The Floorwalker is a 1916 short film written by, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin.
In this one the Tramp wanders into a department store and causes his usual chaos, knocking over displays, making messes with a drinking fountain, and antagonizing the shop assistant (Albert Austin). Meanwhile, the senior floorwalker (Lloyd Bacon) is involved in a conspiracy with the store manager (Eric Campbell) in which they have stolen $80,000 from the store. The floorwalker and manager panic when they receive word that detectives are on the way to account for the missing money. And it just so happens that the floorwalker bears a startling resemblance to the Tramp.
The first of 12 short films that Charlie Chaplin made for the Mutual film corporation. The Mutual films are commonly regarded as some of the best short films in the Chaplin canon.
Tropes:
- Beard of Evil: Eric Campbell wears a ridiculous fake beard to play the evil store manager.
- Briefcase Full of Money: A valise with $80,000 that comes into the Tramp's possession after the real floorwalker is conked on the head by the detectives and dragged away.
- Identical Stranger: The Tramp and the floorwalker are dressed similarly and have similar curly dark hair and toothbrush mustaches. After they change clothes, everyone in the store mistakes the Tramp for the floorwalker, despite the fact that the floorwalker is obviously a few inches taller.
- Neck Lift: The hulking store manager winds up doing this to the Tramp when battling him for the briefcase. Charlie apparently isn't too bothered, as he scratches his leg while being held in mid-air.
- No Honor Among Thieves: The manager, having gotten word that the detectives are coming, calls in his partner in crime, the floorwalker. The floorwalker, rather than split the take with the manager, whacks him on the head with a drawer and makes off with the whole bag of loot.
- Literal Ass-Kicking: This was a requirement for a Charlie Chaplin comedy, and much butt-kicking takes place. In one scene Charlie carefully evaluates the position of the shop assistant's butt, positions himself properly, and is just winding his leg back for a kick when the presence of a detective stops him.
- Mirror Routine: Possibly the Trope Maker. The Tramp and his Identical Stranger the floorwalker do this for a while when they blunder into the same room. Charlie finally breaks the spell when he reaches out and confirms that the floorwalker's valise is really there.
- Police Are Useless: The shop assistant and the detectives have an eye out for the Tramp, who is knocking things over and being a nuisance but isn't stealing anything. While they're preoccupied with him, well-dressed middle-class customers are robbing the place blind.
- Running Gag: A strangely fast-moving escalator to the manager's second-floor office winds up making problems for virtually everyone in the cast.
- Stealing from the Till: The floorwalker and manager have embezzled $80,000 from the store.
- Swapped Roles: The floorwalker, needing to make a getaway, suggests that he and the Tramp switch places. Charlie, who needs a job, agrees. The floorwalker is arrested before he gets out of the store (he didn't know that the cops were already after Charlie), while Charlie bumbles his way through the floorwalker's job for a while.
- Trigger-Happy: The detectives who start shooting into a crowded shop floor while trying to stop the manager from getting away with the cash.
- The Wrong Way on the Escalator: Near the end, Charlie tries to run down the escalator but the escalator moves upwards.
