The three shot-by-shot scripts which follow have been recreated from the best available copies of the films, and are believed to represent the complete and original form Chaplin intended. They have been selected to illustrate the rapid progress and the variety of Chaplin’s approach to film craft in the formative year he spent at Keystone.
Caught in the Rain was probably Chaplin’s first effort as a director: he was only allowed to make it with his own guarantee of $1500 against loss. The film was evidently made with great care: Chaplin has conscientiously studied the post-Griffith shot-by-shot method of film construction, and in fact the single reel contains rather more shots than the average Keystone production. The mise-en-scène of each shot and scene is already admirable, within the studio formula of only a dozen fixed camera set-ups: the bench, the refreshment stand, the drinking fountain, the road crossing, the saloon doorway, the hotel exterior, the hotel lobby, the balcony and the ground beneath it, and the usual Keystone composite setting of a room on either side of a hallway.
Title: A Big Thirst and a Little Wife
1 A bench in the park. Mack Swain and Alice Davenport sit side by side. Mack gets up and exits to –
2 Refreshment stand. Mack takes a drink.
3 The Bench (as shot 1). Alice plucks a rose.
Title: A Wrecker of Homes
4 A drinking fountain. Charlie, trying to take a drink, soaks himself.
5 The Bench. Alice laughs flirtatiously; then remembers herself.
6 The Drinking Fountain. Charlie exits to –
7 The Bench. Charlie sits down – on Alice’s rose.
Title: ‘Something Attacked Me in the Rear’
8 The Bench. Charlie flirts with Alice, but she is unresponsive.
Title: ‘We Seem to be Getting Along Well Together’
9 The Bench. Alice remains unresponsive.
10 Refreshment Stand. Mack notices what is going on.
Title: ‘My Wife – With a Lady-Killer!’
11 Refreshment Stand. Mack is clearly angry.
12 The Bench. Alice tells Charlie off.
13 Refreshment Stand. Mack fiercely exits towards –
14 The Bench. Charlie rests his feet on Alice’s knee. Mack enters scene and yells at both of them. As he abuses Alice, he keeps hitting Charlie with his elbow.
Title: ‘Take A Back Seat – You Rusty Romeo’
15 The Bench. Mack shoves Charlie into the bushes and goes off with Alice.
16 The Bench. Charlie gets up, brushes himself off and exits.
17 A road. Mack and Alice.
18 Saloon – exterior. Charlie at door of saloon.
Title: Love Is A Thirsty Business
19 Saloon – exterior. Charlie licks his lips, then drags himself into the saloon by his own ear.
20 Hotel – exterior. Mack angrily shoves Alice into the door.
21 Hotel lobby – interior. Mack and Alice enter.
22 Saloon – exterior. Charlie emerges, evidently drunk. He leans on a convenient cop (who remains impassive in shock), then strikes a match on him.
Title: ‘A Striking Fellow Like You Should Be A Match For Anyone’
23 Saloon – exterior. Charlie flicks his match at the cop, but beats a hasty retreat when the cop threatens him with his truncheon.
24 Hotel lobby. Mack and Alice.
25 A road. Charlie crosses, narrowly escaping the cars which rush past him.
26 Hotel corridor with rooms to left and right. Mack and Alice enter room at right.
27 First Hotel Room. Mack and Alice enter.
28 Hotel – exterior. Charlie follows an attractive girl who enters the door. She slams the door in his face, but he follows her.
29 Hotel lobby. Charlie enters and trips over an old man’s gouty leg.
30 First hotel room. Mack and Alice. Mack is drinking.
31 Hotel lobby. Charlie whispers to receptionist, while pointing to a group of girls.
Title: ‘Who Does The Hat With The Feathers Belong To?’
32 Hotel lobby. Charlie casually throws the hotel register at the gouty gentleman.
33 First hotel room. Mack and Alice quarrelling.
Title: ‘After Twenty Years Of Married Life I Find You Flirting With A Scavenger’
34 First hotel room. Mack and Alice quarrelling.
35 Hotel lobby. Charlie attempts to ascend the stairs, but slides down on his face. He tries again, and this time bowls over the gouty man, who is also making the ascent. At the next try, the gouty man falls on top of Charlie, who hits the receptionist in revenge. He tries again, his body leaning backwards at a 45-degree angle.
36 First hotel room. Mack and Alice still quarrelling.
37 Hotel lobby. Charlie is now wearing the girl’s feather hat, d’Artagnan style. The girl grabs back her hat and goes upstairs, which is incentive enough for Charlie finally to make the ascent successfully.
38 Hotel corridor (as shot 26). Charlie passes the gouty gentleman, and aims a passing kick at him.
39 First hotel room. Mack and Alice.
40 Hotel corridor. Charlie inspects lock of first hotel room.
41 First hotel room. Mack and Alice, reconciled at last.
42 Hotel corridor. Charlie attempts to unlock the first hotel room with a cigarette instead of a key.
Title: ‘Ah, Locked!’
43 First hotel room. Charlie enters. Mack and Alice, sitting on the bed, are at first unaware of his presence as he sprinkles the contents of Mack’s bottle on his head as if it were brilliantine, combs his hat, takes a drink, and wipes his mouth on Alice’s hat. Mack finally remonstrates.
Title: ‘Out You Go – You He-Vamp’
44 First hotel room. Mack throws Charlie out.
45 Hotel corridor. As Charlie emerges from the room the gouty man, passing by, sees him and hurriedly flees.
46 First hotel room. Mack and Alice are quarrelling again.
47 Hotel corridor. Charlie enters Second Hotel Room, on left.
48 Second hotel room. Charlie does a long undressing routine. He wipes his shoes on his dickey and his brow on his collar. He then becomes entangled in his trousers. He is already wearing his pyjamas under his outer clothes.
49 First hotel room. Alice is in bed; Mack exits.
50 Second hotel room. Charlie gets into bed, having first removed hair brush from between the sheets.
51 Hotel – exterior. Mack comes out of door.
52 Second hotel room. As an afterthought, Charlie puts his boots under the pillow for safety.
Title: Midnight – The Sleep Walking
53 First hotel room. Somnambulant Alice gets out of bed and opens the door.
54 Hotel – exterior. A sudden shower of rain soaks Mack.
55 Hotel corridor. Alice walks from door of first hotel room to door of second hotel room.
56 Second hotel room. Alice enters door and sits on bed. Charlie wakens, alarmed.
Title: ‘Whoever Sent You Must Have Owed Me A Grudge’
57 Second hotel room. Alice picks up Charlie’s trousers and begins to go through the pockets. Charlie snatches them away and hides them under his pillow.
58 First hotel room. Mack re-enters, finds Alice gone, and begins to call out.
59 Second hotel room. Charlie is very alarmed.
60 Hotel corridor. Charlie comes out of his room at the same time as Mack. Charlie affects nonchalance in face of Mack’s anger.
Title: ‘I’m Itching To Throttle Someone’
61 Corridor. Charlie and Mack. Mack exits.
62 Second hotel room. Charlie re-enters to find Alice is now in his bed. He collapses on the bed. This awakens Alice, who is shocked by her situation.
63 Hotel corridor. Charlie peeks out of the door of his room, and sees it is empty.
64 Second hotel room. Charlie pushes Alice out into corridor.
65 Hotel corridor. Charlie pushing Alice out of door.
66 Hotel lobby. Mack questions receptionist, then returns upstairs.
67 First hotel room. Charlie enters with Alice.
Title: ‘Keep Calm – It’ll Be Quite All Right’
68 First hotel room. Charlie snatches a drink. Alice becomes hysterical.
69 Hotel corridor. Mack returns.
70 First hotel room. Charlie and Alice in consternation. Alice pushes Charlie out of the window.
71 Balcony outside window. Charlie in pouring rain.
72 First hotel room. Alice makes up to Mack.
73 Balcony outside window. Charlie suffering in the rain.
74 Exterior, below the balcony. A policeman yells at Charlie, ordering him down.
75 Balcony. Charlie signals helplessness.
76 Exterior, below the balcony. Policeman fires gun at Charlie.
77 Balcony. Charlie terrified.
78 Exterior, below the balcony. The policeman fires again.
79 First hotel room. Charlie suddenly re-enters through the window.
80 Hotel – exterior. The Keystone Kops arrive.
81 Hotel corridor. Charlie flees from first hotel room, managing to kick the gouty man, who happens to be passing.
82 Hotel lobby. The Keystone Kops rush in.
83 Hotel corridor. Charlie rushes back into his room.
84 Second hotel room. Charlie firmly shuts the door behind him.
85 First hotel room. Mack exits.
86 Hotel corridor. Coming out of his room, Mack rushes into arms of the Keystone Kops. They fall like ninepins (or like Keystone Kops).
87 Second hotel room. Charlie listens at door.
88 Corridor. The Kops pick themselves up.
89 Second hotel room. Charlie leaps at the door.
90 Hotel corridor. Charlie’s door, bursting open, knocks over the Kops once more. They flee in terror. Charlie kicks Mack into –
91 Second hotel room. Mack is kicked through the door.
92 Hotel corridor. Alice, emerging from her room, faints in Charlie’s arms.
93 Second hotel room. Mack in state of collapse.
94 Hotel corridor. Charlie and Alice in state of collapse.
Caught in the Rain was released on 4 May 1914. The New Janitor, released on 24 September, came less than five months, and fourteen films, later. Chaplin is already much more assured. Again he follows the Keystone ground rules, with a mere eight camera set-ups and ninety shots. Using only seven brief titles, he fashions a brilliant and clear narrative, with suspense and a new element of sentiment. Now Chaplin is creating a real comic drama rather than an animated strip cartoon. The editing builds its own dynamic, in the Griffith manner, rather than simply joining a step-by-step progression of shots. Thus in shots 43 to 56 and 66 to 99, Chaplin skilfully uses cutting between parallel actions to create suspense. At the same time, as in shot 79, he is now prepared to abandon the fast Keystone cutting and allow a piece of dramatic or comic action to run on unbroken as long as it seems to require. Gags and character touches, like Charlie’s troubles in cleaning the window or his melodramatic response to dismissal, are at once integrated into the story and given time to develop.
1 Stairway and elevator, ground floor. Charlie, the janitor, carrying a broom and feather duster, attempts to enter the elevator in the wake of a well-dressed gentleman, but the elevator boy slams the gate in his face. Charlie toils up the stairs.
Title: The Top Floor
2 Stairway and elevator, top floor. Elevator boy emerges, but darts back into elevator as Charlie, mopping his brow, toils to the top of the stairs.
3 Hallway between two offices. Charlie walks away from camera, twirling his pan and duster behind him.
4 Manager’s office (room to left of hall). Manager reads letter.
Title: ‘Will call today to collect that gambling debt. Have the money ready for me, or I’ll expose you. Luke Connor’
5 Manager’s office. Manager reads letter, gets up from chair anxiously.
6 Hallway. Charlie hangs hat on hall-stand. It falls off again, and he gives it a back-kick. [This looks like an accident: retakes were not encouraged at Keystone.] Enters Manager’s office.
7 Manager’s office. Charlie enters, knocks on door after entering. He removes wastepaper basket, gets it upside down, spilling contents. In retrieving contents, and stuffing them back into basket, he includes a file which Manager has just dropped. Manager is angry. Charlie drops lady-like curtsey on leaving.
8 Hallway. Charlie juggles wastepaper basket but drops it. Picks up broom, pan and duster and enters Boss’s office. He gets the brush stuck across the doorway, so carefully steps over it.
9 Boss’s office. Charlie walks up and down, dusts telephone.
10 Hallway. Secretary hangs up hat, looks lovingly at Manager’s hat hanging there, enters Boss’s office.
11 Boss’s office. Secretary enters. Charlie continues to dust while casting abstracted, admiring glances at her. Yawning, he inadvertently feather-dusts her bottom as she is bending over her desk.
Title: Luke Connor
12 Manager’s office. Villainous man enters: altercation with Manager.
13 Boss’s office. Still admiring the secretary, Charlie wipes his shoes with his handkerchief. Secretary leaves office by back door.
14 Manager’s office. Manager and Connor still arguing. Manager shushes Connor.
15 Hallway. Secretary overhearing conversation.
16 Manager’s office. Manager and Connor still arguing.
Title: ‘I’ll Get It By Five O’Clock’
17 Manager’s office. Manager and Connor in conversation.
18 Hallway. Secretary listening.
19 Manager’s office. Connor exits.
20 Boss’s office. Charlie sits on window ledge cleaning windows, almost falls out, signifies heart palpitations.
21 Exterior window, overlooking street far below. Charlie leans out of window backwards.
22 Exterior building at street level. Boss with two ladies.
23 Boss’s office. Charlie in window, wringing out cloth.
24 Exterior building at street level. Water falls on Boss and ladies. The ladies are outraged; the Boss shakes his fist in direction of window.
25 Boss’s office. Charlie, in window, knocks out his bucket.
26 Exterior window, overlooking street. Charlie’s bucket falling.
27 Exterior building at street level. Bucket falls on Boss.
28 Boss’s office. Charlie in window talking to (unseen) Boss below. As he struggles with the sash, it falls and almost knocks him out of window.
29 Exterior building at street level. Irate Boss enters door.
30 Boss’s office. Charlie at window, still shouting down to street, and again almost precipitated out by falling sash.
31 Stairway and elevator, ground floor. Distressed Boss enters lift under amused gaze of lift boy.
32 Staircase and elevator, top floor. Boss storms out of elevator.
33 Hallway. Boss, holding head, charges into office door.
34 Boss’s office. Charlie still leaning out of window. Boss rushes in and kicks him. Charlie mildly excuses himself.
Title: Bounced
35 Boss’s office. Boss dismisses Charlie, who runs through a repertory of shrugs, bows, half-turns with startled turn-backs. He backs towards door, falling over when he gets there.
36 Hallway. Charlie exits backwards through the door, which is slammed on him, knocking him on his back.
Title: Going Down
37 Stairway and elevator, top floor. Charlie as usual is shut out of lift.
38 Boss’s office. Manager enters and gives paper to Boss, still grumbling about his troubles with Charlie.
39 Stairway and elevator, ground floor. Charlie descends stairs, falling on his bottom on last step. Retrieving broom and dustpan, he uses dustpan to protect bottom against further injury.
40 The Janitor’s Room. Charlie enters, the dustpan now held to his head.
41 Boss’s office. As Manager exits, Boss puts papers in safe.
42 Manager’s office, Manager enters, thoughtful.
43 Boss’s office. Secretary now at typewriter. Boss picks up hat and stick, instructs Secretary, and leaves.
44 Manager’s office. Manager sits at desk, still thoughtful.
45 Boss’s office. Secretary tidies up and exits.
46 Hallway. Secretary comes out of office.
47 Manager’s office. Manager furtively approaches door.
48 Hallway. Secretary puts on hat and exits.
49 Manager’s office. Manager furtively opens door and exits to –
50 Hallway. Manager enters from office.
51 Staircase and elevator. Secretary rings for lift.
52 Hallway. Manager crosses to Boss’s office.
53 Boss’s office. Manager enters, pulls down blinds, goes to safe.
54 Stairway and elevator. Secretary remembers something, and turns back from elevator.
55 Boss office. Manager opens safe.
56 Hallway. Secretary approaches office door and opens it.
57 Boss’s office. Secretary enters and sees Manager open safe. They look at each other. Manager leaves; the Secretary is very suspicious.
58 Manager’s office. Manager enters, takes bag, listens at door.
59 Boss’s office. Secretary listening at door. She exits into –
60 Hallway. Secretary crosses, points accusingly at door of Manager’s office, then kneels and looks through keyhole.
61 Manager’s office. Manager listening at keyhole.
62 Hallway. Shocked, the Secretary recoils from door.
63 Manager’s office. Manager goes to open door.
64 Hallway. Secretary retreats into Boss’s office.
65 Hallway. Manager’s office. Manager swifly exits.
66 Hallway. Manager puts on hat, starts to leave, but then goes to door of Boss’s office.
67 Boss’s office. The alarmed Secretary enters, goes to the desk and hides behind it. The Manager enters, makes for the safe, opens it, begins to hurl out the contents, until he finds a wad of notes. At this moment he notices the Secretary. He points at her; she points back. Manager begins to struggle with Secretary, threatening to throw her out of window. She attempts to open the desk to reach for the telephone, but the Manager knocks her to the floor.
68 The Janitor’s Room. Charlie, preparing to leave, shrugs.
69 Boss’s office. Manager and Secretary struggling. As Manager pushes Secretary back across the rolltop desk, her hand reaches for a button at the side.
70 The Janitor’s officer. Charlie on the point of leaving.
71 Bell ringing.
72 The Janitor’s office. Charlie irritably mouths ‘Shut up.’
73 Boss’s office. Manager holds girl over desk, then throws her unconscious to the ground.
74 The Janitor’s office. Charlie leaves, with a backward glance.
75 Staircase and elevator, ground floor. Charlie enters. Indicates indecision … indecision … but finally sets off up the stairs.
76 Boss’s office. Manager returns to rifling safe.
77 Staircase and elevator, top floor. Charlie reaches top landing, collapsing in exhaustion. After taking a breather, he pulls himself to his feet, and exits to left of screen.
78 Hallway. Charlie enters, right of screen. He pauses to light a cigarette, throws down the match and gives it a back-kick. Then, swinging his cane, he enters the Boss’s office.
79 Boss’s office. Charlie enters, sees man rifling safe, and swipes him on the bottom with his cane, demanding what he has been doing to the girl. Manager produces a gun, but Charlie flicks it out of his hand with his cane. The man hits out, misses, and Charlie fells him with a kick. Charlie turns his back and bends down, but as the Manager prepares to attack him from the rear, points the gun at him between his legs. Charlie neatly rights himself by stepping over his gun arm, and backs the man at gunpoint against the safe. They circle each other, and Charlie tells the Manager to pick up the girl, which he does, placing her on a chair. They circle again until the Manager is again backed up against the safe. He tries to take advantage of a moment’s inattention, but fails to catch Charlie out. Charlie picks up the telephone, but talks into the wrong end of it. They continue to circle each other: when Charlie reaches the window, he fires his gun out of it.
80 Exterior of building at street level. A policeman, flirting with a girl, looks up, alerted by the shots.
81 Boss’s office. Charlie accidentally shoots his own foot.
82 Exterior building at street level. Policeman hastily enters building.
83 Boss’s office. Charlie shoots gun in time to fend off the Manager’s counterattack.
84 Staircase and elevator, ground floor. Policeman rushes upstairs.
85 Hallway. Boss in leisure clothes approaches office.
86 Boss’s office. Boss enters, and, misjudging the situation, assaults Charlie, despite the efforts of the Secretary, who has now regained consciousness, to explain all.
87 Hallway. Boss’s attack precipitates Charlie into the arms of the Policeman. When Policeman grabs him, Charlie kicks him into –
88 Manager’s office. Policeman tumbles into door.
89 Hallway. Policeman re-enters, and grabs Charlie.
90 Manager’s office. Manager, Secretary and Boss. Policeman enters, holding Charlie, but Boss points accusing finger at Manager. As Policeman leads Manager away, Charlie briefly menaces him with the telephone, which he has momentarily mistaken for the pistol. Boss hands Charlie a reward, which he quickly counts before shaking Boss’s hand in gratitude.
His Musical Career was released on 7 November 1914, towards the end of Chaplin’s time with Keystone. At first sight it seems a regression in terms of narrative, with much slower editing (only 33 shots compared with the 94 and 90 of Caught in the Rain and The New Janitor, although all three films are of almost identical length). In fact, he is boldly experimenting with quite a different style, much closer to that of his maturity. Having recognized that cutting is a convenience, not an obligation, he dispenses with the rapid editing which Keystone inherited from Griffith, and conceives the film in a series of much more extended shots, which provide a stage for uninterrupted comedy routines.
Thanks to the scholar David Wyatt, who has examined two fuller versions of His Musical Career than were previously available, it is now possible to present a more complete scenario for the film than that which appeared in the original edition of this book.
Title: Looking For Work
1 Back room of piano shop. Mack sizes up Charlie for piano-moving job. Charlie demonstrates his weight-lifting abilities with Mack’s large can of beer, from which he then takes a swig. Mack slaps him on the back, causing Charlie to spit out beer. Charlie puts the can down beside (identical) can of varnish.
Title: Varnish
2 Mack picks up wrong can, takes a large swig of varnish and spits it out. Charlie, unsure how to help, frantically picks up a hand drill, then the drink, then a towel.
Title: Mr Rich Buys A Piano
3 Piano Shop. Charley Chase sells a piano to Mr Rich.
4 Back Room of Shop (as 1). Mack incredulously gazes at Charlie’s antics, as Charlie limbers up, oiling his elbows with the oil can. Charlie offers Mack a drink from the right can.
5 Piano Shop. Charley Chase treats a Shabby Old Man very differently from Mr Rich.
Title: ‘If You Can’t Keep Up Your Payments, I’ll Take Back Your Piano’
6 Piano Shop. Shabby Old Man leaves disconsolate.
7 Back Room of Shop. Charlie reposes on piano; falls off …
Title: ‘Deliver This Piano To 666 Prospect Street and Bring One Back From 999 Prospect Street’
8 Charley Chase in conversation with Mack.
9 Back Room of Shop. Charlie exits with coiled rope.
Title: ‘No Time To Lose’
10 Piano Shop. In their struggles with the piano, Charlie manages to leave all the heavy work to Mack.
11 Shop – exterior. Charlie manages to drop entire weight of piano onto Mack – gazes in sympathetic surprise at Mack’s struggling form beneath piano.
12 Sidewalk. Mack and Charlie load piano onto cart drawn by minute donkey.
13 Home of Shabby Old Man. Shabby Old Man tells Beautiful Daughter sad tale of piano.
14 CU. Mack and Charlie on donkey cart, with street behind [with camera apparently mounted on front of cart, facing rear]. Charlie uses a clay pipe like a drinking straw to steal from Mack’s huge jar of beer, while Mack’s attention is engaged by traffic.
15 House – exterior. Weight of piano weighs down cart, lifting little donkey into the air.
Title: Taking Mr Rich’s Piano to 999 Prospect Instead of 666
16 House – exterior. Cart draws up. Mack and Charlie unload piano.
17 Long stairway to house. Mack and Charlie struggle with piano.
18 House – interior. Daughter reports arrival of piano. Shabby Old Man delighted.
19 Long stairway to house. Piano slides down stairs.
20 CU. Suffering Mack on stairs.
21 Long stairway to house. Mack and Charlie struggle up with piano.
22 House – interior. Charlie toils in with piano on his back. Shabby Old Man and Daughter are indecisive about where to put it, as Charlie staggers around room.
23 Long stairway to house. Mack and Charlie, relieved of their burden, descend. Charlie falls down last steps.
24 Sidewalk. Mack and Charlie get back on cart. Charlie is almost left behind.
Title: Coming To Get The Old Man’s Supposed Piano At Mr Rich’s
25 Sidewalk outside Mr Rich’s house. Mack and Charlie drive up on cart and dismount. Charlie politely raises hat to donkey.
26 Entrance to Mr Rich’s house. Mack and Charlie.
Title: They Walked Right In
27 Mr Rich’s House – interior. Mack and Charlie curiously inspect all the ornaments and decorations of the house. They begin to remove the piano. Mrs Rich appears and protests. She calls the Footman, but Mack and Charlie knock him down and exit with piano.
28 Mr Rich’s House – exterior. Mack and Charlie carry out piano.
29 Sidewalk. Mr Rich arrives.
Title: ‘Where’re You Going With My Piano?’
30 They argue, Mack hitting Mr Rich and Mr Rich kicking him in return, thus propelling Mack, Charlie and piano off down the street.
31 Mack, Charlie and piano slide downhill.
32 Mack, Charlie and piano slide down steeper slope.
33 Mack, Charlie and piano land in lake. Charlie plays the piano as it sinks.