Charlie Chaplin met Peggy Pearce in his third week at Keystone, and reports that the match was instant! In his autobiography he has stated that his heart sang. Two weeks later they were together in His Favorite Pastime, which opened March 16, 1914. It is a 16-minute short that sees Chaplin stalk Pearce all the way to her front door, as a drunk.
Chaplin made this his seventh picture at Keystone, when he had been with Mack Sennett for less than two months. He was entrusted by Director George “Pop” Nichols, with a loose barroom premise, which Chaplin filled with improvised business. Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle co-stars as a “drunk old boy” character. It is public domain and can be seen free and now.
His Favorite Pastime 1914 — Movie Overview Table
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | His Favorite Pastime (UK title: His Favourite Pastime) |
| Alternate Titles | The Bonehead, Charlie’s Reckless Fling, Charlie Is Thirsty, Charlot est trop galant (France) |
| Release Date | March 16, 1914 |
| Country | United States |
| Runtime | About 16 minutes (one reel) |
| Genre | Silent Comedy Short, Slapstick |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
| Format | Black & White |
| Director | George Nichols |
| Screenplay | Craig Hutchinson (Charlie Chaplin also credited on some databases) |
| Producer | Mack Sennett |
| Cinematography | Frank D. Williams |
| Production Company | Keystone Film Company |
| Distributor | Mutual Film Corporation / Keystone Studios |
| Significance | Chaplin’s seventh released Keystone film and his first on-screen pairing with Peggy Pearce |
| Preservation | Restored for the Flicker Alley box set Chaplin at Keystone |
| IMDb Rating | [Insert current IMDb rating — tt0004091] |
| Public Domain | Yes — freely available to watch and download |
Full Cast Table — His Favorite Pastime (1914)
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Charles Chaplin | Drunken Masher |
| Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle | Shabby Drunk |
| Peggy Pearce (credited as Velma Pearce) | The Beautiful Lady |
| Frank Opperman | Husband |
| Edgar Kennedy | Tough Guy in Bar (uncredited) |
| Bert Hunn | Bartender (uncredited) |
| Hampton Del Ruth | Drinker with Moustache (uncredited) |
| Billy Gilbert | Shoeshine Boy (uncredited) |
| William Hauber | Shoeshine Customer / Servant (uncredited) |
| Helen Carruthers | Servant (uncredited) |
| George Jeske | Servant (uncredited) |
| Jess Dandy | Minor Role (uncredited) |
Chaplin’s Seventh Film in Seven Weeks
Keystone cranked out Chaplin shorts at a staggering pace. In 1914 alone he made 36 films for the studio. His Favorite Pastime landed after six earlier releases:
- Making a Living — February 2, 1914 (his screen debut)
- Kid Auto Races at Venice — February 7, 1914
- Mabel’s Strange Predicament — February 9, 1914
- Between Showers — February 28, 1914
- A Film Johnnie — March 2, 1914
- Tango Tangles — March 9, 1914
Chaplin was still testing what worked. Tango Tangles showed him in a very different mode, and His Favorite Pastime shifted the tone again. You are watching a comedian experiment in public.
Peggy Pearce — Chaplin’s First Hollywood Romance
Peggy Pearce appears in the credits as Velma Pearce, her real name at the time. Chaplin recalled in his autobiography that she was his first serious relationship in Hollywood. It makes her the first of many leading ladies he had an off-screen connection with.
Standard filmographies list His Favorite Pastime as the only film the pair made together. She soon left for the L-KO studio. Some researchers question whether she also played the Keystone Girl in A Film Johnnie, so her filmography with Chaplin remains slightly muddy.
George Nichols and the Director Chaplin Didn’t Rate
George “Pop” Nichols directed Chaplin in several early Keystone shorts, and Chaplin did not think he improved on his predecessor, Henry Lehrman. In his autobiography, Chaplin remembered Nichols as a director with a single gag. It involved grabbing the comedian by the neck and bouncing him from one scene to the next.
That friction may show on screen. One modern reviewer finds the editing in this short notably intrusive and wonders whether the clash between a rising star and an old-school director contributed. That’s speculation, but the film does feel pulled between two comic instincts. Chaplin wants to build character, and Nichols wants speed.
Fatty Arbuckle and the Barroom Ensemble
Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was already one of Keystone’s biggest stars, and he plays a small role here as another drunk in the bar. Reviewers note how athletic he is despite his size.
The bar itself is a Keystone repertory gathering. Edgar Kennedy plays a tough customer, and Billy Gilbert appears as a shoeshine boy, though both go uncredited. Spotting familiar faces in a 1914 crowd is half the fun of these early shorts.
Full Plot Summary — His Favorite Pastime (1914)
Charlie is a drunk, and the local tavern is his favorite place to be one. The film opens with him knocking back drinks and picking fights. At one point he steps outside, spots a pretty woman, and tries to flirt with her.
Back to the Bar
Her husband appears, and Charlie retreats to the bar. There he drinks more and starts trouble with the other patrons, including Arbuckle’s shabby drunk. Audience reviews often single out one gag: Charlie tries to leave through a swinging door and gets hit by it repeatedly. He finally crawls out under the door.
Following Her Home
Charlie spots the woman again and follows her home. Once inside, he makes a thorough nuisance of himself. Her husband, the man he clashed with earlier, finds him, roughs him up, and throws him out.
Where to Watch His Favorite Pastime (1914) Free Online
His Favorite Pastime is available to watch for free on many services, although some quality may vary. If the first option is blurry or the playback speed is too slow, I recommend trying a different one.
| Platform | Format | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Internet Archive | Stream + Download (multiple formats, two copies) | Free |
| YouTube | Stream | Free |
| Flicker Alley — Chaplin at Keystone | Restored DVD box set | Paid |
His Favorite Pastime (1914) on Internet Archive:
Is His Favorite Pastime (1914) in the Public Domain?
Yes. His Favorite Pastime can be legally streamed, downloaded, shared, screened for free in the United States in 1914 films that are now in the public domain. There are versions that add new music and/or restoration work; please check the conditions of any particular version prior to using it for commercial re-use.
Critical Reception — Then and Now
Critics in 1914 were charmed. Moving Picture World noticed the newcomer immediately and wrote that “He is a new one and deserves mention.” Motion Picture News went further, calling it the funniest thing Keystone had ever released.
Modern opinion is cooler. Some viewers call it lesser Chaplin, with a thin story that stretches across 16 minutes. Others find the drunk routine overfamiliar by 1914, even for a seventh film. Fans still point to a few good gags and to the glimpses of the physical control Chaplin would soon perfect.
Viewer beware: the short contains period racial caricature (actors in blackface) and the humor is based on a man harassing a woman. They both show the carefree spirit of 1914 humor, and some contemporary viewers are uncomfortable with them. Don’t look at it as a Chaplin highlight, but rather as a piece of cinematic history in early slapstick.
Frequently Asked Questions — His Favorite Pastime 1914
Q: What is His Favorite Pastime (1914) about?
A drunken Charlie Chaplin drinks in a tavern, picks fights, and flirts with a pretty woman outside. He later follows her home, makes a nuisance of himself, and is thrown out by her husband.
Q: Is His Favorite Pastime (1914) in the public domain?
Yes. The film is in the public domain in the United States and is freely available on the Internet Archive and YouTube.
Q: Who directed His Favorite Pastime?
George Nichols directed the film for Keystone, with Mack Sennett as producer. Chaplin was not a fan of Nichols’s directing style.
Q: Who stars in His Favorite Pastime?
Charlie Chaplin plays the drunken masher, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle plays a shabby drunk, and Peggy Pearce, credited as Velma Pearce, plays the beautiful lady.
Q: Was His Favorite Pastime Chaplin’s seventh film?
It was his seventh film released at Keystone, counting from his debut in Making a Living. Chaplin made 36 films for Keystone in 1914.
Q: Who was Peggy Pearce?
Peggy Pearce was the actress who played the woman Chaplin’s character follows. According to Chaplin’s autobiography, she was his first serious relationship in Hollywood. She left Keystone soon after for the L-KO studio.
Q: How long is His Favorite Pastime?
The film runs about 16 minutes and fits on one reel.
Q: Is His Favourite Pastime the same film as His Favorite Pastime?
Yes. His Favourite Pastime is the British spelling. The short has also circulated as The Bonehead, Charlie’s Reckless Fling, and Charlie Is Thirsty.
Q: Where can I watch His Favorite Pastime (1914) for free?
His Favorite Pastime is freely available on the Internet Archive, which hosts two copies, and on YouTube. All public domain versions are legal to stream and download.
Related Free Silent Comedy Films
If His Favorite Pastime (1914) got you curious about Chaplin’s Keystone years and early slapstick, these are the natural titles to explore next:
