The Floorwalker (1916)

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Am a big fan of Charlie Chaplin, have been for over a decade now. Many films and shorts of his are very good to masterpiece, and like many others consider him a comedy genius and one of film's most important and influential directors. From his post- Essanay period after leaving Keystone, 'The Floorwalker' is not one of his very best or even among the best of this particular period. It shows a noticeable step up in quality though from his Keystone period, where he was still evolving and in the infancy of his long career, from 1914, The Essanay period is something of Chaplin's adolescence period where his style had been found and starting to settle. Something that can be seen in the more than worthwhile 'The Floorwalker'. 'The Floorwalker' is not one of his all-time funniest or most memorable, other efforts also have more pathos and a balance of that and the comedy. The story is still a little flimsy, there are times where it struggles to sustain the short length, and could have had more variety and less more of the same repeition.On the other hand, 'The Floorwalker' looks pretty good, not incredible but it was obvious that Chaplin was taking more time with his work (even when deadlines were still tight) and not churning out as many countless shorts in the same year of very variable success like he did with Keystone. Appreciate the importance of his Keystone period and there is some good stuff he did there, but the more mature and careful quality seen here and later on is obvious.While not one of his funniest or original, 'The Floorwalker' is still very entertaining with some clever, entertaining and well-timed slapstick. It moves quickly and there is no dullness in sight. Chaplin directs more than competently, if not quite cinematic genius standard yet. He also, as usual, gives an amusing and expressive performance and at clear ease with the physicality of the role. The supporting cast acquit themselves well.Summing up, worth a look though Chaplin did better. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This is the first picture Charlie Chaplin made at Mutual studios. After a year-long maturing period at Essanay, he had at last set off in search of greater creative freedom and vastly inflated salaries. This is precisely what Mutual gave him.The most obvious difference between the Floorwalker and the shorts that went before it is the level of confidence and cinematic professionalism Chaplin now displays. There is a lengthy opening sequence before the little tramp even appears, establishing the antagonists and the scam in which Charlie will later become embroiled. Eric Campbell is introduced with a formidable close-up, giving him a more menacing and memorable entrance. There's also a bit of bold cross-cutting, some of which becomes a joke in itself. For example, we cut back-and-forth from Albert Austin tussling with the essentially harmless Charlie, while behind his back a gang of thieves rob the store blind. That particular gag also shows his willingness to sometimes move the camera away from himself, making his little tramp the cause of the comedy but not the focus of it. These were all techniques Chaplin had used before, but never quite to this extent or with this much bravura.With a new studio came new supporting actors, and here we see the introduction of two very important figures in the Chaplin career. Most noticeable of these was the stupendous Eric Campbell, who fulfilled in the Mutual films the role of the bully. Campbell's appeal works on the old adage of "the bigger they come the harder they fall", but he's also a wonderfully expressive comedy character, all his movements looking comically exaggerated because of his size. The floorwalker also marks the debut of Albert Austin, who does a similar job to that of Billy Armstrong in the Essanays, that is, a lanky twerp for Charlie to wind up. He makes a good impression here, tumbling helplessly and striving to maintain his dignity. Fortunately, Chaplin brought across some of his best collaborators from the Essanay days, but Leo White and even Edna Purviance get a bit lost among all the new faces here. Honourable mentions go to Charlotte Mineau and Lloyd Bacon, both of whom had bit parts in a few Essanay pictures, now appearing in meatier roles.In spite of its technical polish and auspicious debuts, it has to be said that the Floorwalker is one of the less entertaining Mutual pictures. It has its moments (surely the best of which is Charlie's "mirror-image" routine with Lloyd Bacon, repeated years later by the Marx brothers in Duck Soup), but there is bit too much going on and a few too many characters, with not enough high quality comedy in between. Chaplin would have to do a little better than this to justify his hefty new pay packet.Still, let us not forget that all-important statistic – Number of kicks up the arse: 6 (3 for, 3 against)

In May of 1916, Chaplin released his first of twelve films for Mutual called The Floorwalker, which he edited, wrote, produced, and directed. It's notable as the first film he produced in his career. It's reminiscent of his earlier Keystone comedies in at least one respect: It's heavily reliant upon slapstick. However, now with complete control over his films, Chaplin could incorporate what he wanted to and how he wanted to do things in his films. In The Floorwalker, employs slapstick, visual gags, and mistaken identity in a plot about a ne'er-do-well set loose in a department store. The film builds to a comic crescendo utilizing an escalator, as Chaplin inadvertently puts the kibosh on store employees' plans to rob the place. The highlight, of course, is Chaplin's use of the escalator, a first in movies. Edna Purviance appears in a brief role as the store manager's secretary. The film marks the first appearance of burly comedic actor Eric Campbell, who plays the thieving store manager. Campbell became an excellent comic foil for Chaplin in his Mutual efforts due to the enormous size difference between the two men and the visual emphasis of silent films. Lloyd Bacon and Wesley Ruggles appear in supporting roles. **1/2 of 4 stars.

Monday September 10, 7:00 pm, The Paramount Theater, Seattle The first of twelve films Charles Chaplin produced for the Mutual Film Corporation, The Floorwalker(1916) might have been titled The Escalator, which is the focal point and primary source of the film's humor. Chaplin developed the idea after visiting department stores in New York and worked out the details while filming. Much of this process can be understood by viewing Chaplin's outtakes featured in Unknown Chaplin, the remarkable documentary produced by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill in 1983. Charlie wanders into a store and amuses himself while a clerk (Albert Austin) observes. The floorwalker (who bears a striking resemblance to Charlie) and store manager (Eric Campbell) attempt to embezzle a suitcase filled with cash while their startled secretary (Edna Purviance) observes. Identities are confused and the floorwalker (dressed in Charlie's cloths) is arrested by the store detective, while the manager struggles with Charlie, and the escalator, to retrieve the suitcase.