Charlie Chaplin skating stunt, was that real?

Question

The one in Modern Times, where he skates blindfolded in loops and circles on the fourth floor of the department store, repeatedly coming within inches of falling off where there is no guardrail. Especially impressive is when he removes theblindfold and goes through the act of almost falling off. I've seen the film many times but it just struck me how dangerous that stunt was, if it didn't involve visual tricks or nets.
Did it? Or was Chaplin really such a good skater that he could take a risk like that with such ease?

Answer 1

I love Chaplin and Modern Times - one of my favorite films - but this stunt was not real. In fact, Chaplin rarely did dangerous stunts, that was Buster Keaton's claim to fame. Anyway, I seem to remember reading that this stunt was done using a glass floor. There was no real drop off at the railing, there was simply a clear floor, meaning that Chaplin didn't risk falling during the filming of this scene. In addition, the blindfold was sort of a mesh material that he could see through.

EDIT - I just read this in Jeffrey Vance's excellent book Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema: "The 'thrill' comedy of the Tramp skating perilously close to the edge of a balcony without a balustrade was achieved with a glass shot to create the illusion of height. (A glass shot involves a painted scene on a pane of glass that is placed in front of the camera and precisely aligned with the existing set to achieve the desired effect.) However, no illusion is involved with Chaplin's considerable skating skills, first demonstrated in The Rink nearly twenty years earlier. He devoted eight days to filming the roller-skating routine."

Answer 2

Roller Skating Stunts