Pay Day *** (1922, Charlie Chaplin, Phyllis Allen, Mack Swain, Edna Purviance, Syd Chaplin) – Classic Movie Review 12,148

Pay Day (1922) is Charles Chaplin’s final two-reel short film, running just 21 minutes. Chaplin writes, directs and stars in the film, made by First National Pictures.

Chaplin plays a bricklayer house construction labourer, a henpecked husband whose wife (Phyllis Allen) wants all his pay, but he keeps enough to go drinking and returns in time to pretend he has just woken to go to work. His wife takes the pay he has hidden in his hat but he steals her purse so he can go out for an evening at the saloon, then he has trouble getting home on a rainy night.

The cast are Charlie Chaplin as labourer, Phyllis Allen as labourer’s Wife, Mack Swain as Foreman, Edna Purviance as Foreman’s Daughter, Syd Chaplin as Mustachioed Workman / labourer’s Friend / Lunch Cart Owner, John Rand as Workman, Loyal Underwood as Bearded Workman, Henry Bergman as Fat Workman, and Al Ernest Garcia as Tall Workman / Policeman.

A Dog’s Life (1918) is the first of Chaplin’s nine films for First National, followed by The Bond (1918), Shoulder Arms (1918), Sunnyside (1919), A Day’s Pleasure (1919), The Kid (1921), The Idle Class (1921), Pay Day (1922), and The Pilgrim (1923).

Monta Bell was hired as general assistant and helped Chaplin to develop the scenario before production, which took 31 days instead of the five months for The Idle Class (1921).

© Derek Winnert 2022 Classic Movie Review 12,148

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