The Floorwalker (1916) User Reviews

Decent if not great Chaplin fare

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 2 July 2006]

If you have read my other reviews of Chaplin's comedy shorts, you may have noticed that I have generally given very poor reviews of films made during his first couple years in Hollywood (1914-1915). In general, they had no script or direction, were never really edited and just weren't particularly funny. In addition, Chaplin had a lot to learn about and develop regarding his Little Tramp character. by 1916, however, the movies began to improve as Chaplin was now the creative force behind all his films and he had honed his craft.

For a 1916 short, this is a pretty good film. It does have a pretty decent plot and it's pretty enjoyable. There's just one problem and I doubt if it is Chaplin's fault. When the film is nearing its conclusion, it just seems to end abruptly during the final climactic fight. I really think that the last few seconds of the film have been lost and that is why it ends this way. This isn't too uncommon for Chaplin shorts, as many have been pieced together from many different prints and many differing versions of the same short exist. I'd love to see a more complete print than was available on THE ESSENTIAL CHARLIE CHAPLIN COLLECTION, v. 7.

"Spondulicks forever!"

[Steffi_P · 7/10 · 30 December 2009]

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)

Take the Money and Run

[lugonian · 8/10 · 26 September 2015]

THE FLOORWALKER (Mutual/Lone Star Company, 1916), Written and Directed by Charlie Chaplin, stars The Little Tramp in his first of twelve comedy shorts for Mutual (1916-1917). Coming a long way in a short time since his screen debut in 1914, Chaplin, now on his own, taking charge of his script and comedy material that has become genuine classics. Though some of his finest work in both short and feature-length formats were ahead of him, THE FLOORWALKER marked the new beginning in Chaplin's creativity and comical genius that developed with each passing film. Aside from Edna Purviance, Chaplin's frequent co-star since 1915, THE FLOORWALKER also marked the first of eleven comedies to pair the pint-sized Chaplin with the giant-sized Eric Campbell, a classic combination. A winning pair responsible for Chaplin's finest moments in screen comedy and new phase for the development of his tramp character that was to start here.

Opening title: "The Big Store." The slight plot development introduces scenes involving a stern floorwalker (Lloyd Bacon) ordering his sales clerk (Albert Austin) about and a loyal secretary (Edna Purviance) working for her general manager (Eric Campbell). After Campbell reads some shocking news from a memo, he works on a diabolical plot of robbing the store safe along with his floorwalker. The floorwalker, however, turns against Campbell, knocking him unconscious only to take the full bag of money for himself. There's one setback, how to get out of the place without the store detectives watching. During a shoplifting spree from numerous bargain seekers, in comes a customer (Charlie Chaplin) causing trouble for the clerk and getting himself into mischief before going through a series of pratfalls up the down escalator. Evading store detectives, Charlie takes refuge in the manager's office where he comes face to face with his look-alike floorwalker thief. Wanting a job in the store, both men agree to switch clothes and identities, this leaving Charlie holding the bag and thief falling victim through a series of unforeseen circumstances.

While not as crude as some of Chaplin's earlier comedies for both Mack Sennett and the Essanay Company, there's still some use of behind kicking and facial slaps to go around. Surprisingly, however, THE FLOORWALKER doesn't make use the traditional love match between Chaplin and Purviance. In fact, they share no scenes together whatsoever. Purviance's presence is devoted mainly towards her bearded, evil- eyed employer, Campbell. With a mannequin, water fountain and elevator playing part of prop comedy material, the one that gets the most attention is the escalator. Chaplin's ballet dancing technique where he avoids a fight is Chaplin style that's seldom imitated, never duplicated. However, the mirror bit between Chaplin and Bacon is one duplicated and imitated by other comedians over the years, the best re-enactment coming from the Marx Brothers twosome, Groucho and Harpo, doing it their way in the masterful production of DUCK SOUP (Paramount, 1933).

Other than the gag material expected from Chaplin, THE FLOORWALKER makes good use with camera cutaways from one action to another. There's even a D.W. Griffith-type of extreme close-up reaction technique on the lady store detective (Charlotte Mineau) worth noting. Others seen in the cast include Bud Jamison, Leo White, James T. Kelly and Chaplin regular, Henry Bergman, doing a minor bit as an old man who blows his horn.

An enjoyable twenty minutes that might have developed into a featurette, THE FLOORWALKER is as good as it gets. Along with the other Chaplin Mutuals, THE FLOORWALKER did have plenty of exposure on both commercial and public television broadcasts in the sixties and seventies with prints from 1930s reissue accompanied by jazzy music score and sound effects, the same prints acquired by Blackhawk and Republic Home Video for its video distributions in the 1980s and 90s. Interestingly, rather than placing these Chaplin Mutual comedies in order for which they appeared, Republic released these twelve Chaplin shorts in out sequence mix, placing THE FLOORWALKER as the second movie in the third of its four volume VHS sets. In recent years, THE FLOORWALKER has turned up on cable television, namely Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: December 13, 1999) with new orchestral scoring and silent acu-speed prints from Kino Home Video. Next in store of the Chaplin Mutual comedies: THE FIREMAN (1916) (***)

Has Some Very Good Moments

[Snow Leopard · 28 November 2001]

There are some good moments in "The Floorwalker" that make up for the more routine parts. Chaplin gets good mileage out of an identity mix-up - a theme he always liked - and he also has some good slapstick moments with Eric Campbell, one of his best supporting actors. The plot is mostly goofy, serving mainly as an excuse to allow the characters to chase each other around the store. Overall, it's about average for a Chaplin short feature, which makes it pretty good by most other standards.

Chaplin's Mutual Debut

[CitizenCaine · 6/10 · 1 September 2008]

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.

The Floorwalker review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 16 April 2020]

The Little Tramp is mistaken for an embezzling floorwalker. Charlie Chaplin's first film for Mutual, and the first ever to feature an escalator, which provides the comical maestro with plenty of funny material to mine. The lookalike actor who plays the crooked store employee with whom Chaplin exchanges identities is Lloyd Bacon, who would go on to direct almost 100 movies including 42nd Street and Footlight Parade. The Floorwalker is a decent enough entry on Chaplin's CV, but it would have benefited from being 10 minutes shorter - the middle section drags a little - and it ends rather abruptly, suggesting that the final scenes have been lost.

Floorwalker Charlie

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 10 June 2018]

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

One of Chaplin's better short films

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 11 September 2015]

"The Floorwalker" is a 1916 black-and-white silent movie, so this is going to have its 100th anniversary next year. Chaplin himself was in his mid-20s when he wrote, directed and starred in this one. It runs for roughly 30 minutes and features Chaplin's most famous character: The Tramp. All the action takes place at a department store where the protagonist is the new floorwalker. However, the old one is obviously not too happy about having been let go, so he decides to go out on a criminal note. Unluckily for Chaplin, the old one looks very similar to him, so Chaplis is basically busy for the entire film trying to get away from the huge store manager. He is played by Eric Campbell again, a regular in Chaplin's films. Edna Purviance is on board again, even if the romance story in this little movie is not really significant this time. All in all, a solid watch. Recommended.

The first escalator ever used in a film?

[Anonymous_Maxine · 9/10 · 21 April 2008]

So evidently the floorwalker is the guy that walks around the store making sure no one is shoplifting, which provides a wonderful situation for a little mixed identity. Chaplin plays an obnoxious browser, testing all of the products in the store and generally making a big mess without buying anything (this may be one of the few times in his career when he displayed a little understanding of the plight of the store owners dealing with pesky shoppers who don't buy anything). Soon, however, he is back to sticking up for the people. The floorwalker begins harassing Charlie while a real thief robs the place blind right behind him.

There are two new and interesting things in this film. One is the escalator, which I have a feeling is the first escalator ever to appear in a motion picture (if you know of an earlier one, I'd be curious to hear about it), and the other is a Chaplin look-a-like. He's much bigger than the diminutive Chaplin, of course, but it's the first time I've seen his double appear with him in one of his movies.

The escalator is well used here, as well. The humor surrounding it goes a long way, and Chaplin speed walking down it is one of the more memorable moments of his early career. Soon, the double, in his efforts to make off with a suitcase full of cash, pays Charlie to trade clothes with him (I am always suspicious of someone who wants me to wear their clothes out of a store), which Charlie foolishly accepts.

The set up for the physical comedy is unusually clever in this film. The real bad guy gets caught and Charlie is congratulated for helping to capture him, then later an oafish guard wakes up (he had fallen victim to that silent film curiosity where someone gets knocked out and then later wakes up as though well-rested from a deep sleep), and comes after Charlie, unaware of his new hero status. He gives Charlie a hilarious thrashing.

My favorite moment in the film is Charlie's brief farewell dance before he attempts to dive into that handbag. It reminds me of the prestidigitonious (something like that) scene in Sword in the Stone, one of my all time favorite animated films.

There is a great scene near the end where Charlie does a hilarious little dance. It's hard to pinpoint it, but there is something definitely charming about the way he dances. I feel like I've seen a thousand other people do the same thing, and yet it still looks totally unique when he does it. The ending of this film is a little abrupt, but this is probably some of his best physical comedy yet.

Below standard Chaplin

[TheOtherFool · 4/10 · 9 April 2004]

Although Charlie Chaplin made some great short comedies in the late 1910's, others don't quite make it. Examples like His New Job and Shanghaied come to mind, and I would also The Floorwalker in this category.

Charlie gets mistaken for a manager of a department store (and vice versa). This manager tries to steal money from the cash register and make a run for it, and Charlie is just an honest costumer but getting blamed for some missing objects, stolen by other costumers.

There aren't many laughs in it, except for the last couple of minutes or so with some great scenes on the escalator. For the rest, quite disappointing.

4/10.

I have actually seen outtakes from this film in UNSEEN CHAPLIN.

[[e-mail] · 10/10 · 2 January 2011]

I have actually seen outtakes from this film in the TV miniseries UNSEEN CHAPLIN, and separately as a boy. It is one of the Tramp's finest performances, bar none, and features my favourite situation, a case of mistaken identity. The Tramp enters a huge department store and is mistaken for the title character, who is his exact double except for the fact that he is taller than him - and I'd like to know how Chaplin managed that! Eventually, of course, everything is straightened out, and the thieving floorwalker is arrested. One of the few times where Chaplin portrayed a villain, this is among the best of the short comedies he directed over the years.

The Floorwalker - Chaplin's First Mutual

[hausrathman · 26 May 2010]

A floorwalker, Lloyd Bacon, and manager, Eric Campbell, rob the safe of a department store. Before they can leave with their ill-gotten gains, the floorwalker knocks the manager out and steals his share. To evade detectives, the floorwalker induces a look-alike tramp, Charlie Chaplin, to trade places with him. When the detectives arrest the real floorwalker, Chaplin is left with a suitcase of money and one small problem: Eric wants the money and revenge.

"The Floorwalker" was the first of Chaplin's twelve two-reel films for the Mutual Company. These are perhaps the best series of two-reel silent comedies. Chaplin made great strides as film maker during this period, and laid the groundwork for his feature-length triumphs to come.

The difference between the Mutual films and his Essanay films of the previous year are obvious from the start. The technical quality of the film making in almost all categories increases, and, although there are some notable holdovers from Essanay, especially leading- lady Edna Purviance, the quality of his stock company at Mutual also improves. "The Floorwalker" gives us the debut of Eric Campbell, Chaplin's best heavy, and Albert Austin, another stalwart foil. Most importantly, the level of humor rises from the rough, knockabout slapstick of his earliest films.

"The Floorwalker" is more heavily-plotted than most of his earlier shorts. It uses Chaplin's common plot device of mistaken identity which he frequently employed from 1914's "Caught in a Cabaret" to 1940's "The Great Dictator." This device allowed his tramp "everyman" to get a taste of the lifestyle of the rich and stuffy. This time he doesn't reach as high - merely to the ranks of the employed. The gags are good, in particular Chaplin makes excellent use of an escalator, although the film isn't as funny as many that will soon follow. Still, "The Floorwalker" remains one of my favorite Mutuals, if only for the sentimental reason that it was the first full-length two- reeler I bought in Super 8mm when I was a kid.

Well worth a look, but not the best introduction to Chaplin.

Charlie in a department store

[Petey-10 · 8/10 · 11 February 2011]

In this silent short we see Chaplin creating chaos in a department store.He becomes mixed in a scheme of the store manager and the store's floorwalker to embezzle money from the establishment.The Floorwalker (1916) is Charlie Chaplin's first Mutual Film Corporation film.Eric Campbell plays Store manager.Edna Purviance is Manager's secretary.Lloyd Bacon is Assistant manager.Charlotte Mineau plays Beautiful store detective.This is not the best Chaplin short, but it does have its moments.It's most enjoyable to watch Chaplin doing his ballet moves while Campbell chases him in the office.And then there's the mirror gag with Bacon, with whom Charlie bears some likeness.It's similar to what Groucho Marx did in Duck Soup in the 30's.We also get to see a chase down an upward escalator.For Chaplin fans, like myself, this short is one not to be missed.

First Chaplin Film For Mutual

[springfieldrental · 8/10 · 30 June 2021]

A trip to New York City, the first vacation for Charlie Chaplin after he had signed with Essanay Studios a year ago, revealed to him for the first time how immensely popular he had become. Similar to The Beatles arriving in New York in 1964, the public hysteria greeting Chaplin throughout his month's stay in the city in early 1916 made him realize how famous he really was--and how much his worth had escalated in one year at the studio.

Because of the revelation, Chaplin wanted a $150,000 signing bonus to contract with Essanay, a record amount at that time for cinema. Essanay knew it couldn't afford that amount, so the bidding war was on for the comedian. Mutual Film Corporation came out on top, meeting the demanded bonus as well as $13,000 per week. In February 1916 Chaplin signed for over $670,000 (about $10 million in today's dollars) for one year, as well as a studio for his sole purpose and a support staff, making him the highest paid employee in the nation. That one-year agreement required him to produce one two-reeler every month for a total of 12 movies.

His first Mutual film was May 1916's release, "The Floorwalker." The floorwalker, a department store employee, and the store manager attempt to embezzle $80,000 from the business. The floorwalker is a lookalike to Chaplin, whose tramp makes himself a nuisance in the store when he walks in to browse.

When the floorwalker and Chaplin meet in an office, cinema's first "mirror" sequence is acted. Each mimics the other's movements, which appears like they're looking at a mirror image of themselves. The skit inspired future similar scenes, most notable the Marx Brothers in "Duck Soup" and in director Blake Edwards' "The Pink Panther."

Another famous feature in "The Floorwalker" is film's first moving stair--or escalator--chase scene. The manager chases Chaplin, who knows about the pouch full of cash, in an uproariously hilarious running sequence, all taking place on the store's fast moving escalator. A number of films use escalators in subway stations or office/retail stores as a prop for their chase scenes, all because Chaplin was the first one to show how it is done.

The floorwalker is played by Lloyd Bacon, an actor who turned director four years after making this film. He's noted for his direction in "42nd Street," "Footlight Parade," and "Knute Rockne: All American" with Ronald Reagan playing The Gipper.

David Jeffers for SIFFblog.com

[rdjeffers · 10 September 2007]

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.