The Kid (1921) was Charlie Chaplin's first feature-length film. It also has the distinction of being the first film to combine comedy and drama. Though the filming was completed in 1920, the film was tied up in Chaplin's divorce from his first wife, Mildred Harris, whose lawyers were fighting to attach the then unfinished The Kid to Chaplin's assets. Chaplin smuggled the film reel negatives to Salt Lake City, Utah and finished editing the film there, holed up in a hotel room. With elements from his own life (the loss of his first son, the poor workhouse conditions of his youth) adding a genuine empathy, The Kid was a huge success upon it's release in 1921, and marked Chaplin's full transition from Actor to Artist.
A poor, unwed mother (Edna Purviance) is forced to abandon her baby. She leaves the infant in the back seat of a wealthy person's car, hoping the child will find a good home. The car is stolen, however, and the thieves dump the baby on the street. A Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) finds the kid and initially tries to pass him off on someone else, but is unsuccessful. The Tramp keeps the kid and does his best to raise him...
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| The Kid. 1921: Charlie Chaplin |
Five years later: The Tramp and the Kid (Jackie Coogan) are still together, committing fairly innocent petty crimes to get by (the Kid throws rocks through people's windows and the Tramp conveniently passes by shortly afterward carrying glass repair equipment)...
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| The Kid. 1921: Charlie Chaplin |
They must keep a vigilant look out for Police, however...
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| The Kid. 1921: Charlie Chaplin |
Everything is fine until the Kid gets sick and the Tramp summons a doctor. The doctor learns that the Tramp is not the boy's father and reports it. The Kid is taken away...
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| The Kid. 1921: Charlie Chaplin |
What are they to do?
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| The Kid. 1921: Charlie Chaplin |
