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The Pawnshop U rating

One of the most popular shorts Charlie Chaplin made for Mutual, The Pawnshop features a famous sequence in which he dissects an alarm clock, prefiguring the mechanics-inspired humour of Modern Times.

Comedy 1916 26 mins Silent

Director: Charles Chaplin

Overview

One of the most popular shorts Charlie Chaplin made for Mutual, The Pawnshop features a famous sequence in which he dissects an alarm clock, prefiguring the mechanics-inspired humour of Modern Times, and which also includes an inspired use of stop-motion photography.

It was in this film that Henry Bergman, as the pawnbroker, began his thirty-year association with Chaplin, during which he became one of the comedian’s key advisors. Chaplin’s half-brother Syd Chaplin also worked on the film.