A Night in the Show was Charlie Chaplin's 12th film for Essanay. It was made at Majestic Studio in Los Angeles in late 1915. Chaplin played two roles: one as Mr. Pest and one as Mr. Rowdy. The film was created from Chaplin's stage work from a play called Mumming Birds (a.k.a. A Night in an English Music Hall in the United States) with the Karno Company from London.[1] Chaplin performed this play during his U.S. tours with Fred Karno's company and decided to bring one of the classic music hall sketches into his film work.[1] Edna Purviance played a minor role as a lady in the audience.
Plot
Mr. Pest tries several theatre seats before winding up in front in a fight with the conductor and, eventually, the entire cast of an evening variety show.
The film concludes when a fire eater takes the stage and Chaplin "heroically" drenches the performer and the audience with a fire hose.
The difference between "Mr. Pest" and "Mr. Rowdy" appears to be that one is pleasantly drunk and the other is obnoxious and sober.
Cast
- Charlie Chaplin - Mr. Pest and Mr. Rowdy
- Edna Purviance - Lady in the Stalls with Beads
- Charlotte Mineau - Lady in the Stalls
- Dee Lampton - Fat Boy
- Leo White - Frenchman/Negro in Balcony
- Wesley Ruggles - Second Man in Balcony Front Row
- John Rand - Orchestra Conductor
- James T. Kelley - Trombone Player and Singer
- Paddy McGuire - Feather Duster/Clarinet Player
- May White - Fat Lady and Dancer
- Phyllis Allen - Lady in Audience
- Fred Goodwins - Gentleman in Audience
- Charles Inslee - Tuba Player
References
- ^ a b Louvish, Simon (6 March 2009). "Tramps like us". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
External links
- A Night in the Show at IMDb
- A Night in the Show is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive