Dough and Dynamite [Charlie Chaplin]

Dough and Dynamite (1914) starring Charlie Chaplin, Chester Conklin

In Dough and Dynamite, Charlie Chaplin and Chester Conklin play waiters at a cafe/bakery. But they’re forced by their ill-tempered employer to man the ovens when the bakers go on strike. And then, to make things worse, the striking bakers decide to sabotage the bakery … with a stick of dynamite!

Dough and Dynamite begins with Chester and Charlie as waiters in a restaurant/bakery. Charlie is flirting with the female customers, and being indifferent (at best) to the males. In the basement of the restaurant is the bakery, where the bakers are dissatisfied. In addition to picking on Charlie, they want shorter hours and more pay. What they get, however … is fired.

The owner of the restaurant decides to replace the four bakers with his two waiters. Despite their having no training or experience. But, Chester and Charlie (after some slapstick) go downstairs and try to get to work.

**Chester Conklin and Charlie Chaplin as the new bakers, flirting with the waitresses in the basement bakery**

Despite both of them flirting with — and fighting over — the pretty waitresses, they actually manage to bake some bread. Which Charlie takes upstairs, and promptly spills all over the floor.

**Charlie delivering fresh baked bread … underestimating the gravity of the situation!**

Reel 2

In the second reel, the main conflict comes up. The fired bakers aren’t taking it lying down, and have a plan. They take a stick of dynamite, put it in a loaf of bread, and hire a young girl to take it to the bakery, claiming that it needs to be baked longer.

**Charlie the Little Tramp becomes the Little Baker**

Since neither Chester nor Charlie know what they’re doing, they go along with that. Of course, while waiting for the dynamite, Charlie juggles dough, makes pretzels, gets into dough fights with Chester, flirts with the ladies … Leading the boss to think that Charlie’s been with his wife, and starts chasing/fighting Charlie … until the dynamite goes off!

Cast of characters

Charlie Chaplin … Pierre, a Waiter. The Little Tramp, who flirts with pretty girls, and is either rude to or assaults everyone else.
Chester Conklin (Gentlemen of Nerve) … Jacques / a Waiter. Charlie’s co-worker, who takes the brunt of his attacks throughout the short film.
Fritz Schade (Tillie’s Punctured Romance) … Monsieur La Vie, Bakery Owner. Who, rather than giving his baker’s higher wages and shorter hours … fires them. And has Charlie and Chester become bakers. Because clearly, there’s no skill involved. Ha!
Norma Nichols (The Property Man) … Mme. La Vie, the Baker’s Wife. An attractive young lady, whose husband (wrongly) thinks that she’s cheating with Charlie!
Peggy Page (Those Love Pangs) … Waitress. One of the pretty young waitresses that Charlie flirts with. And whom the owner mistakenly thinks is making out with Charlie in the basement bakery.
Cecile Arnold (The Face on the Barroom Floor) … Waitress. The other pretty young waitresses that Charlie flirts with. And whom the owner mistakenly thinks is making out with Charlie in the basement bakery. There’s a pattern here …
Jess Dandy (His New Profession) … Female Cook. The unattractive cook, who becomes the butt of several of Charlie’s antics.
Vivian Edwards (The Property Man) … 1st Customer. Whom Charlie flirts with.
Phyllis Allen … (The Rounders) 2nd Customer.
Glen Cavender (The General) … Head Striking Baker. Who, after causing all of the bakers have been fired, has the perfect solution: Put a stick of dynamite in a loaf of bread, and have the inexperienced Charlie & Chester bake it in the oven! Which … actually works!