Filmed January 15th-26th, 1914, Chaplin's long-lost short, A THIEF CATCHER

This ten-minute short was only the third film Chaplin made for Keystone, but he had already adopted his Tramp mustache & makeup. Released February 19th, 1914, A Thief Catcher was considered lost for almost 96 years until it was discovered by chance at an antique sale in Michigan in 2010 by film historian Paul Gierucki. Chaplin makes a short 3-minute appearance as a cop in the film which also stars Keystone regulars Ford Sterling & Mack Swain. I had the privilege to be among the first to see this film in nearly a century when A Thief Catcher had a rare screening at the Charlie Chaplin International Conference in Zanesville, OH in October 2010. The plot was typical Keystone, but Charlie was unmistakable. A six-minute excerpt from the film can be seen on the Flicker Alley Chaplin At Keystone set.

Mack Swain, Chaplin, and an unidentified actor.

Edgar Kennedy & Mack Swain are on the left.