Making a Living
AKA A Busted Johnny in the USA; Pour gagner sa vie in France : [Troubles], [Doing His Best], [Take My Picture]
(1914) American
B&W : One reel / 314 metres
Directed by Henry Lehrman

Cast: Charles Chaplin [a busted suitor], Henry Lehrman [the rival suitor, a newspaper reporter], Virginia Kirtley [the object of their affections], Alice Davenport [her mother], [?] ? [the butler], [?] ? [the editor], Chester Conklin [a street bum outside the newspaper offices; the policeman at the accident], [?] ? [the woman on the porch], [?] ? [her murderous husband], Minta Durfee [an accident onlooker], [?] Tammany Young [an accident onlooker]?, the Keystone Kops

Keystone Film Company production; distributed by Mutual Film Corporation. / Produced by Mack Sennett. Scenario by [?] Reed Heustis? Cinematography by [?] E.J Vallejo and/or Frank D. Williams? / No copyright registration. Released 2 February 1914. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.37:1 format. / Working title: The Reporters. [?] Completed or shipped? on 14 January 1914. Chaplin’s film debut and his first film for Keystone. The film was released in Spain on 17 March 1916. The film was reedited and rereleased in the USA as A Busted Johnny by W.H. Productions Company in 1918. The film was released in Finland on 7 December 1921.

Comedy.

Survival Status: Print exists [16mm reduction positive].

Keywords: Accidents: Automobile - Apartments: Bedrooms - Cameras - Chases - Crime: Theft - Deceit - Doors: Screen - Engagements - Fights - Furniture: Beds, Chairs - Newspapers: Editors, Presses, Press rooms, Reporters - Offices - Panhandling - Pillows - Police: Policemen - Porches - Signage - Stairs: Wood - Street scenes: Alleys, Downtown, Residential - Transportation: Automobiles, Bicycles, Street cars - Typesetting - USA: California: Los Angeles - Water - Weapons: Knives

Listing updated: 30 March 2007.

References: Film viewing : Bardèche-History p. 85; Bohn-Light pp. 67, 69; Edmonds-Arbuckle p. 59; Jacobs-Chaplin pp. 26-27, 29, 77, 135; Kerr-Silent p. 75; Lahue-Kops pp. 58, 63, 144; Lahue-Mack p. 294; Lahue-World p. 78; Sinyard-Silent p. 99; Sklar-Movie pp. 110, 111; Tarbox-Lost pp. 125, 172, 197, 279 : Website-IMDb.

Home Video: DVD.