[Behind the screen]

Set in a film studio, this slapstick comedy features Charles Chaplin as David, a stage hand, in constant trouble with Goliath, played by Eric Campbell, his boss. The film ends with a pie-slinging contest in which Chaplin never gets hit. Also features Edna Purviance, Albert Austin, Lloyd Bacon and Harry Bergman. Silent film.

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Collection

In ACMI's collection

Credits

director

Charles Chaplin

production company

Mutual

Duration

00:18:53:00

Production places

United States

Production dates

1916

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

312504

Language

English

Subject categories

Comedy

Comedy → Slapstick comedies

Short films

Short films → Short films - United States

Silent films

Sound/audio

Silent

Colour

Black and White

Holdings

16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)

Please note: this archive is an ongoing body of work. Sometimes the credit information (director, year etc) isn’t available so these fields may be left blank; we are progressively filling these in with further research.

Cite this work on Wikipedia

If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/89674--behind-the-screen/ |title=[Behind the screen] |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=22 September 2026 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}

United States, 1916

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