8mm Forum: Tillies Punctured Romance (1914)

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Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on January 07, 2007, 08:07 PM:

This is a milestone of film-making. Not only is it one of the earliest CHarles Chaplin film, it was also the very first comedy FEATURE film.

The story is as follows :

Tillie (Marie Dressler) is a rotund, large boned country girl. She is playing outdoors with her dog and throwing sticks for the dog when she accidentilly hits Chaplins scoundrel character, (who, though he is not the "Tramp" we know and love, does have the Chaplin moustache AND the feet pointed out waddling walk), who is the male equivilancey of a gold-digger.

When the scoundrel learns of Tillies dowry, he decides to run-off with her. They get her fathers money and run off to the city, narrowly missing many a fast moving car.

The scoundrels last flame (the pretty actress's name escapes me) spots him, and she's not quite over him. She is a gold-digger as well, spying Charlies bankroll.

While Tillie and the scoundrel are out to dinner, the last flame interjects herself into the situation, and while Tillie is quite tipsy on her first taste of alcohol, (and dancing with almost every guy in the resturant), the scoundrel and the old flame run off with Tillies bankroll, leaving the money-less Tillie to pay the bill, which she can't.

The still snockered Tillie is taken to the local jail to sleep it off. Meanwhile, the scoundrel and his gold-diggin lady buy some new clothes.

Tillie is released from jail when she is mistaken for the only daughter of a rich man in town. Upon getting out (and peniless) she looks for work and gets a job as a gum chewing waitress. Now, who should walk into her resturant but,

You guessed it, the scoundrel and his girl. Tillie totally looses it and tries to anilate the scoundrel.

Meanwhile, the rich man, who went mountian climbing is lost and presumed dead. The scoundrel reads in the paper that Tillie is the sole heir of millions, and realizes that he'd like to marry Tillie, which he talks her into.

Now they live the life of Riley. The now a second time rejected gold-digger decides to get a job at the mansion to get back her man.

The new rich decide to throw a party. the scoundrel starts a brawl with an obnoxious guest, and cops a feel with the maid/ex-girl friend. Tillie goes on a rampage upon finding out, until the apparently not dead rich man comes home and throws them all out!

Now Tillie runs after her scoundrel of a husband, who is trying to get away from her with his girlfriend. being a Max Senett comedy, the keystrone Cops are called out and the chase is on, ending on a pier on the coast and all end up in the water.

Upon retrieving Tillie from the waves, Tillie promptly divorces the scoundrel on the spot, and the girlfriend rejest him as well. The two girls end up becoming friends. The End

Considering that this was the first feature film comedy, it's actually paced fairly well. According to legend, this was originally planned to be a short, but the story was so involved that they decided to make a feature of it. Charlie, who had just recently arrived and literally became an overnight sucess, was given the role opposite of Dressler, who would never rise higher than this. This film was made in a short three months.
The use of the pier was quite common in these Sennett comedies as well. Literally every single star of Sennett comedies at the time had at least a cameo role in this film.

The actual print for this super 8 release was the original negative, and it really shows up on screen. The contrast of the print is absolutely stunning, considering that this is a 1914 film, as well as the sharpness. Blackhawk films was always the best at these silent prints.

This was released on three reels, but would actually fit on 2X400ft. reels. It runs at 18 fps and takes about an hour of screen time. Balck and White, of course.

A fun bit of nolstalgia and a great piece of cinematic history!

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