Kid Auto Races at Venice
R: Henry Lehrman. K: Enrique Juan Vallejo, Frank D. Williams. D: Charles Chaplin (uncredited), Henry Lehrman. P: Keystone Film Company (Mack Sennett). USA 1914

Chaplins first appearance as tramp

“What’s notable about the film and can be said for precious little that made us laugh a century ago is that it’s still so fresh and funny. It holds great historical value, obviously, but the film also has an off-the-cuff energy that is often lacking in the under-cranked chases and knockabout slapstick that has caused other Keystone shorts (including those Chaplin would follow it with) to age comparatively poorly. Much of this is attributable to the circumstances of the shoot an improvised production (on a stolen location, basically) that Lehrman would later say was knocked out in the space of about an hour. So with no plot, no script, and no time, what we’re witnessing is the purity of comic craft, put across in the specificity of Chaplin’s pantomimes, his interactions with the camera, and (most remarkably) his crackerjack comic timing.”
Jason Bailey
FLAVORWIRE

>>> Chaplin’s debut Making a Living on this site: Charlie’s First Appearance