The Immigrant is a 1917 American silent romantic comedy short. The film stars Charlie Chaplin’s Tramp character as an immigrant coming to the United States who is accused of theft on the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean and falls in love with a beautiful young woman along the way. It also stars Edna Purviance and Eric Campbell. The movie was written and directed by Chaplin.
A movie theater projectionist and janitor is in love with a beautiful girl. The projectionist buys a $1 box of chocolates for the girl but his rival, sheik steals and pawns the girl’s father’s watch for $4 and buys a $3 box of chocolates for her. When the father notices that his watch is missing, the projectionist, studying to be a detective, offers to solve the crime, but when a compromising pawn ticket is found in his pocket, he is banished from the girl’s home. The projectionist then sleeping dreams a theft is being committed by the villain. The girl’s father calls for the world’s greatest detective, and Sherlock Jr. arrives.
The Wolf Man tries to warn a dimwitted porter that Dracula wants his brain for Frankenstein monster’s body.
Larry Talbot makes an urgent phone call to a railway station, where Chick Young and Wilbur Grey work as baggage clerks. Talbot tries to warn Wilbur of a shipment due to arrive for “McDougal’s House Of Horrors”. However, before he finishes, the moon rises and Talbot transforms into a werewolf, causing Wilbur to think the call is a prank. Meanwhile, McDougal demands the crates be personally delivered to his wax museum.
The hero, a janitor played by Chaplin, is fired from work for accidentally knocking his bucket of water out the window and onto his boss, the chief banker (Dandy). Meanwhile, one of the junior managers (Dillon) is being threatened with exposure by his bookie for his unpaid gambling debts. Thus the manager decides to steal from the company. He is caught in the act of raiding the vault by the bank secretary (Carruthers) who rings for help. Chaplin comes to the rescue only to be misjudged by the chief banker as the thief. The secretary fingers the manager and Charlie receives a just reward and a handshake for foiling the robbery.
Buster, a particularly untalented golfer plays golf one morning with a group of friends. After a disastrous start he drives his ball into a nearby river but retrieves it after it is consumed by a fish. Meanwhile a convict escapes from a nearby prison and makes his way towards the golf course as the prison guards give chase. Buster’s ball is once again stolen, this time by a dog who takes it a long way from the court. Buster accidentally knocks himself out after his ball ricochets off of an equipment shed and while he is unconscious, the prisoner switches clothes with him.