The Champion is a 1915 American silent comedy film released by Essanay Studios, starring Charles Chaplin alongside Edna Purviance and Leo White. Essanay co-owner and star, Broncho Billy Anderson can be seen as an enthusiastic audience member in the boxing match scene. Plot In this comedy, Charlie Chaplin has a companion—a pet bulldog. Walking along a street with his bulldog, Charlie finds a "good luck" horseshoe just as he passes the training camp of an enormous fighter named Spike Dugan. Outside the camp is a large, painted advertisement which states Dugan is seeking sparring partners "who can take a punch." After watching other better fighters be soundly beaten by Dugan, Charlie decides his best bet is to put the horseshoe inside his boxing glove. Using the loaded glove, Charlie connects with a solid punch and wins. The trainer prepares Charlie to fight the world champion. A gambler wants Charlie to throw the fight. He and the trainer's daughter fall in love. Notes In some versions of the film, an inter-title introducing the heavyweight boxers refers to Spike Dugan as "Spike Hennessey"—although the surname Dugan is clearly painted on the wall surrounding his training camp. This was the second Chaplin film to focus on boxing. He had already made a comedy for Keystone Studios, titled The Knockout (1914), in which he was a secondary character—a boxing referee. In City Lights (1931) he would again play an outsized and outclassed pugilist. Cast Charles Chaplin as Challenger Edna Purviance as Trainer's daughter Ernest Van Pelt as Spike Dugan Lloyd Bacon as Second sparring partner / Referee Leo White as Crooked gambler Carl Stockdale as Sparring partner Billy Armstrong as Sparring partner Paddy McGuire as Sparring partner Bud Jamison as Bob Uppercut, Champion Ben Turpin as Ringside vendor External links 1915 films American silent short films American black-and-white films Silent American comedy films Short films directed by Charlie Chaplin 1915 comedy films Essanay Studios films 1915 short films Articles containing video clips American comedy short films 1910s American films