Plot: The tramp (Charlie Chaplin) wanders around a department store and seems to cause chaos wherever he goes, upsetting the workers and often even the customers, even if he means no harm. But a shady floorwalker sees a chance to take advantage, because he happens to share a likeness with the tramp. The floorwalker plans to rob the store and if the tramp can pose in his place for a while, it will provide not only a distraction, but perhaps even a scapegoat. Soon, the tramp is on the run from the store manager and the store security guard, while the floorwalker tries to sneak out with a haul of cash, stolen from the store’s safe. Of course, things never go as planned when the tramp happens to be involved…

Entertainment Value: This was the first of the shorts Charlie Chaplin made in his Mutual days, a light, often hilarious movie that has a lot of Chaplin’s signature style and costars involved. This is a breezy short, with minimal plot outside of the old switcheroo, but there’s a wealth of creative, sometimes even brilliant humor here. The pace is a little on the laid back side, but that’s more allowing the humor to breathe, rather than the frantic approach sometimes taken. But of course, there are some bursts of that frenetic style found in The Floorwalker. Chaplin moves smoothly from set piece to set piece here, one effective scene after another, with most being quite humorous. The escalator scene is a highlight, but I think this short packs in a lot of laughs in a short duration, even outside the bigger, more memorable sequences. I also love how well Chaplin and his costars go back and forth, as I really appreciate Chaplin’s attention to character, even in a light plot like this one. This is a fun, brisk short that anyone interested in Chaplin or classic comedy should look into.

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