Hollywood premiere of MODERN TIMES, Grauman's Chinese Theater, February 12th, 1936

Chaplin's first film in five years was highly anticipated. Despite the rain, crowds were jammed outside the theater for blocks. The film had premiered one week before in New York at the Rivoli but Chaplin chose not to attend because of the crowds: "The last occasion I was there [for the City Lights premiere in January 1931], I had a terrible time battling the crowds that gathered wherever I went. And while I don't think I am as well-known now as I was then, I dread the thought of being stared and pointed at as though I were a freak. I will be much happier staying in Hollywood waiting for the news of the film's success or failure. I think and hope it will be the former."¹


In an uncharacteristic move, Chaplin spoke to the audience from the stage before the film was shown. He introduced Paulette Goddard and asked for the then-newcomer "your sympathetic interest." He then began his speech by nervously touching the microphone and saying: "This thing confuses me." He admitted that he was more nervous than ever in his career and while he felt Modern Times was his best picture, he never knew what the public would say. Nevertheless, he felt he had reached a "milestone." Chaplin explained that he was encouraged to attend the premiere and make a speech by Greek theater owner Charles Skouras who had told him that for the $5.50 admission price he should give the people what they want and make a personal appearance. He then spoke with a Greek accent and impersonated Skouras talking to him. Paulette climaxed the story by stepping into the footlights and announcing "It's all Greek to me."²

A slew of celebrities attended the opening, including Chaplin's guests: Constance Collier, King Vidor, and his girlfriend, Betty Hill. Also in attendance were: Norma Shearer and Irving Thalberg, Marlene Dietrich, Ruby Keeler and Al Jolson, Ernst Lubitsch, Douglas Fairbanks & Mary Pickford (though not together), Lupe Velez, Bette Davis, Warren William, Harold Lloyd, Amelia Earhart, Cecil B. DeMille, and Groucho Marx, who remarked: "I came here to see another comedian who doesn't talk."³

L-R: Constance Collier, Paulette, her mother Alta, CC

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¹New York Times, Feb. 2, 1936. Chaplin's feelings about the New York crowds must have eased by 1940 because he made an appearance at both the Capitol and Astor theaters in New York when they premiered The Great Dictator simultaneously.
²Boston Globe, February 20, 1936; Motion Picture Daily, February 14, 1936
³Washington Post, Feb. 17, 1936