The Kid Who Conquered Chaplin’s Heart
Chaplin and Coogan
Chaplin first began production on The Kid in 1919, not long after the death of his first child—an infant son only three days old. His marriage was unraveling, he felt creatively bankrupt, and he had just signed a new eight-picture movie deal that came with new bosses to please. With luck to match his talent, Chaplin managed to find new inspiration in a four-year Vaudevillian named Jackie Coogan who could sing and dance and play both high comedy and low drama. (Most readers probably know him best as Uncle Fester on the 1960s sitcom, The Addams Family.)
The story itself avoids the conventions of the typical slapstick comedy. In a mean, shabby, hungry city, Chaplin’s Little Tramp character finds a newborn baby in the trash and can’t seem to pawn him off on anybody else. By the time he reaches the age of five, the Kid has become the Tramp’s sidekick, best friend and son. It’s not entirely clear who is taking care of who, but they manage to eat regularly and seem quite happy together. One day, some authorities get wind of the unorthodox nature of their family and, of course, they seek to destroy it. That’s when—in one of the most thrilling chase sequences of the silent era—it becomes clear that nothing can keep the Tramp and the Kid apart. With this chase, not only does Chaplin prove that he can make us laugh and cry at the same time, but he makes us tremble with fear and joy, as well.
Production on The Kid dragged on for over a year, not because of technical problems, but because Chaplin was having the time of his life playing against his gifted, pint-sized co-star. (Also, he was avoiding divorce proceedings.) Eventually, what began as a typical short comedy grew into Chaplin’s first full-length film. The producers made the most of things, billing it as, “Six Reels of Joy!” And the film-going public, after nearly two years without Chaplin, made The Kid into a monster hit.
The Kid marks the beginning of a new season of films from the Lakewood Public Cinema. Visit lakewoodpubliclibrary.com/film for the full season. These films are chosen by staff from your suggestions. You can ask for a survey at the next screening or just drop off your own list. (Written suggestions get top consideration.) The LPC doesn’t show actual film films—our selections are digitally projected from the best DVD prints available with a gorgeous Christie digital projector on a perforated pearlescent screen. The short subjects are chosen by staff. They include public domain cartoons, comedy shorts, musical numbers, fantasies, and other oddities from the dawn of film.
