Idle Class, The; Pay Day

3085. THE IDLE CLASS and PAY DAY (1921-1922-USA).
1. THE IDLE CLASS (1921). With CHARLIE CHAPLIN, EDNA PURVIANCE, MACK SWAIN. Directed, produced and written by CHAPLIN. The “summer season” is here and an assortment of well-heeled oddballs and snobs arrive at a resort community. Among them is Charlie, cast as a wealthy gent whose fondness for drink has alienated him from his wife. However, in this rollicking comedy, you get two Chaplins for the price of one. Charlie also appears as the rich man’s lookalike, a much less-monied fellow with a hyperactive fantasy life and a less than perfect golf swing. The various goings-on at the costume ball finale are especially entertaining. But, don’t miss the hilarious sequence of the “wealthy” Charlie trapped in a phone booth with no pants! Superb!
2. PAY DAY (1922). With CHARLIE CHAPLIN, MACK SWAIN, EDNA PURVIANCE, SYDNEY CHAPLIN. Directed, produced and written by CHAPUN. This diverting comedy is filled with nifty set pieces involving construction site worker Charlie’s on-the-job antics. My favorite; Charlie “laying” bricks (by running the camera backwards)! Keep your eye on that hot soldering iron! It seems that Charlie has a sharp eye for his foreman’s daughter, despite the fact that he is already married (to a battleaxe, of course). Also amusing are his after-hours antics as he heads out for a night on the town. This film is of note as the last two-reeler Chaplin ever made. “Silent” films with music score. 54 minutes total. Chaplin