The New Janitor

I've seen quite a few Chaplin shorts from early in his career and I've noticed that his early stuff (done for Keystone Studios) is pretty dreadful stuff. Unlike his wonderful full-length films from the 20s and 30s, the films from 1914-1915 are incredibly poorly made--having no script but only vague instructions from the director. In most cases, the films had almost no plot and degenerated to people punching and kicking each other.

However, unlike MOST Keystone comedies, this short actually has a pretty well-defined plot. Charlie is a janitor and gets fired when he accidentally dumps a pail of water on the boss' head. Later, an employee with gambling debts tries to steal from the company safe but is caught by a female employee. The cad attacks the lady and Charlie springs to the rescue.

Unfortunately, despite having more plot, this film isn't all that funny. Still, compared with MOST early Chaplin films, this is worth watching.

By the way, the bellboy appears to be Al St. John--a perennial extra in silent comedies and Fatty Arbuckle's nephew.

As Chaplin's earliest films continue to evolve you can see more and more of the sight gags that would become very common in his later films, such as kicking his cigarette when he throws it away, various kicking and falling routines, and one which would be used again in The Immigrant a few years later, holding a man up with a gun held between his legs from behind.

This film has a more complex plot that the majority of Chaplin's short comedies that came before it, although I might have to admit that at times I found it to be a little bit hard to follow, maybe because the comedy was not quite enough to pull along the rest of the story, which itself is not quite strong enough to stand on its own.

Charlie plays a janitor who, as is to be expected, gets himself fired in some hilarious way, and then later comes to the rescue when an employee with a gambling debt attacks a woman who catches him trying to steal from the safe to cover his debt. The story is not complex or even very interesting, but it's there, and it shows that Chaplin sees the lack of story in his films so far as is trying to improve that.

A ripping good comedy number, with Chas. Chapman playing the part of the Janitor. He interpolates a lot of his inimitable funny business and the plot is better than usual. It contains a mixture of suspense and humor. A very good offering. - The Moving Picture World, September 26, 1914

'The New Janitor' might not be the funniest of Charles Chaplin's Keystone works, but it is his best. The plot is interesting, intriguing even. Chaplin's Tramp is an all-around good guy here the first time. He causes some trouble but they are accidents but not deeds done in spite. And in the end, he comes out as a hero who saves the day. The lack of the rough over-the-top slapstick makes the movie even better and more enjoyable. This movie is not just a farce but a nice crime comedy with some subtle touches

Charlot is the school janitor. His troubles range from lifting the basket that drops its contents on the ground to the overthrow of a bucket of water on the director. When the manager is stealing from the safe he is stopped by the secretary, who he silences and lands by force. Charlot arrives and saves her. The police arrive, who initially thinks that Charlot is the culprit. After slapstick and rolling, Charlot is free and receives a reward. Charlot begins to take on the role of man in the cylinder, mustache and long shoes that avenges the oppressed with his strategies and architectures comic.