An article in the 28 May 1918 Los Angels Times stated that production begin that day at Charlie Chaplin’s studio in Hollywood, CA. On 13 July 1918, Motion Picture News announced that the film, previously untitled, was now called Shoulder Arms. It marked the second picture to be made as part of Chaplin’s recent $1-million deal with Associated First National Pictures, Inc., according to various contemporary items including the 27 July 1918 Exhibitors Herald and Motography. Chaplin’s inspiration for the film had come from his “recent Liberty Loan tour” in support of the U.S. war effort in World War I. Chaplin claimed to be making Shoulder Arms “primarily for the amusement” of enlisted soldiers and their friends and family. He received technical advice from U.S. Corporal O. W. de Varila, who visited the set while he was on furlough, and was considered to appear in the film.
An explosive prop that unexpectedly contained lead slugs was deployed during the shoot one day in mid-July 1918. Following the explosion, Chaplin suffered burns in the face and the hands, according to a 3 August 1918 Motion Picture News article. Although some suspicions of tampering were reported, they were not confirmed, and Chaplin reportedly continued with filming on the day of the incident.
A release date of 8 September 1918 was scheduled, as stated in the 2 August 1918 Variety. The picture was set to be three reels in length, making it “the largest Chaplin subject released to date,” as noted in Motion Picture News. However, as Chaplin oversaw the editing of the picture, he found it difficult to condense the action into only three reels, and a new length of five reels was planned. The 15 August 1918 Wid’s Daily reported that a five-reel negative cut of the film was due to be shipped to Chicago, IL, for printing in about three weeks. The 23 August 1918 issue cited a planned release in late September 1918. Developing, printing, and toning of the film were done by Rothacker Film Manufacturing Company, as noted in the 26 Oct 1918 Motion Picture News.
Theatrical release was delayed until October 1918. One week prior to a general release on 27 October 1918, Shoulder Arms was set to open on 20 October 1918 at the Strand Theatre in New York City and at the Madison Theatre in Detroit, MI, according to items in the 19 October 1918 issues of Motion Picture News and Moving Picture World. The picture was a commercial success and was received positively by several critics, including the 25 October 1918 Variety review which stated that Chaplin’s “camouflage as a small tree, during which he runs through a wood to escape from a German is one of the best and most original pieces of comedy work ever put on screen—and perhaps anywhere else.” The 1 December 1918 Wid’s Daily included a First National advertisement boasting that Shoulder Arms had been held at the Broadway Theatre in New York City for six consecutive weeks. Later that month, a 27 December 1918 Variety article projected that it was set to gross between $700,000 and $1 million in film rentals, with a daily rental fee of $62.50.
Promotions for the picture included lobby cards drawn by R. M. Brinkerhoff, a cartoonist whose work was currently published in New York World, as stated in a 2 November 1918 Motion Picture News brief. In Minneapolis, MN, a special screening of this film and Kultur (1918, see entry) was arranged for 1,000 students in the Student Army Training Corps at Dunwoody College, despite a ban on such large gatherings due to the Spanish flu, as stated in the 31 October 1918 Wid’s Daily.
The 30 November 1918 Exhibitors Herald and Motography reported that a film titled Charlie in the Trenches, produced by Julian Potash and Isadore Peskov, was released at the Crystal Hall Photography Theatre in New York City, around the time of this film’s release. According to a lawsuit brought by Chaplin against Potash and Peskov, Charlie in the Trenches featured a Chaplin imitator edited together with clips from older Chaplin films. Chaplin sued for an injunction against the film’s release and $50,000 in damages, alleging that Potash and Peskov were attempting to trade on the current box-office success of Shoulder Arms.