FIRST NATIONAL presents Charles Chaplin
Shoulder Arms is Charlie Chaplin's second film for First National Pictures. Released in 1918, it is a silent comedy set in France during World War I. The main part of the film occurs in a dream. It co-starred Edna Purviance and Sydney Chaplin, Chaplin's brother. It was Chaplin's shortest feature film. In the scene where Chaplin (in his tree costume) is being pursued through the forest, cars can be seen traveling on a highway in the background. Although highways in the United States existed when this film was made, they did not exist in Germany. Germany's first highway was built in 1921. Of course, the Western Front was in France, not Germany.
Day's Pleasure (1919) is Charlie Chaplin's fourth film for First National Films. It was created at the Chaplin Studio. It was a quickly made two-reeler to help fill a gap while working on his first feature The Kid. It is about a day outing with his wife and the kids and things don't go smoothly. Edna Purviance plays Chaplin's wife and Jackie Coogan one of the kids. The first scene shows the Chaplin Studio corner office in the background while Chaplin tries to get his car started
A Dog's Life (1918) is a silent film written, produced and directed by Charlie Chaplin. This was Chaplin's first film for First National Films.
Chaplin plays opposite an animal as "co-star". "Scraps" (the dog) was the hero in this film, as he helps Charlie and Edna toward a better life. Edna Purviance plays a dance hall singer and Charlie Chaplin, The Tramp. Sydney Chaplin (Chaplin's brother) had a small role in this film; this was the first time the two brothers were on screen together.
Charles Lapworth, a former newspaper editor who had met Chaplin when he interviewed him, took a role as a consultant on the film.
Sunnyside is a 1919 short silent film written, directed and starring Charlie Chaplin. It was his third film for First National Pictures.
Chaplin plays a handyman at a hotel. His love interest in the village is the girl played by Edna Purviance. A young man from the city arrives and appears to have an eye for Edna too. Chaplin tries to win her back.
Pay Day (1922) is a made by First National Pictures. Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed, and starred in the film. It is notable as Chaplin's final two-reel short film.
Lunchtime: Two men on Ground Level, Charlie on second, his boss and his bosses daughter on the third.
Charlie walks by on second level and trips on nail. Worker #1 Walks on the elevator and it goes to second level just in time so that Charlie falls on barrel in elevator. Charlie discovers a burning stick on the barrel when he sits on it. He passes it up to the boss and the boss grabs it by the burning end and drops it down on Man #1 on the first floor. Worker #2 steps on the elevator and it goes down. Charlie stands up just in time and picks up a hammer. He hammers in the nail and goes back to where the barrel was and sits down. The elevator comes back up just in time. He stands back up and sits on the ground. Man #2 places his lunch on the elevator just as it comes back down. As soon as he lets go the elevator goes next to the hungry, lunch-less Charlie. Charlie takes the contents out which are a BIG loaf of bread and a sausage. He drills a hole in the bread and stuffs the sausage in. The loaf is too big so he takes a corkscrew and pulls out the sausage. He puts the bread down on the elevator and pulls the sausage off the corkscrew. The elevator goes down with the bread and Man #2 takes it. The elevator goes back up and Charlie cant find the bread so he eats the sausage plain. Man #2 is looking for his sausage when the elevator starts descending and his head is underneath it. Man #2 pulls his head out just in time.
