The Fireman

Part of the Series: Chaplin's Mutual Comedies

In Chaplin's second effort for Mutual, he portrays an inept firefighter at Fire Station 23. Charlie, still asleep, mistakes a drill bell for a fire alarm and single-handedly drives out the horse-drawn fire engine. When he discovers his error, he simply backs up the engine into the fire station, with horses galloping backward (an early instance of camera tricks--cameramen Foster and Totheroh skillfully cranked the cameras in reverse and Chaplin staged the action backward).