The Chimney Sweep and the Miller

SUMMARY
Filming of a popular vaudeville gag. Opens on a stage with a painted backdrop of a lake and forest. From opposite sides of the stage enter a chimney sweep, covered from head to toe with black soot and carrying a folding broom and black sack, and a miller, dressed completely in white and carrying a white sack. The two men bump into each other center stage, with some of the sweep's soot dirtying the miller's uniform. They exchange angry words, and then begin hitting each other with their sacks. As expected, black soot from the chimney sweep's bag spots the miller's whites, and white flour from the miller's sack lands on the sweep's dark clothing. The brawl culminates with a large cloud of black and white in which the men seem to disappear.

From Biograph picture catalogue, Nov. 1902 [MI], p. 32: 33 feet. A chimney sweep and a miller become involved in a street fight. The sweep has a bag of soot on his back, and the miller a bag of flour. The fight causes a lively mixup of black and white, with most amusing effects.

CREATED/PUBLISHED
United States: American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, 1902.

NOTES
Copyright: American Mutoscope & Biograph Co.; 10Apr1902; H16334.

Camera, Arthur Marvin.

Filmed April 24, 1900, on the roof of the Biograph New York City studio.

SUBJECTS
Chimney sweeps--Drama.
Millers--Drama.
Soot--Drama.
Flour--Drama.
Affray--Drama.
Silent films.
Slapstick comedies.
Vaudeville.
Shorts.

RELATED NAMES
Marvin, Arthur W., 1861-1911, camera.
American Mutoscope and Biograph Company.
Paper Print Collection (Library of Congress)

DIGITAL ID
(m) varsmp http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/varstg:@field(NUMBER+@band(varsmp...))

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• library
• congress
• silent
• Chimney
• sweeps
• Millers
• Slapstick
• comedies
• Vaudeville