Behind the Screen

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Behind the Screen
Directed by	Charles Chaplin Edward Brewer (technical director)
Produced by	Henry P. Caulfield
Written by	Charles Chaplin (scenario) Vincent Bryan (scenario) Maverick Terrell (scenario)
Starring	Charles Chaplin Edna Purviance Eric Campbell
Cinematography	Roland H. Totheroh George C. Zalibra
Editing by	Charles Chaplin
Distributed by	Mutual Film Corporation
Release date(s)	November 13, 1916
Running time	2 Reels (full length unknown)
Country	USA
Language	Silent

Behind the Screen is a 1916 short film written and directed by Charlie Chaplin also starring Eric Campbell and Edna Purviance. In the film which takes place in a movie studio, Chaplin plays a stagehand named David while Campbell ("Goliath") plays his supervisor. Much of the film is slapstick comedy but other issues are also brought up such as a stagehand strike as well as a plotline in which Purviance, unable to become an actress, dresses as a man and becomes a stagehand. The film is silent.

The film is noted for having one of the first Hollywood gay jokes in it. After Chaplin learns that Purviance is really a woman, he kisses her while on the set. A male stagehand sees this and thinking that Chaplin has kissed a man, starts acting in an overtly effeminate way until Chaplin kicks him.

[edit] External links

• Behind the Screen on IMDb

The Films of Charlie Chaplin
The Mack Sennett Comedies: Kid Auto Races at Venice
The Chaplin-Mutual Comedies: The Floorwalker, The Fireman, The Vagabond, One A.M., The Count, The Pawnshop, Behind the Screen, The Rink, Easy Street, The Cure, The Immigrant, The Adventurer
Feature-length films: Tillie's Punctured Romance, The Kid, A Woman of Paris, The Gold Rush, The Circus, City Lights, Modern Times, The Great Dictator, Monsieur Verdoux, Limelight, A King in New York, A Countess from Hong Kong
Other films: The New Janitor, Chaplin
Stock company: Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell, Albert Austin, Henry Bergman