A Thief Catcher
About A Thief Catcher
Two crooks chase a police chief who saw them while he was out with his dog. Cornered in a barn, he sends the dog off with a note. The Keystone cops arrive, Chaplin among them, and take the burglars after a long muddle.
Cast & crew
More about A Thief Catcher
Ford Sterling directed and plays the chief. Mack Sennett produced. Keystone released it on February 19, 1914. One reel, about 7 minutes 35 seconds. Mabel Normand is credited with the writing. Mack Swain and Edgar Kennedy play the crooks. Chaplin's policeman part is uncredited. Shot between January 4 and January 26, 1914.
Themes
Preservation
Believed lost until a 16mm print was found in Michigan in 2010.
Notes
- The film was thought lost, and Chaplin's part unknown, until Paul E. Gierucki found a 16mm print at a Michigan antique sale in 2010.
- Chaplin had said in interviews that he played a policeman bit at Keystone.
- William Hauber, George Jeske, and Rube Miller are the other cops.
- The dog, not a telephone, carries the message.
Scenes
- The dog runs the note to headquarters.
- The cops, Chaplin included, finally take the two crooks.
