's Punctured Romance is a 1928 circus comedy starring W. C. Fields as a ringmaster and Louise Fazenda as a runaway. Written by Monte Brice and Keene Thompson and directed by A. Edward Sutherland, this movie has nothing to do with the revered 1914 Charles Chaplin film aside from sharing the...
was released in 1928 starring W. C. Fields
W. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield , better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler and writer...
as a circus ringmaster. Although often erroneously cited as a remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
, the later movie actually bears no resemblance to the 1914 film aside from sharing the same title. Chester Conklin and Mack Swain appear in both.