Behind the Screen (1916)

Purviance gets a job Charlie Chaplin is a stage hand during filming, with all the usual escapades. Edna Purviance is a girl who hopes to be an actress; she puts on a man's overalls, hoping that working on the set might give her a chance.


Charlie kisses her Charlie realises she is a girl, and a little flirting ensues.

However the foreman, Eric Campbell sees this, and not realising it's a girl, assumes a gay relationship --- and this is 1916.


Campbell puts two and two together Campbell then makes a series of mocking effeminate motions to express his homophobic view of what he thinks has been going on.

HF October 2002



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