Review by Steffi_P

Now well into his tenure at Essanay studios, this is the point where Charlie Chaplin really starts to gain confidence and build a blueprint for his short features. What's significant about a Jitney Elopement is that it represents the most serious thought he has put so far into developing a story, and trying his hand at straight dramatic direction.

The picture opens, not with the tramp, but with a scene establishing the set-up and a background story for the action to take place in. Chaplin here demonstrates what he has learnt from DW Griffith, with some neat, functional shots, and making nice use of tree branches to frame Edna Purviance. As his little tramp character has developed, he is giving him more attention-grabbing entrances, this time appearing from an iris in an iconic pose, framed starkly against a brick wall.

However, a Jitney Elopement is often thought as one of Chaplin's weakest Essanay efforts, and it's not hard to see why. In spite of this promising opening, Chaplin seems to have skimped on good comedy. The dining-table routine is a bit lifeless, and we then descend into a Keystone-ish farce-in-the-park and car chase. There also seem to have been some problems with editing, as a few two-shot gags are poorly timed looking very unprofessional. Great supporting players like Leo White and Bud Jamison are underused. Chaplin would make a more successful job of blending gags with a romantic storyline in his next appearance – The Tramp.

And now, the all-important statistic –

Number of kicks up the arse: 2 (1 for, 1 against)