The Tramp

The Tramp (1915) is the Charlie Chaplin short you can watch online on iFILM. Twenty-six minutes, no spoken word, made at the Essanay studio. This is where his Little Fellow first turned into a character the whole world would recognize.

The Tramp drifts onto a family farm, takes a job, and falls hard for the farmer's daughter, played by Chaplin's longtime co-star Edna Purviance. He fends off a gang of crooks, bumbles his way into being a hero, and lets himself hope she might feel the same. Then he learns she already has a sweetheart. The heartbreak is real, even if he hides it behind a grin.

The closing shot became one of cinema's most quoted images: a lone figure walking off down an empty road, shoulders dropping, then squaring again as he twirls his cane and keeps going. That mix of laughter and ache is pure Chaplin, and it starts right here. A short, essential watch for anyone curious about the roots of silent comedy. Stream The Tramp (1915) online on iFILM.