Floorkwalker (1916) was the first movie that Charlie Chaplin did with the mutual film corporation. See this silent comedy masterpiece with primitive movie stunts and and slapstick bedlam.
The Floorwalker (1916) -Chaplin Escalating Debut with Mutual
The Floorwalker was a moment of change in the career of Charlie Chaplin – this was his first film under Mutual Film Corporation, which was released on May 15, 1916. His 51st film altogether, Clockwork had the Tramp making his way through the craziness of a department store full of scheming and blind staircases.
Other than being roaringly comic, The Floorwalker is remarkable also as it features what is thought to be the earliest appearance of an escalator (or running staircase) in film, an iconic shot that remains innovative a hundred years later.
🛍️ Plot Summary
Charlie is a clumsy Tramp and he strolls into a busy department store. Without any idea of what is about to happen he finds himself in the situation of replacing the crooked floorwalker in the store who, just so happens, looks just like him.
Matters spin out of control as the Tramp becomes entangled in the embezzlement case of the store manager, and all forms of mayhem break out: the store is upset, fists fly, and the slapstick comedy hits its climax on a moving staircase.
🎭 Cast
- Charlie Chaplin – The Tramp
- Eric Campbell – Store Manager
- Edna Purviance – Secretary
- Lloyd Bacon – Floorwalker (assistant manager)
- Albert Austin – Shop Assistant
- Charlotte Mineau – Store Detective
🎬 Behind the Scenes
- Chaplin had been with Mutual first in the film, which launched him on a sequence of 12 comedies filmed in a historic deal under a contract of up to 670,000 a huge sum then.
- The final chase scene on the escalator is regarded as one of the oldest stunt gags in the history of Cinema and one of the Chaplin moments.
- Chaplin even kept working with actors Eric Campbell and Edna Purviance in series of Mutual shorts creating a regular troupe.
📺 Watch or Download The Floorwalker Free
▶️ Watch on Archive.org
🔗 The Floorwalker – Full Movie (Public Domain)
⬇️ Download Options:
- MP4 Format
- More formats available via Archive.org
🏷️ Tags
Charlie Chaplin The Floorwalker, 1916 silent films, public domain comedy, early cinema escalator, Mutual Film Chaplin, Tramp short films, watch silent film free, classic slapstick, vintage department store comedy
