Judge, 1921-11-05 · page 26 of 36
Judge — November 5, 1921 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a comic strip proposal submitted by readers to *Judge* magazine, suggesting a slapstick scenario for Charlie Chaplin's films. The narrative follows Chaplin's iconic "Tramp" character (identifiable by his bowler hat and suit silhouette) playing football with boys. The joke unfolds through physical comedy: Chaplin kicks a football that accidentally knocks off an old gentleman's hat. The man chases after both Chaplin and the hat, leading to a chaotic sixty-yard pursuit culminating in a touchdown. This reflects early 1920s cinema culture, when *Judge* invited reader participation in creating Chaplin film ideas. The humor relies on silent-film conventions—exaggerated slapstick, mistaken pursuit, and absurd escalation—rather than dialogue. The "SCORE 6 to 0" panel emphasizes the comedic payoff of this physical gag sequence typical of Chaplin's era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
For the Children A Suggestion for a Motion Picture—for Charlie If you have an idea that Cha:lie can work into @ picture send it to JUDGE, and if it is used in the magazine Charlie will ree it. Mire Ww {li wm Asc daies mm The boys playing football welcome Charlie to the game. man’s hat, into which the ball bounds. sit _ ti iii Ld aan toe hres wet His wonderful place kick knocks off an old gentle- The boys, wondering where the ball has gone, follow the old gentleman in a chase of Charlie, who makes a sixty-yard run for a touchdown. 2 comicbooks.com