The Mutts Love Charlie

On the 98th anniversary of the release of A Dog's Life, here is a touching little story about Charlie and the dogs in the film. Evidently he wanted to adopt them all.

Los Angeles Times, Feb. 22nd, 1918

A day with Charlie at his new studio

Chaplin with Grace Kingsley and Gale on the employment office set of A Dog's Life.

In January 1918, journalist Grace Kingsley, along with Los Angeles Times cartoonist "Gale" (aka Edmund Waller "Ted" Gale) visited Chaplin at his new Hollywood studio. The three had met before. In August 1916, Kingsley interviewed him at the Lone Star Studio, where his Mutual films were made. That interview, published in the LA Times,¹ also featured cartoons by Gale (I'll post about that one at a later date). Chaplin was comfortable with Kingsley and seemed to open up to her in a way he seldom did with reporters. I've accompanied this post with real photos of the visit as well as Gale's drawings which depict Charlie not only as actor, director, and interviewee, but also as an anchor during the "stormy days" of war.

All quotes and cartoons below are from "Charlie Chaplin Begins Work In His New Studio," by Grace Kingsley, Los Angeles Times, January 20th, 1918.²

Gale's observations of Chaplin

After giving his guests a tour of his studio ("I think I could like this place if I didn't work here," he says), Chaplin answered questions about his future film plans. He tells Kingsley that his pictures henceforth will contain more character study and more story...

"And how will the public like that," inquires Charlie anxiously with his puzzled, quizzical little frown.

"What's your first story?" we ask.  "All about a dog!" grins Charlie pointing to a scrap of a mongrel that has crawled to his feet and is licking his hands....That's all we found out about the picture except that it has an employment bureau in it.³

Posing with a mirror. Kingsley is on the right.

Kingsley goes on to describe watching Chaplin rehearse the cast:

Just here in trooped a motley bunch of actors, and Charlie went to work. 

"And now," said Chaplin after an hour's hard rehearsal of the gang, "and now I think a little rehearsal will do us good." 

That's characteristic of the patience and hard work of the comedian, who really leads a double life--that of both actor and director. For Charlie Chaplin, the comedian with the Midas touch of comedy which has the power to turn the meanest "prop" into golden laughter, works like a whirlwind and notes every detail of both makeup and action on the part of his actors, and goes through every smallest part himself to show them. Why, he even dresses them sometimes when they don't get on their make-ups to suit him. 

The only prop in this scene, which was held in an employment agency, was a box filled with sawdust, the purpose of which was obvious. But Charlie didn't let the frayed-out-old-actory person use it for that. "Just flick your cigarette ashes in it--so" he prompted, and then he went through the part in a manner that showed him the artist he is, for the part was only a bit, yet you smiled and you laughed  and cried at the same time he did it. 

"This isn't a rehearse--this is the original hearse," exclaimed one of the actors as he stepped out of the strenuous scene, mopping his brow. 

Charlie's comedy seems entirely spontaneous--that's its wonderful charm. But beneath it all he has the mathematics of merriment, the logarithms of laughter, at his fingers' ends. 

Gale sketches Chaplin's interview with Kingsley

The result:

_________________________________________________________________________________

¹"Beneath The Mask: Witty, Wistful, Serious Is The Real Charlie Chaplin," by Grace Kingsley, Los Angeles Times, August 20th, 1916
²Kingsley's 1918 article is also quoted in my piece from January 19th about Chaplin's new studio. Click here.
³The film is A Dog's Life, released April 14th, 1918.

Chance remark by Harry Lauder becomes the title of Chaplin's "forthcoming rib-tickler"

Lauder and Chaplin at the newly built Chaplin Studios, January 1918

Tulsa World, April 28, 1918

A DOG'S LIFE

Released April 14th, 1918, this was Chaplin's first "million dollar comedy" for First National and the first film he made in his newly built studio in Hollywood.

"Scraps--A Thoroughbred Mongrel." His real name was Mut (or Mutt). The story goes
that when Charlie left for a Liberty Bond tour shortly after filming was completed, Mut,
who had become very attached to him, died of "a broken heart."
 He was buried on the studio grounds.

This was the first of Charlie's film to feature his brother, Sydney,
 who had already made several successful films for Keystone including
the "Gussle" films and The Submarine Pirate.

Syd's first wife, Minnie, (far left) appears in the dancehall scenes usually dancing with
Albert Austin (with mustache) who is getting ready to cut in on Minnie
and her dance partner in this scene.

The dance hall drummer (Chuck Reisner) thinks Charlie has a tail.
 This was Reisner's first film with Chaplin.

"A new singer sings an old song"

...and makes everyone cry

including Henry Bergman, dressed as a woman, and Loyal Underwood.

Edna's singing inspires the bartender, played by Andy Anderson,
 to put back the money he stole from the cash register.
 Anderson later became the skipper of Chaplin's yacht, Panacea. 

 This was also the first film in which Granville Redmond appears.
Redmond was a deaf painter who kept a studio on Chaplin's lot. 

"I'm flirting"

Poor Mut was plied with alcohol for this scene. 

"Hellooo"

Directing A DOG'S LIFE, 1918

Chaplin after editing The Immigrant? or A Dog's Life?

Alternate photo with Rollie Totheroh (from
Variety advertising supplement for the Warner/MK2 DVDs, 2003)

It has long been thought that the photos above were taken after Chaplin edited A Dog's Life in 1918 but it seems they were actually taken the previous year.  Chaplin's longtime press agent, Carlyle Robinson,* included the photo in an article that was published in Liberty magazine in 1933 "The Private Life Of Charlie Chaplin." The caption states that it was taken after cutting was completed on The Immigrant (1917). Robinson goes on to say that by the time Chaplin finished with the editing, his "beard had grown...his hair was a matted mess" and he was "collarless, haggard, and dirty"--just like in the photo.

Photo and caption (upper right) from "The Private Life Of Charlie Chaplin"
by Carlyle Robinson, Liberty, 1933
 (reprinted in Liberty in 1972)

Below left is a photo of one of the buildings at the Lone Star studio where Chaplin filmed The Immigrant (A Dog's Life was filmed at his brand new studio on La Brea). Note how the windows (and the building itself) are very similar to the ones behind Charlie at right.

Photo on left from Silent Traces by John Bengston.

I'm not sure if the Chaplin Archive has an actual date for this photo because I'm curious how it ever came to be associated with A Dog's Life--possibly because Chaplin spent several days and nights cutting that film as well. However, at this point I'm convinced that this photo was taken after The Immigrant (or at least during the Mutual period).

*Robinson was press agent from c. 1917-1932.

"The Pursued Romeo"

Charlie & Mutt (aka "Mut") pose with journalists, Fritzi Remont and Martha McKelvie, at the Chaplin Studios, 1918. Click here to read the story behind these photos.

With a visitor on the set of A DOG'S LIFE, 1918

Photo is signed by photographer Albert Witzel.

A DOG'S LIFE, released April 14th, 1918

This was Chaplin's first "Million Dollar Comedy" for First National, as well as the first film he made in his newly-built studio on La Brea in Hollywood.

"Scraps," also called Mut (or Mutt), was discovered among 21 dogs from the Los Angeles dog pound that were brought to the studio. Mut became so attached to Charlie that when the latter left for a cross-country Liberty Bond tour, he pined away for him, refused to eat, and died. He was buried on the grounds of the Chaplin Studios under a small marker that read: “Mut, died April 29th - a broken heart."

Mut's "obituary" in Moving Picture World, May 25th, 1918

Lobby cards for A DOG'S LIFE

L-R: Edna Purviance, Henry Bergman (dressed as a woman), Loyal Underwood, Charlie, Granville Redmond (a deaf-mute painter who had a studio on Chaplin's lot), & (I think) Dave "Andy" Anderson (former Keystone Kop who later became the skipper for Chaplin's yacht, Panacea, in the 1930s)

Charlie in A DOG'S LIFE by French caricaturist Petitjean, 1918

Posed still from A DOG'S LIFE (1918)