The Gold Rush

It's March and a time if year that some have called the thaw as the cold snaps and the spring time begins to emerge. However, since we're not fully out of the grasp of winter just yet, why not highlight a movie highlighting the season of cold wind, hot beverages, and blankets? Today's subject will do just that, showcasing the frigid cold and featuring one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history.

So if you're like me and you enjoy film and the impact and emptions they convey then grab a glass of your preferred liquid and join me for the next little while. For me that's a mug of hot chocolate. So sit back, relax, and let's talk about the love of film. Welcome to Glazed Cinema.

Today I'm excited to talk about one of my favorite movies from one of my favorite directors. It's a classic of the silent era and one that I never tire of. Even while taking the hint for this episode I couldn't just pause at the moment I wanted to capture, I just couldn't stop watching.

Our subject today begins with the view of written dialogue which states:

"During the Great Gold Rush of Alaska, men in thousands came from all parts of the world. Many were ignorant of the hardships before them, the intense cold, lack of food...and a journey through regions of ice and snow was a problem that awaited them."

Then we cut to a white and snowy hillside where a long line of people walk beneath impossibly tall pine trees. Another dialogue screen appears, reading; "The Chilkoot Pass. A test of man's endurance. At this point many turned back discouraged, whilst others went bravely on." Next we see large mountains in the background while in the foreground rests a town with snow covered roofs as prospectors meander through the buildings. We see from the base of the town the long line of people leading up to the summit. A few other shots appear next from the top of the summit, as the prospectors make their way up the incredibly steep incline and onto the plateau.

As another dialogue screen hints at a lone prospector soon we see the all too familiar silhouette of The Tramp traversing a narrow ledge of a mountain of high altitude. From this point on we will follow this loveable character through many adventures in a new setting in Chaplin's 1925 release of The Gold Rush.

Today's subject offers a lot to love for the average and seasoned film fan. It also comes from one of the greatest minds and entertainers in cinematic history. At the time of this release though the workhorse director of the silent era was coming off of a flop. His previous film, "A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate" failed at the box office and was a disappointment among fans as well. So when the studio wanted another effort from the director, he knew he had to deliver for him as much as the studio and his fans.

While searching for inspiration, he found it rather naturally. The inspiration for The Gold Rush came to Chaplin while he was viewing stereoscope footage of the Klondike gold rush of 1896. If you're unfamiliar with what a stereoscope is, they were personal viewing glasses that were made of wood. Affixed to the frames was a t-frame, which held pictures at the end. The viewer would look through the lenses into the pictures, which would enlarge the image and simulate being there. In the nineties there was a children's toy that was similar to them, called a View-Master. Essentially they were a red plastic handheld device with two eye lenses and insertable pictures the viewer could cycle through.

While Chaplin was looking through images through the stereoscope he came across footage from the Yukon Gold Rush. In the images were the long lines of prospectors snaking up mountain passes to reach the gold fields, to dig for yellow stone. Chaplin saw an opportunity to infuse comedy into the story of weary miner. This initiated the idea of today's subject and would spark inspiration, but he would find another bit of inspiration still that would round out his idea. Apart from the reel footage he was also reading a novel that recounted the trails of the Donner Party in covered wagon times. If that name doesn't ring a bell, they were a group of settlers that became snowbound while heading westward in 1846. As they got trapped in the deep snow and ice, they had to resort to cannibalism in a desperate effort at survival.

With these two ideas Chaplin began writing a script for his next movie, which would bring comedy, humor, and a love story to the serious and tragic source materials. Originally he had a miner character in mind, but decided that this might suit his then already iconic The Tramp character. Within these elements he could set his character amongst new challenges, new scenarios, and new gags.

The plot of The Gold Rush revolves around a lone prospector venturing to reach the gold town of . While journeying through the ice, snow, and freezing wind he encounters a cabin in the wilderness. Taking refuge within the sheltered walls of the wood cabin he meets two men, one of whom is a known and wanted criminal named Black Larsen, the other a fellow prospector, named Big Jim. Surviving the cabin and the snow squall our Tramp arrives at the gold town and becomes smitten with a woman named Georgia, who works at the local dancing hall, "The Monte Carlo". While living in town, our hero tries to win the girl and make his fortune alongside Big Jim McKay...all while hilariously fumbling, accidentally causing trouble, and having a good time.

Within the movie there are three characters with whom this story revolves around other than The Tramp. One of them is Georgia, played by Georgia Hale, who we mentioned earlier. Georgia is a dancer and entertainer at the Monte Carlo and is the belle of the town proper. She also happens to be seeing Jack Cameron, the town's ladies man, played by Malcolm Waite. Jack is a tall and charismatic man who lacks no confidence and is brash and rude, even to Georgia. I almost equate him to Gaston type character from Beauty and the Beast. Then there is Big Jim, played by Mack Swain, the fellow prospector and The Tramp's only friend in this brutal environment. Big Jim is a big man who hopes to strike it big, but also wants to help The Tramp do the same.

While in production there were challenges that arose that had to be overcome. Of those, one of the biggest obstacles while making the picture was the role of the leading lady. At first Lita Grey was cast in the role, which reunited her and the director from their film titled The Kid from 1921. The The Kid, Grey had portrayed a flirtatious angel. While filming, they began to see each other and six months into production filming paused as she had to bow out on maternity leave. This pause in filming required a new leading actress to be cast in the role of Georgia. Chaplin found his new lead while watching a movie at his home, a film called The Salvation Hunters by Josef von Sternberg. He was captivated by Georgia Hale in her performance and instantly new that he had found his new leading lady. After approaching her about the part she signed a contract and the rest as they say is history.

Another interesting challenge was when he had to film the opening shots of the film, which harken to the original inspiration of the film, the stereoscope images he had viewed visualizing the prospectors travelling to the gold fields in long queues. To recreate these scenes it required Chaplin to begin quite the undertaking of filming on location in the mountains. Among the scenes filmed on location were the intro. Of course to do this right and well meant a large number of extras had to be brought into the mountainous region. Chaplin ended up hiring and brining in over 600 extras from Sacramento to the Sierra Nevadas. Dressed in period clothing and carrying tools and props they helped make that original image come alive on screen.

When they weren't filming in the snowy and frigid mountains they were back on set in Los Angeles where elaborate sets and miniature models were created to pull off other shots and effects that the director demanded. Of those sets was a mountain range, and a small log cabin, which is home to some very funny moments. One of those sets, the narrow mountain pass mentioned earlier is the scene I used for the hint of this episode.

The cabin scenes is where the Donner party influence comes into play as the three men are kept inside the small cabin during a blizzard. Among those scenes is a moment I've always been curious about, which is when they boil one of The Tramp's shoes for food. We see him cutting and eating parts of the shoe including the nails and laces for sustenance. I've always wondered what it was he was eating and during my research I found out. It so happens that for those scenes a food was chosen that could be molded into the shapes they needed and could have a varied consistency. The food was black licorice, which sounds delightful to me, but I'm sure might sound off putting to others. However it wasn't so great for the actors as it reportedly took three days and sixty-three takes to get the final sequence we see in the film. In fact they had to make 20 pairs of the licorice boots to shoot as many takes as it required. The amount consumed also apparently caused some undesirable laxative effects.

One of my favorite moments of the film and one I can't not bring up is a moment that has been imitated and recreated several times in several mediums. It occurs inside of The Tramp's shack during a dream sequence. Imagining what his dinner with Georgia could be he is sitting at the dinner table, entertaining her. He takes two forks and two dinner rolls, stick a fork in each. Then as only Charlie Chaplin can, begins to dance the rolls as if they were feet. It's such a great moment and one of my favorites within the director's infamous filmography. Movies and TV shows afterward have reimagined this moment be it The Simpsons, The Three Stooges, and The Muppets.

When The Gold Rush debuted in 1925 it was a big hit at the box office, earning rave reviews among critics and fans alike. Chaplin, it would seem was back and better than ever. However, nobody knew at the time, but they would come to learn that he was just getting started. The success of The Gold Rush lit a spark and brilliant streak for the director. Over his next six efforts, he would release five of his best movies. Those would include The Circus, Modern Times, and a previous episode on Glazed Cinema, City Lights.

Years later Chaplin would revisit The Gold Rush, making edits and inserting two new facets. These included a spoken narration in place of the written dialogue and a new score, performed by an orchestra. Some of the original was cut and trimmed down in what would become a rerelease in 1942. Unfortunately the original had been deemed lost, but a 35mm original was unearthed in a private collector's collection, which was used to recreate and restore the original version to as close to what was released back in 1925. It's great to see this movie in its near original form and the 1942 version is worth a watch s well, though I prefer the original myself.

The Gold Rush is among my favorite movies for a lot of reasons. As a hopeless romantic I enjoy the love story and rooting for the underdog to get the girl. It also has a high entertainment value as there are plenty of laugh out loud funny moments to be found that are balanced out by a bit of drama. For me, this movie plays all the right notes and I never tire of its charm and delightfulness. I can watch it in almost any mood and whenever its on I can't take my eyes off the screen. In fact, that happened when I was taking the hint for this episode. I had to pause to capture the moment I wanted, but I couldn't stop watching after hitting play. Chaplin is always so captivating in his roles, he commands each scene and is so entertaining. There's so much to love in this movie and if you haven't seen it, you should definitely press play on this one.

If you're in the mood for a well-rounded comedy or want to explore more Charlie Chaplin, then look no further. This gem of silent cinema will keep you warm and entertained through this last bit of cold winter.

If you'd like to watch The Gold Rush for yourself you can find it on a variety of streaming services. At the time of this recording you can find it on The Criterion Channel. The Criterion Channel is a streaming service from our friends at the Criterion Collection and offers a diverse catalog of tremendous value with pricing options of $9.99 per month or $99 per year, which is what I chose to do.

The Gold Rush can also be found on Max. Max is a streaming service from HBO and offers a wide variety of content with pricing options of $9.99 with ads, $15.99 or $19.99 for Ultimate Ad-Free

Apart from Max you can also find it on Tubi. Tubi is a streaming service with great offerings from TV, Movies, Sports, and more and the best part is it's completely free for your enjoyment.

Lastly you can also find it on Freevee, Plex, and Prime Video free of charge as well.

If you like this podcast tell your friends and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Each week there will be new content including hints about episodes before they air. If you'd like to learn more about the podcast visit our website at glazedcinema.com. There you'll find more info about the show and a place to submit ideas for future episodes. For film fans who are hearing impaired the blog page on our website features each episode in written form as well. As always thanks for listening and I hope to see you next time with another beverage and another fine film on Glazed Cinema.