Tillie’s Punctured Romance

film by Sennett [1914]

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Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914) was the first American feature-length comedy film. Directed by Mack Sennett, a pioneer of American slapstick comedy, the film starred Marie Dressler as Tillie and Charlie Chaplin as her suitor. The movie was produced by Sennett's Keystone Company and is known for its comedic timing and editing style, characteristic of Sennett's work. While Sennett is famous for his short comedy films and the Keystone Kops, Tillie's Punctured Romance marked a significant step in the development of feature-length comedy in the silent film era.12

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Mack Sennett
…the first American feature-length comedy, Tillie’s Punctured Romance, but he is most famous for more than 1,000 one- and two-reel comedy shorts. At first he both directed and acted in his short comedies, many of which were improvised on the spot to take advantage of parades, fires, and similar events…
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…the first American feature-length comedy, Tillie’s Punctured Romance, but he is most famous for more than 1,000 one- and two-reel comedy shorts. At first he both directed and acted in his short comedies, many of which were improvised on the spot to take advantage of parades, fires, and similar events…
Read More

Marie Dressler
…of her first motion picture, Tillie’s Punctured Romance (1914). Of historical importance as the first feature-length comedy, this Mack Sennett production hardly showed Dressler at her best by modern standards—her strenuous overacting seemed almost grotesque compared with the subtler performances of costars Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand—but in 1914 it…
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…of her first motion picture, Tillie’s Punctured Romance (1914). Of historical importance as the first feature-length comedy, this Mack Sennett production hardly showed Dressler at her best by modern standards—her strenuous overacting seemed almost grotesque compared with the subtler performances of costars Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand—but in 1914 it…
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Mabel Normand
…pairing is perhaps the great Tillie’s Punctured Romance (1914), the first feature-length comedy, in which they were joined by Marie Dressler. Normand also starred with Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle in a successful series of comedies.
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…pairing is perhaps the great Tillie’s Punctured Romance (1914), the first feature-length comedy, in which they were joined by Marie Dressler. Normand also starred with Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle in a successful series of comedies.
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