The Little Tramp’s Screen Debut - How Charlie Chaplin made "Kid Auto Races in Venice"

The Kid Auto Races were what? How Charlie's Little Tramp made his screen debut during "Kid Auto Races at Venice, Cal."
Charlie first appeared in public as the Little Tramp on Saturday and Sunday, January 10 and 11, 1914, photobombing the kid auto races and pushmobile races held in Venice, CA that weekend. Charlie first played the Little Tramp on camera Friday, January 9, filming initial scenes for Mabel Normand's self-directed comedy "Mabel's Strange Predicament," a role Charlie completed for Mabel the next week after his weekend filming in Venice. Mabel's comedy was released after "Kid Auto" premiered. So "Kid Auto" marks the tramp's onscreen debut, and debut public appearance. At the time no one in Venice watching Charlie had the slightest idea who he was.
This 1914 magazine story explains Kid Auto Races - Technical World Magazine, May 1914 Page 394 archive.org/de...
Score - Looking Back - a rag, by John Bengtson • Looking Back - a rag b...
Special thanks to Todd von Hoffmann for first advising me about the 1914 magazine article, and to Jeff Castel de Oro for the photos.
Read more about Kid Auto on my blog silentlocation...

[@cynthiamachado7915]

I love to see how these California towns looked back in the early 20th century and I am so ashamed at what they look like now. So much has been lost to progress yet very few buildings are preserved for history. I am most grateful of your film history research and videos, I just enjoy your work so much. Thank you

[@dianeo]

Wonderful to have such documentation of an area in such an historic film, but sad that these sights are long gone. I do love seeing the little pieces of what does still remain such as buildings and the curbs where some scenes took place. Thank you.

[@aviduser1961]

Excellent tour! Kid Auto Races is not only a funny short from the Keystone era, it is a visual document of the first audience to see the Tramp character. And they have no idea.

[@MikulRobins]

Brilliant as always. Glad to know some buildings still stand. And I hadn't' known that historian John Bengston composed music!. I'll check out the link to more music

[@GoldLeafPress]

Can’t believe the effort you went through to make this video to find the locations. Wow. I don’t know why but it’s really amazing how time has changed and what was once dirt roads and minimal buildings; is now the suburbs…😢 it’s sad because I don’t like change

[@mj4ever1332]

So interesting!

[@jackmorrison7379]

I've previously seen Chaplin's quite frankly creepy appearance on the sidelines of a non-studio real event involving kids and what some of us call soapbox derby competition. OK, they also included lightly powered small size cars too. As you rightly say nobody knew who he was, and for the life of me I cannot understand what he and his crew hoped to accomplish. Many must have said who is that strangely costumed man with a cameraman in tow , and why is he mugging for the camera at our event? But I realize there is a devoted Chaplin cult who find the slightest critical comment/questioning of anything impermissible. Well some of us while respecting his cinematic achievements and importance as an artist nonetheless feel free to have an opinion.

[@brucekilby9957]

Kid Auto is a very important movie,being Charlie's movie introduction to The US. A number of folks find it funny,but more not so.The greatest comic silent comedian.🇬🇧🇺🇸🎢😊