Run Time: 82 minutes. Studio: Keystone. Director: Mack Sennett. Writer: Hampton Del Ruth. Based off of the stage play Tillie's Nightmare by Edgar Smith and A. Baldwin Sloane. Producer: Mack Sennett. Cast: Marie Dressler, Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand, Mack Swain, Charles Bennett, Douglas Banks, Chester Conklin, Edgar Kennedy, Charles Parrott, Glen Cavender, Harry McCoy, Phyllis Allen, Gordon Griffith, Rube Miller, Billie Bennett, Frank Opperman, Nick Cogley, Fritz Shade, Morgan Wallace, Charlie Murray, Minta Durfee, Hampton Del Ruth, Hugh Saxon, Fred Fishback, Ted Edwards, Hank Mann, George "Slim" Summervillie, Al St. John, Edwin Frazee, Bill Hauber, Dan Albert, Billy Gilbert, Robert Kerr, Alice Howell, Eva Nelson, Dixie Chene, Wallace McDonald, Alice Davenport, Eddie Nolan, Grover Ligon, Josef Swickward, Frankie Dolan, Dick Smith, Meiklejohn and Hazel Allen, Helen Carruthers.
Often referred to as the first feature length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance is far from an obscure film. Yet at the same time, I often feel that it gets too overlooked. Many tend to just view it as a footnote in film history. Even with Charlie Chaplin in it, dedicated Chaplin fans tend to not discuss this movie and instead prefer to look at Chaplin's later features that he directed and wrote. This may not be on the same level as such masterpieces as The Gold Rush (1925) or City Lights (1931). However, it is a comedy that is over a century old and is still quite entertaining. That definitely accounts for something.
In this film, a con man (Charlie Chaplin) from the city tricks a naïve country woman (Marie Dressler) to flee to the city with him. As soon as the con man gets her money, he leaves her flat. When he discovers that the woman is heir to a large fortune, he comes back to her having had "a change of heart."
The storyline for this film is pure melodramatic hokum. This is not by accident nor is this lazy writing. From its very start the Keystone studio made short films that were parodies of melodramas, using these familiar storylines that were often taken seriously and use them as an excuse for slapstick comedy. It is no wonder that the studio's first feature length movie would also parody melodramas. Adapting the stage play Tillie's Nightmare was a perfect idea for the studio's first feature length movie as the stage play didn't take these melodramatic conventions very serious either.
For fans of silent comedy, this movie is a delight. Of course, one of the treats is to see so many silent comedy greats in one film. Cinephiles can have a great time seeing just how many silent comedy stars, they can catch and name. Another delight is to see Charlie Chaplin play against type. He is wonderful as the villainous conman here. His performance is a bit more over the top than he often is as his famous Tramp character. However, this is just what the movie calls for, and he does a great job. He commands the screen every time he appears.
While most of the gags here may not be as laugh out loud funny as some later silent comedies, many of them do get some good chuckles and there is a great sense of comic momentum that lasts through the whole movie. Many of these gags may be simplistic and crude but they are delivered with such dedication, and zest that they actually work. There is such a lighthearted playful spirit here, that even when you don't laugh at a gag, you still enjoy it. The comedic highlight however is the whole climatic chase with the Keystone Kops getting involved. This chase is silent comedy making as its finest. There are so many slapstick gags in this finale and many of them are quite funny and creative. This climatic scene alone would make this movie essential watching for silent comedy fans.
Another creative and charming scene involves Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand's characters sitting in a movie theater watching a film that greatly resembles what has been happening in their lives. This scene is not especially funny, but it is still delightful. I have always been a sucker for a well-used film in a film, and this is an early example of just that. Not only is the film in a film quite entertaining in its own right but it is a delightfully fun and creative way to express what is going on the characters' minds. For cinephiles, it is also a delight to get a glimpse into what the movie going experience was like in the 1910's.
The play, Tillie's Nightmare, itself was very popular. At the Herald Square Theatre (1331 Broadway (29 W. 35th St.), New York, NY), it ran from May 05, 1910, to Jul 09, 1910. At the Manhattan Opera House (30 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY) (now Manhattan Center), it ran from Dec 18, 1911, to Dec 23, 1911. Director, producer and studio head, Mack Sennett stated in his autobiography, King of Comedy, that scenario editor Craig Hutchinson had suggested to make an adaption of the play. The play was a musical, well-known at the time for the song Heaven Help the Working Girl, and naturally a lot had to be changed from stage to screen. Sennett recalled that Hampton Del Ruth and a team of other writers used only the play's story as a loose guideline.
The star of stage play was Marie Dressler. Dressler was a very popular stage actress, and Tillie's Nightmare had been her greatest stage success. Mack Sennett mostly planned to fill the movie's cast with Keystone regulars, but he did want Dressler to reprise her role on screen. This had not been Sennett's first interaction with Dressler. When Sennett was a young novice in the entertainment industry, Dressler had helped the young man. She wrote him a letter of introduction to David Belasco (a popular theatre producer and playwright). Later Sennett would claim that Dressler moved to California to make this movie. Dressler however denied such claims, stating that she moved to California because of her nerves after a recent failure in her stage career.
Sennett would meet Marie Dressler outside a movie theater. They agreed to meet a hotel to discuss the film project. During the hotel meeting Marie Dressler agreed to work for $2,500 a week (for comparison Charlie Chaplin was being paid $200 a week). During this meeting there seemed to be a verbal agreement that Dressler would own half the film and her husband, James Dalton, would distribute it. This is not how things worked out. Though Sennett was in charge of the studio's production, the Keystone company was actually created and owned by Adam Kessel and Charles Bauman from the New York Film Company. Kessel and Bauman would sell the distribution rights to the Alco Film Corporation. Because of this, Dressler took legal action against the Keystone Studio, but this was ultimately unsuccessful.
Filming began in late April 1914 and wrapped up late July of the same year. There would be some delays in filming. Of these delays Glenn Mitchell writes in The Chaplin Encyclopedia, "The main difficulty lay in Miss Dressler's memory of him [Sennett] as an unknown, rather than as the boss of a studio, and consequent unwillingness to take direction until baffled by the techniques of filmmaking."
Much of this movie was filmed on location in Hollywood. Anyone has been to Hollywood recently will find it unrecognizable watching this film. At the time, Hollywood was not the major city that it is today. However certain buildings can still be seen today.
One of these is The C.E. Toberman Building (6410-6146, Hollywood Boulevard), which can be seen when two cops meet Tillie in the middle of the street after Tillie gets drunk as well as when Charlie falls in the middle of the street and Tillie picks him up. The same building can be seen in the classic Harold Lloyd feature, Why Worry (1923), when Harold announces to his giant friend that he is going to be a father. A shot of the back of this building can be seen in Buster Keaton's classic comedy short, The Goat (1921).
When Tillie waves to a cop flirtatiously, she is standing on the porch of the Hollywood Hotel. This hotel was located on the northwest corner of Hollywood and Highland. At one time this hotel was a center for the social life in Hollywood. However, it would be demolished in 1956. There today is the Hollywood & Highland Retail and Entertainment Center.
When two cops are escorting a drunk Tillie into the police station, they are actually taking her to the entrance door for the Keystone Studio. This was also used as an entrance to a police station in the Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle short, Fatty's Plucky Pup (1915). It even appeared as the entrance to a dentist's office in the Charlie Chaplin short, Laughing Gas (1914).
When Tillie flirts with a cop after being released from jail, she is on Duane Street by the back corner of the wall for the Selig studio (the first permeant movie studio in Los Angeles). You can also see two homes in these shots. The homes were 2212 and 2216 Duane Street, both of which are now apartment buildings.
The entrance to Tillie's wealthy uncle's place is Castle Sans Souci, which had formerly been located at 1901 Argyle. It was torn down in 1928 and the Castle Argyle Apartments, which are still standing today.
During the climax, you can see in the background the original Los Angeles Fire Engine Co. No. 20, which was located at 2144 Sunset. You can also see this in the background of the Charlie Chaplin short, Cruel, Cruel Love (1914).
Comedian Milton Berle often times claimed to be a newsboy in a brief scene. This has been greatly disputed with many historians crediting the role to child actor Gordon Griffith. Later Griffith approached Charlie Chaplin and described the scene he claimed they made together, while Chaplin was filming A Countess from Hong Kong (1968). Chaplin just unenthusiastically stated, "oh I see ... exposition" and then went back to work.
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| Moving Picture World, 1915 |
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| Moving Picture World, 1915 |
This film was reissued to theaters in 1920. The following is an article about this reissue from an issue of The Moving Picture World (dated January 17, 1920).
"From W.H. Productions comes information that 'Tillie's Punctured Romance' is being revived by Tower Film Corporation. This Mack Sennett favorite, featuring Charlie Chaplin, Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand, Mack Swain and Chester Conklin, has a great reputation to be revived with the showings.
"It early accomplished what the 'glooms' argued couldn't be done - that the screen could make people laugh. Yet thousands laughed at 'Tillie's Punctured Romance.' This production mad history for screen comedy and records for exhibitors and exchange men.
"A special exploitation campaign, unique in character and destined to put the picture over in an even bigger way than heretofore is being planned. This will include new advertising material of every description, new posters, lobby photos and displays.
"'Tillie's Punctured Romance' is one of the pictures which serves as sort of a high watermark in box office receipts by which others are measured. 'As big a winner as 'Tillie'' or 'as good as 'Tillie,'' are expressions of motion picture exchange men and exhibitors. Seldom does the independent market get unusual money makers, and when they do, they are not soon forgotten.
"A special exploitation and press sheet is now being prepared for 'Tillie,' containing copies of newspaper cuts, special advertisements, press stories, catch phrases, exploitation ideas, suggestions and special 'stunts.' Every aid that can be given to the exhibitor to put this picture over as provided."
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| Moving Picture World, 1920 |
The movie was so popular that it spawned three sequels Tillie's Tomato Surprise (1915), Tillie Wakes Up (1917), and The Scrub Lady (1917), all of which featured Dressler reprising her role. The film would also be remade in 1928 with the same title. That remake would star Louise Fazenda, W.C. Feilds and Chester Conklin. Unfortunately, that remake is considered lost.
You can watch this movie on YouTube below.
Resources Used
The Chaplin Encyclopedia by Glenn Mitchell.
A-Z of Silent Film Comedy by Glenn Mitchell
Chase! A Tribute to the Keystone Cops edited by Lon and Debra Davis
Chase! A Tribute to the Keystone Cops edited by Lon and Debra Davis
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