The Chinaman | 1920 | Animation, Comedy, Short

Title: The Chinaman | 1920 | Animation, Comedy, Short Director: Dave Fleischer Studio: Bray Studios Starring: Max Fleischer; Koko the Clown Release Date: March 19, 1920 Runtime: 5 Format: Silent, black-and-white; 35mm; 1.33:1; live-action/animation Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Animation, Comedy, Short --- Summary: Max Fleischer sits for a portrait by a job-seeking artist while Koko the Clown emerges from the inkwell, tangles with the artist’s drawing of a Chinese figure, and turns the studio sitting into a brisk sequence of gags. The short showcases the series’ trademark interplay between live actors and animated characters, with Koko disrupting the orderly world of the desk and sketchpad. As an early entry in the Out of the Inkwell series, it exemplifies the Fleischers’ self-referential studio setting and the technical novelty of combining animation with live action, reflecting period conventions and caricatures common to its time. --- Background: Produced at Bray Studios for the Out of the Inkwell program, The Chinaman was directed by Dave Fleischer from a scenario and animation by Max Fleischer and released on March 19, 1920 through the Goldwyn Bray Pictograph by Goldwyn Distributing Corporation. Surviving in 16mm reduction prints, the film is cataloged as a silent black-and-white short in standard 35mm at the 1.33:1 aspect ratio and is in the public domain in the United States. --- Trivia: Out of the Inkwell shorts of this period were produced at Bray Studios and are noted for mixing live action with animation, with Koko the Clown interacting with Fleischer on camera. Silent Era lists a surviving 16mm reduction print; modern circulation often derives from such prints and home-video transfers. The short was distributed as part of the Goldwyn Bray Pictograph screen magazine by Goldwyn Distributing Corporation. Some online listings give a May 1920 date, but filmographic sources document the release as March 19, 1920. The Internet Archive copy runs approximately 5 minutes and 16 seconds. --- Hashtags: TheChinaman OutOfTheInkwell Fleischer SilentFilm Animation PublicDomain 1920sCinema