Charlie is released from prison and immediately swindled by a fake parson. A fellow ex-convict convinces Charlie to help burglarize a house.
Acting
Chaplin's face does five emotions per second.
Direction
Tight 26-minute heist pacing, no fat.
Practical Effects
All real stunts, all real danger.
Director
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie, Convict 999
Edna Purviance
Daughter of the House
Wesley Ruggles
Jailbird and Thief
James T. Kelley
Drunk with Pockets Picked / Second Flophouse Customer
Leo White
Fruitseller / Flop House Manager / Policeman
John Rand
Policeman at House
Billy Armstrong
Crooked Preacher / Second Cop
Harry 'Snub' Pollard
First Flophouse Customer
Bud Jamison
Third Flophouse Customer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Chaplin shot this during his explosive 1916 contract year, releasing it while simultaneously making The Floorwalker and The Fireman.
This was peak 'tramp criminal' era—audiences loved watching Chaplin flirt with respectable society through petty crime.
US
