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Chaplin & Spanish filmmaker Edgar Neville, c.1930
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Chaplin at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, March 1931
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Birth announcement for Norman Spencer Chaplin, born July 7, 1919
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| Los Angeles Times, July 8, 1919 |
When Mildred went into labor the night before, Chaplin wrapped her in a blanket and drove her to the hospital himself. He insisted on being present at the birth but eventually "passed away in a dead faint and had to be carried out."1
Mildred had wanted to name the baby Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr., but Charlie protested and chose the name Norman Spencer instead because he felt Charles was a name with which "liberties could be taken" and "Norman can't be shortened."2
Sadly, Norman was born with an intestinal deformity and died three days later. Mildred recalled years later that "Charlie took it hard. Funny thing, isn't it--that's the only thing I can remember about Charlie...that he cried when the baby died."3
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1Mildred Harris, "The Private Life of Charlie Chaplin,"Winnipeg Tribune, April 1936
2Los Angeles Times, July 10, 1919. Chaplin also protested 6 years later when Lita Grey wanted to name their first born son after him but he eventually acquiesced.
3Lita Grey Chaplin, My Life With Chaplin, 1966.
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Recording session for Limelight, 1952
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LAUGHING GAS + "Charlot Has A Toothache"
Laughing Gas
Released July 9, 1914
Written and directed by Charles Chaplin
Charlie portrays a dental assistant who winds up impersonating his boss, Dr. Pain. This film may have been inspired by a Fred Karno sketch called, "The Dentist." Although Chaplin did not appear in the sketch, he was likely familiar with it. He revisits dental humor again forty-three years later in A King In New York.
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1May Reeves, The Intimate Charlie Chaplin
2Patrice Chaplin, Hidden Star
Released July 9, 1914
Written and directed by Charles Chaplin
Charlie portrays a dental assistant who winds up impersonating his boss, Dr. Pain. This film may have been inspired by a Fred Karno sketch called, "The Dentist." Although Chaplin did not appear in the sketch, he was likely familiar with it. He revisits dental humor again forty-three years later in A King In New York.
Chaplin himself hated going to the dentist & toothaches frightened him. May Reeves remembered hearing "prolonged howls" coming from their bathroom in France in 1931. When she went to see what was the matter, Charlie was standing in front of the mirror moaning and holding his cheek."Undoubtedly," wrote May, "he was rehearsing for a film entitled Charlot Has A Toothache." His moaning and pain-induced facial expressions were so comic that they made her laugh and thus he began to laugh as well. In the end, Charlie was only afraid that he might have a toothache.1
Years later, Oona Chaplin recalled a visit to the dentist office in Lausanne. This time there was no laughter:
Years later, Oona Chaplin recalled a visit to the dentist office in Lausanne. This time there was no laughter:
When he was getting on we thought we should take Charlie to the dentist...And we went to Lausanne and got Charlie into the dentist's surgery and promised him nothing would hurt. The girl was so nice and gentle and she examined his mouth and said, 'Oh dear, your teeth are packed with tartar.' And she gave a prod and he'd had enough. He got the girl's prong, threw it on the floor, and said, 'My teeth are perfectly packed with tartar and they're going to stay that way.' And he never went back.2
2Patrice Chaplin, Hidden Star
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The death of Norman Spencer Chaplin (aka The Little Mouse) is recorded on a Chaplin Studio daily production report for "Charlie's Picnic", July 10, 1919
Charlie's Picnic would later be released as A Day's Pleasure.
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Throwback Thursday (#TBT)--or an occasional dip into the DC archive
Here's an early one from August 2012:
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Chaplin with the Earl of Dunmore and Arthur Letts, 1918
The Maurice Bessy book incorrectly identifies these two men as aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright but that couldn't have been possible since Wilbur died in 1912 and Orville, who was 47 at the time, didn't match the age of the visitors. The men were correctly ID'd, however, in a 1919 issue of Picture Show. Thanks to Dominique for solving this photo mystery.
Grace Kingsley described the Earl of Dunmore's visit with Chaplin for the L.A. Times:
*Henry Bergman was born in California but studied in Germany for many years. Chaplin associates, such as Rollie Totheroh, and others who knew him have said that he spoke with a German accent.
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| Photo/caption from Charlie Chaplin by Maurice Bessy. |
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| Photo/caption from Picture Show, June 28, 1919. |
Grace Kingsley described the Earl of Dunmore's visit with Chaplin for the L.A. Times:
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| Los Angeles Times, March 1, 1918* |
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With fellow Aries May Robson at her birthday party, April 1939
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A WOMAN (1915)
Released 99 years ago today, this was Chaplin's tenth film for Essanay and the third film in which he donned women's clothing (the other two were A Busy Day & The Masquerader at Keystone.) This was arguably his best female impersonation. The ending also features one of the rare occasions in Charlie's silent films where we see him (as a man) without his mustache.
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In the mail yesterday: a box of goodies from the Bologna conference...
including my first-ever Chaplin t-shirt (plus a totebag, mask, and some other cool stuff).
Needless to say, my day was made. Many thanks to a very kind friend.
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Needless to say, my day was made. Many thanks to a very kind friend.
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1966 World Cup
One hot summer's night, England played West Germany in the World Cup Final. Oona, Charlie, and I decided to take a ride around London. We listened to the match on my car radio. After playing overtime, England put in the winning goal. There was pandemonium in the streets. That evening, all London ran wild.
There, in my car, the three of us were weeping with joy. England victorious over Germany. It seemed like the end of the Second World War! For Charlie, football was the working man's sport; he was always thrilled by the enormous crowds that went to soccer games. "There's no audience like them in the world," he said. He loved the way they sang, cheered, and waved their banners. We never forgot the thrill of that evening--July 30th, 1966--when England won the coveted Cup! --Jerry Epstein, Remembering Charlie, 1989
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Posing with a mirror, Paris, 1931
Photos by Lee Miller.
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Chaplin with boxer Georges Carpentier, Paris, 1921
Lita Grey Chaplin was involved in a long affair with Carpentier, who was married, after her divorce from Charlie. One evening in 1931, Georges & Lita were kidnapped and robbed by four men with guns outside a New York City theater where Lita had just finished performing. The robbers had seen Lita's act and were attracted to her expensive jewelry. The couple were driven a mile in Lita's car before they were released unharmed.
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Footage of Chaplin and Marion Davies at the premiere of Marion's film FLORODORA GIRL (1930)
The footage of Chaplin at the beginning is from the premiere of The Circus in 1928. Actual footage of Chaplin from the Florodora Girl premiere starts around the 4:46 mark. You'll notice that his hair is dyed black for the filming of City Lights. Lots of other stars can be seen as well.
Click here to see a some still shots of Charlie and Marion at the premiere.
Click here to see a some still shots of Charlie and Marion at the premiere.
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Chaplin with visitors on the set of THE KID
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Charlie, "snapped without warning"
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| Picture Play, 1919 |
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#Throwback Thursday
Originally posted August 7, 2012
http://discoveringchaplin.blogspot.com/2012/08/charlie-in-1940-census.html
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http://discoveringchaplin.blogspot.com/2012/08/charlie-in-1940-census.html
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With Paulette & a furry friend, c. 1940
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Candid photo of Chaplin during the filming of BY THE SEA, 1915
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