Aero Theatre Presents: Chaplin at Essanay

At the end of 1914, the then-unheard of salary of $1,250 per week lured rising star Charlie Chaplin from Keystone Studios to the Chicago-based Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, where he made 14 short comedies. Lobster Films and Cineteca di Bologna have recently restored the Essanay films. Join us for a program of highlights from the studio, including:
THE BANK (1915, 25 minutes): Chaplin plays a bank janitor who is smitten with a clerk (Edna Purviance).
THE TRAMP (1915, 26 minutes): As the iconic title character, Chaplin works on a farm hoping to win the heart of the farmer’s daughter.
THE CHAMPION (1915, 31 minutes): After Chaplin proves a surprisingly successful boxer, a gambler asks him to throw a fight. With Ben Turpin.
A NIGHT IN THE SHOW (1915, 30 minutes): Chaplin plays a dual role as Mr. Pest and Mr. Rowdy, audience members at a music hall performance.