The Vagabond

The Vagabond (1916) is an early Charlie Chaplin short comedy you can watch online on iFILM. His Little Tramp scrapes by as a street violinist until a louder brass band muscles him off the best corner.

From there the film turns into a rescue. Chaplin pulls a fair-haired drudge (Edna Purviance) out of the Roma camp holding her, carts her off in a battered wagon, and falls for her on the road. Eric Campbell, the hulking on-screen nemesis of Chaplin's Mutual years, looms over their short-lived peace. This one comes from his prolific stretch at the Mutual Film Corporation, the point where slapstick first picks up a streak of real feeling — the Tramp starts tugging at you, not just tripping over things. Stream The Vagabond (1916) online on iFILM.