Caught in the Rain
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''Caught in the Rain'' is a 1914 American comedy
silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
starring
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
. This film was the first of many movies in which Chaplin both directed and played the lead. The short film was produced by
Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...
for
Keystone Studios Keystone Studios was an early film studio founded in Edendale, California (which is now a part of Echo Park) on July 4, 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from actor-writer Adam Kessel (1866–1946) and Charle ...
with a running time of 16 minutes.


Plot

The action starts in a park, where a man is trying to romance a matronly woman, wearing a fur stole. The man leaves to go to a concession stall, Cornucopias, and Charlie comes along in his infamous tramp costume and tries to give her a rose. He makes the woman laugh by almost soaking himself at the drinking fountain. He then sits next to her on the bench. The original man returns and is angry. He grabs Charlie by the face. He argues with the woman, waving his arms around and hitting Charlie with each movement. His last swing knocks Charlie clean over the bench. They leave and return to a hotel. Charlie is despondent. He leaves the park and goes to a bar. He meets a policeman outside. He staggers, now apparently drunk, over a wide road, almost getting hit by a car. He arrives at the same hotel and after propositioning a girl outside, enters, falling over a man's
gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...
-bound leg at the reception desk. He checks the register to see which room the couple are in, who are meanwhile getting drunk themselves. Rushing up the stairs he slips, and slides comically back to the foot on his stomach. He makes several more dangerously balanced comical attempts, hitting the gout-bound man and his two female friends in the process. He approaches the hotel room, where the original couple are arguing. His key doesn't fit but the door is open and he enters, at first not seeing the couple due to his drunken state. The man boots him out. Charlie tries another room and gets in. He starts to undress and goes to bed. Meanwhile, the man across the hall leaves his wife to go out. We are told she is a sleepwalker. She crosses the hall to sit on Charlie's bed. However the rain starts and the husband returns to the hotel to find his room empty. Charlie, now awake meets him at his door and claims not to know where his wife is. While the man goes down to reception, Charlie takes her back to her room but gets trapped when the man returns. He ends up on the balcony in the rain. But then a policeman spots him and challenges him, firing a gun. Enter the
Keystone Cops The Keystone Cops (often spelled "Keystone Kops") are fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film slapstick comedies produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. History The idea for the ...
. A comic battle ensues in the hallway. The husband ends up in Charlie's room and collapses drunk on the bed. The cops disappear. The wife comes into the hall and she and Charlie fall down drunk on the floor.


Chaplin's directorial debut

By late April 1914, Chaplin had been at Keystone Studios for four months. In that short time, Chaplin had grown from knowing absolutely nothing about movie-making to trying his hand at directing one of his own short comedies. According to Mack Sennett's biography, many of the usual Keystone directors assembled to watch a private screening of ''Caught in the Rain''. They arrived expecting to see an inferior comedy but instead they were all impressed by Chaplin's maiden effort at directing and applauded enthusiastically when the movie ended.


Review

A reviewer from ''Bioscope'' wrote, "Chaplin flirts with a married lady and gets into much trouble. The climax comes when he takes part in a comical sleepwalking scene at the hotel. His explanations cause a riotous finale."


Cast

*
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
- Tipsy hotel guest *
Mack Swain Mack Swain (born Moroni Swain; February 16, 1876 – August 25, 1935) was an early American film actor, who appeared in many of Mack Sennett’s comedies at Keystone Studios, including the Keystone Cops series. He also appeared in major fea ...
- Husband *
Alice Davenport Alice Davenport (née Shepphard; February 29, 1864 – June 24, 1936) was an American film actress. She appeared in 140 films between 1911 and 1930. She was born Alice Shepphard in New York City, and died in Los Angeles, California. She mad ...
- Wife *
Alice Howell Alice Howell (born Alice Florence Clark; May 20, 1886 – April 12, 1961) was a silent film comedy actress from New York City. She was the mother of actress Yvonne Howell. Biography Early reviews of her movies describe her as ''"the scream of ...
- Hotel guest


See also

*
List of American films of 1914 A list of American films released in 1914. See also * 1914 in the United States References External links 1914 filmsat the Internet Movie Database {{DEFAULTSORT:American films of 1914 1914 Films A film also called a movie, ...


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caught In The Rain 1914 films 1914 comedy films American silent short films Short films directed by Charlie Chaplin American black-and-white films Silent American comedy films Keystone Studios films Films produced by Mack Sennett Articles containing video clips Mutual Film films 1910s American films