The Tramp's Unexpected Skate
About The Tramp's Unexpected Skate
A tramp called Weary Willie sleeps against a railing in front of a painted park backdrop. Two boys on roller skates take one pair off and strap the skates to his feet, then wake him. He tries to chase them, cannot get traction, and falls again and again. The film ends with him on his back and his feet in the air.
Cast & crew
More about The Tramp's Unexpected Skate
Edwin S. Porter directed it for the Edison Manufacturing Company, which also distributed it. AFI dates the release May 1901, in the series Tramps, Hoboes and Vagabonds, at 60 feet. Thomas A. Edison copyrighted it on May 23, 1901, as H4567.
Themes
Music
Silent.
Preservation
The Library of Congress catalog describes a surviving picture. A print circulates.
Notes
- The Edison catalog calls him Weary Willie and says the skates hinder the chase.
- The Library of Congress description places him against a painted park backdrop, not an outdoor bench, and ends on his back with his feet up.
- AFI's synopsis starts him on a park bench. The Library of Congress viewing note says a railing.
- No players are named.
Scenes
- The boys strap one pair of skates onto the sleeping tramp and wake him.
- He lands on his back with his feet in the air.
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (The tramp's unexpected skate (1901).ogv)
