The Champion (1915 film)

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The Champion
Theatrical poster of The Champion (1915)
Directed by	Charles Chaplin
Written by	Charles Chaplin
Produced by	Jess Robbins
Starring	Charles Chaplin Edna Purviance Ernest Van Pelt Robert Shields Lloyd Bacon Leo White Carl Stockdale Billy Armstrong Paddy McGuire Bud Jamison Ben Turpin
Cinematography	Harry Ensign
Edited by	Charlie Chaplin
Music by	Robert Israel (Kino video release)
Distributed by	Essanay Studios General Film Company
Release date	March 11, 1915 (1915-03-11)
Running time	33 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Silent film English (original intertitles)

The Champion is a comedy film released in 1915 by Essanay Studios, starring Charles Chaplin alongside Edna Purviance and Leo White. Essanay co-owner and star, Broncho Billy Anderson can be seen as an enthusiastic audience member in the boxing match scene.

Play media

The Champion

Plot[]

In this comedy, Charlie Chaplin has a companion—a pet bulldog. Walking along a street with his bulldog, Charlie finds a "good luck" horseshoe just as he passes the training camp of an enormous fighter named Spike Dugan. Outside the camp is a large, painted advertisement which states Dugan is seeking sparring partners "who can take a punch." After watching other better fighters be soundly beaten by Dugan, Charlie decides his best bet is to put the horseshoe inside his boxing glove. Using the loaded glove, Charlie connects with a solid punch and wins. The trainer prepares Charlie to fight the world champion. A gambler wants Charlie to throw the fight. He and the trainer's daughter fall in love.

Notes[]

In some versions of the film, an inter-title introducing the heavyweight boxers refers to Spike Dugan as "Spike Hennessey"—although the surname Dugan is clearly painted on the wall surrounding his training camp.

This was the second Chaplin film to focus on boxing. He had already made a comedy for Keystone Studios, titled The Knockout (1914), in which he was a secondary character—a boxing referee. In City Lights (1931) he would again play an outsized and outclassed pugilist.

Cast[]

Charles Chaplin in The Champion (1915)

• Charles Chaplin - Challenger
• Edna Purviance - Trainer's daughter
• Ernest Van Pelt - Spike Dugan
• Lloyd Bacon - Second sparring partner / Referee
• Leo White - Crooked gambler
• Carl Stockdale - Sparring partner
• Billy Armstrong - Sparring partner
• Paddy McGuire - Sparring partner
• Bud Jamison - Bob Uppercut, Champion
• Ben Turpin - Ringside vendor

External links[]

• The Champion at IMDb
• The Champion is available for free download at the Internet Archive

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