Revival Advertisement, Moving Picture World, March 30, 1918

    Neuer Job   weiter   zurück


NEUER JOB 1/11


His New Job – Sein erster Film für Essanay,

sein einziger in Chicago. Und Chaplin karikiert gleich

mal die Filmbürokratie. Er hat Ben Turpin

als Partner. Er arbeitet zum ersten Mal mit Rollie

Totheroh an der Kamera. Clippings



               Fritz Hirzel, Chaplins Schatten.

               Bericht einer Spurensicherung. Zürich 1982


Mit Ben Turpin, der seinen Kleinbürgertyp mit der Noblesse

eines Seehunds verkörperte, liess es sich anders an.

Sein Zusammenprall mit Charlie war es, der in His New Job

für den ersten Höhepunkt sorgte.

      Zwei gespannt vor der Tür des Studiomanagers harrende

Aspiranten, die beide auf eine Rolle im Film hoffen, nur dass keiner

sie sich vom anderen wegschnappen lassen will, sodass

Charlie, als die Türe aufgeht, buchstäblich über Turpins zuletzt

am Boden liegende Gliedmassen hinweg das Ziel, des

Managers Büro, als erster erreicht, freilich ohne eine Rolle

zu bekommen.

            


      Charles J. McGuirk, Chaplinitis,

      Motion Picture, New York, July & August 1915

      When Chaplin first came to the Essanay studio, he almost

      stopped the works. Every person in the studio – actors,

      and actresses, property men, scenario writers, the publicity

      department and even the business office – side-stepped

      their tasks and stole down to the studio floor to watch the genius

      apply his methods. Even then he was comparatively

      unknown. The world had just begun to recognize that the

      funny little man with original methods could make

      whole audiences hold their abdominal muscles and go home

      sore from uncontrolled laughter.

      But the wiseacres in Moving Pictures knew Chaplin

      and knew his possibilities. Hence the interest

      that manifested itself in the Essanay studio and the impromptu

      recesses that passed unrebuked. When Charlie

      finally came on the floor, there was an audience that cluttered

      entrances and lined itself stolidly and silently against

      the studio wall. There were far too many on the floor. Chaplin

      didn‘t notice it, but somebody else did. Orders came

      forth, and the crowd melted. The comedian was ready to go

      to work.

      And do you know how he started his comedy,

      His New Job? He stood out in the center of his set, pulled

      three of his fingers out of joint, and then, crouching

      into the professional dancer‘s pose, he executed a clog-dance.

      He danced for five minutes while the actors and

      actresses of the company that was to play with him gazed

      at him. They didn‘t know whether he was crazy or

      doing it just for their amusement. Some laughed; the rest were

      dumb with amazement. As a matter of fact, they were

      all wrong. Just why he did it will be told in an illustrated continuation

      of this article in the August issue of this magazine.

      (Continued from July Number)

      We left Charles Chaplin in the July number, taking a few,

      vigorous dance-steps prior to getting to work on his first

      photo-comedy for the Essanay Company. He did it so seriously

      that everybody wondered if he was out of his mind,

      because it seemed entirely uncalled for. Francis X. Bushman

      was among the interested bystanders – just a wee-bit

      peeved, perhaps, to see this great bidder for world-popularity

      stepping into the Essanay studio, where he had been

      monarch o‘er all he surveyed – and he inquired the cause

      of Chaplin‘s peculiar antics.

      „Ah!“ he said, sotto voce. „Got to limber up. A little pep,

      everybody; a little pep. Come on, boys. Shoot your

      set. I‘m ready.“ The last sentence was shouted. Charlie went

      thru a few other steps, and then sized up the situation.

      He examined his set and then his actors. He gave them their

      instructions as to just what they should do and just

      when they should do it. He looked down on those $50,000 feet

      of his, picked up one of them and stood like a stork

      as he examined the shoe, put it down again, straightened up

      and started to shoot a rapid-fire of directions, musings

      and comments on the world of today. When any actor went

      thru a piece of ,business‘ that appealed Charlie, he was

      quick to step out, pat him on the back and tell him: „You‘re a bear.

      Good stuff. You‘re goin‘ along right, old top. Keep it up –

      keep it up.“

      It took a little while, but Chaplin finally injected enough

      enthusiasm into his people to make them work hours

      without thought of time. The proof of it came at the noon hour.

      Nobody knew it was twelve o‘clock. The first inkling

      Chaplin had of it was when he noticed the augmented crowd

      that eyed his efforts with all sorts of expressions on their

      faces. „What‘s the idea? Why the party?“ Charlie exclaimed,

      during a lull in the work. „By George! I‘ll bet it‘s twelve

      o‘clock, ain‘t it, boys? Twelve o‘clock, sure as you live. That‘s all

      for a while. Get out and get your lunches.“

      The actors filed out, tired but very happy. Every one

      who had worked with Chaplin that morning had the warm spot

      in the heart that comes with the praise of work well done.



His New Job Clippings


Chaplins Schatten   Neuer Job   weiter   zurück


 

Still and Scene, NFA

His New Job Clippings

www.fritzhirzel.com


Chaplins Schatten

Bericht einer Spurensicherung