Charlie Chaplin

TRAMP - Charlie Chaplin.

Charlie Chaplin loved Catalina Island. It was an oasis of peace and an escape from the intrusive attentions of Hollywood.

Charlie Chaplin met Paulette Goddard on Joseph M. Schenck's yacht in 1932. Joseph (known as Joe) often went fishing and docked near Catalina, at Avalon. He was a film producer who played a key role in the film industry. His only wife was Norma Talmadge. Joe was captivated by the Hollywood lifestyle and lived it. His yacht was always full of friends: artists, filmmakers, and art enthusiasts. People liked Joseph M. Schenck. Joe was polite and liked to keep agreements, finding common ground among partners who often hated each other. Of course, he was also often criticized for his role as head of large film corporations (e.g., MGM).

Joe Schenck played a significant role in promoting the careers of many film artists, including Paulette Goddard. In turn, it was Schenck who persuaded one of the leading artists of silent film, specifically comedy—his brother-in-law, Buster Keaton—to sign a contract with MGM. (Buster was married to Norma Talmadge's sister, Natalie, a marriage that proved to be a failure.) This casts a wide shadow over Joe Schenek. Keaton, a completely independent artist in the filmmaking process, proved ineffective at MGM. Many have blamed Joe Schenck for Buster Keaton's decline in the film industry… but that's another story entirely.

Paulette Goddard and Charlie Chaplin, who has just discovered... that he loves Catalina. Here they are with director Irving Thalberg and his wife Norma Shearer on the yacht "Invader" on their way to Catalina Island.

© Roy Export Co. Ltd

The real bond between Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard was loneliness, as well as a deep emotional, artistic and professional bond.. Paulette Goddard became the director's muse and life partner for many years. Even after their separation, they continued to meet and harbored no ill will toward each other, and their subsequent relationship was very friendly.

Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard spent every free moment together. They often took long Sunday walks, embarked on long trips, and explored almost the entire California coast. Their greatest attraction was the harbor in San Pedro and viewing the cruising yachts. One of them was for sale – a 16-meter (55-foot) motor yacht with three cabins, a galley, and a beautiful pilothouse.

- Well, if you had something like that to yourself - Charlie heard from Paulette - we could have a lovely Sunday and sail to Catalina.

Charlie and Pauletta, with the permission of the owner, a certain Mitchell, frequently visited the yacht. Without telling Pauletta, Charlie purchased the yacht and prepared it for a cruise to Catalina Island, bringing on board a cook and former "Keystone Policeman," Andy Anderson (Charles "Andy" Anderson), who was a licensed sailing captain.

One day, when they had nothing to do, Pauletta got in the car for a Sunday drive when she suddenly realized they were headed toward San Pedro. Pauletta became disgruntled, convinced Charlie was going yacht-watching again. When they arrived, Pauletta refused to get out of the car. She was tired of looking at cruising yachts. Finally, with great difficulty, Charlie persuaded her to get out.

Pauletta stepped aboard and was speechless. She recognized their Japanese chef, Freddie, and Andy Anderson, and the delicious aroma of frying bacon, eggs, and freshly brewed coffee wafted from the kitchen. A pink and blue tablecloth and matching china adorned the entire galley cabin.

"Well," - said Charlie. - "You wanted to go somewhere on Sunday, so after breakfast we'll head to Catalina Island for a swim."

Panacea Yacht © Roy Export Co. Ltd

And then Charlie told Pauletta he'd bought the yacht from a guy named Mitchell. Mrs. Goddard's reaction was hilarious; she ran off the yacht. She ran a few meters away and stopped, burying her face in her hands.

Charlie from the yacht called to her that breakfast was ready! When Pauletta returned, she said she had to do it to recover from the shock. They then warmed up the onboard engines and set sail for the Pacific Ocean, heading for Catalina Island, 22 miles from the mainland, where they remained for nine days.

Charlie Chaplin playing backgammon with Paulette Goddard on his yacht, the Panacea, which he purchased in March 1933.

© Roy Export Co. Ltd.

That was Charlie Chaplin. Incredibly unpredictable.

In those years, Chaplin was a very wealthy man and could buy any yacht, no matter how luxurious and extravagant, but Chaplin was different. Unlike his boisterous colleagues and the characters he played, off-camera he valued silence and a modest life. Although he earned millions, for a long time he lived in rather ordinary circumstances, eschewing the extravagant lifestyles of the wealthy. This wasn't because he was stingy. He was simply practical and vividly remembered years of childhood poverty. He vividly recalled being in an orphanage, sleeping on the streets, and searching for food. These experiences shaped his character for life.

Therefore, to understand why Charlie Chaplin sometimes behaved so controversially, one must get to know him from a young age. One must understand the times and places he lived in, and the people he encountered.

An ill-considered assessment of Charlie Chaplin is like trying to create a painting without being able to distinguish colors.

Some scenic photos of Catalina Island (1929-1933)

Charlie Chaplin with Paulette Goddard Santa Catalina Island

This isn't the end of the story about Charlie and Paulette on Catalina Island. There's also a film called "All at Sea," rarely seen because it's not a typical feature film. It's a private film, shot aboard the yacht Panacea. It was on the Panacea that rare, private footage was taken of Chaplin testing his parodies of famous figures (e.g., Napoleon) and other Hollywood stars (e.g., Greta Garbo).

And Charlie, as always, was passionate about his work...

The plot is based on the book "My Autobiography" by Charles Chaplin and "Chaplin: His Life and Art" by DAVID ROBINSON.

Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard with Tandem Bicycle, Avalon, 1940

Chaplin met Paulette Goddard while traveling to the island on film producer Joseph Schenck's yacht in 1932.

A year later, Charlie purchased the yacht Panacea, which was actually owned by Pauletta Goddard. They traveled to Catalina Island together for many years. The yacht was a gift to Pauletta.

Douglas Fairbanks Sr. was born 143 years ago in Denver, Colorado, on May 23, 1883.

He was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was the son of Ella Adelaide (née Marsh) and Hezekiah Charles Ullman, a Pennsylvania lawyer.

At age 12, Douglas began performing in amateur theater and continued his education at the Colorado School of Mines. In 1900, he moved with his family to New York City. He studied at Harvard, traveled throughout Europe, and worked on a cattle ship, in a hardware store, and as a clerk on Wall Street.

He made his Broadway debut in 1902 but left the theater to marry Sylvia Ashley, an industrialist's daughter. The couple had a son, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (also a future famous actor).

In 1915, he went to Hollywood and worked for producer D.W. Griffith. The following year, he founded his own production company. While on a Liberty Bond tour with Charlie Chaplin, he met Mary Pickford, with whom he founded the first independent film company, United Artists, in 1919 (along with Charlie Chaplin and D.W. Griffith). Early social comedies, followed by adventure films that enjoyed immense popularity in the 1920s, were a resounding success. He and Mary moved to the luxurious Pickfair Mansion in Hollywood. Their relationship lasted until 1933. In March 1936, Douglas married Ann Beth Sully and retired from acting.

He was primarily known for his roles in silent films such as "The Thief of Bagdad," "Robin Hood," and "The Mark of Zorro," but early in his career, he created comedies. He was nicknamed "The King of Hollywood." From 1910 to 1920, he was considered one of the biggest stars of silent Hollywood.

Douglas Fairbanks was born in Denver on May 23, 1883.

He was an American actor, director, screenwriter, and film producer. He co-founded the first independent film studio, United Artists (1919) and the American Motion Picture Academy (1927).

He gained fame for portraying fearless heroes in adventure films, portraying Zorro, D'Artagnan, Robin Hood, and Don Juan.

Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin were one of the most famous duos in cinematic history. The actors were not only friends but also key figures in Hollywood's Golden Age. Despite their different personalities and screen roles—Douglas Fairbanks played heroic adventurers, while Charlie Chaplin was an icon of comedy and pantomime—they got along remarkably well. They were often seen joking and fooling around in public.

Many years later, in his autobiography, Charles Chaplin would write:

“I have missed Douglas-I have missed the warmth of his enthusiasm and charm. I have his friendly voice over the telephone, that use to call me up on a bleak and lonely Sunday morning: ‘Charlie, coming up for lunch - then for a swim - then for dinner - then afterwards, see a picture?’ Yes, I have missed his delightful friendship."

Charlie Chaplin spent many days at the Avalon resort on Santa Catalina Island with his wife, Paulette Goddard, fishing, cycling, and escaping the stresses of the city.

He is photographed here with his 16-year-old son, Charles Jr., on April 22, 1940.

"A Night in the Show" (1915) was the twelfth film made under Charlie Chaplin's contract with Essanay Film Manufacturing Co.

Directed by and starring Chaplin himself, the film was shot at the Majestic Studios in Los Angeles in the fall of 1915.

This is one of the few films in which Charlie Chaplin does not appear in the traditional Tramp costume. He chose to play two different roles in one short: Mr. Pest, a drunk, wealthy, upper-class man dressed in an elegant evening tuxedo, sitting in the front row and disturbing the music section and the artists on stage; and Mr. Rowdy, an equally drunk worker with a huge mustache, sitting in the gallery, disturbing everyone around him, causing chaos, and finally turning on a fire hydrant and, without controlling it, directing a stream of water onto the stage and the audience, and ultimately onto Mr. Pest himself.

Both characters are played by the same actor, Charlie Chaplin, and they wreak incredible havoc during the ongoing theatrical performance—one downstairs, the other upstairs, but they never meet together. In my opinion, Chaplin, through this short comedy, introduces a new form of acting to the world of film, where one actor plays two different roles.

The film was based on the stage play "Mumming Birds"—originally a 1904 sketch by Fred Karno, produced for London's Hackney Empire Theatre, which became the longest-running music hall sketch of its time. Charlie Chaplin appeared in the play from 1908 to 1909, playing the drunkard. The play was extensively performed in theaters, first in London and later in the United States. After arriving in the United States from 1910–1913, Fred Karno's sketch "Mumming Birds," was renamed "A Night in an English Music Hall" for the American tour. It was the most popular music hall sketch, about a drunken audience member disrupting the performances on stage.

By the way, some sources say that the co-creator of this sketch, apart from Fred Karno, was actor and screenwriter William Billy Reeves, who was also a famous actor in Karno's troupe, often playing the role of a drunk spectator.

Charlie Chaplin's biographer, David Robinson, later described this situation perfectly, stating that it was surprising that Chaplin didn't enter into a formal agreement with Fred Karno to adapt the material, especially since the showman was known for jealously guarding his intellectual property. Biographer David Robinson notes that Chaplin expanded on the original, adding new elements that take place both in the auditorium and the theater foyer, and this may have been enough to distinguish Charlie Chaplin's work from Fred Karno's. In later years, many artists used excerpts from this play in their film performances.

In later years, Charlie Chaplin would repeat this trick with even greater effect in his next films: "The Idle Class" (1921) and, most brilliantly, "The Great Dictator" (1940).

Charlie Chaplin often used his old stage tricks, simultaneously perfecting his make-up and, with it, the entire filmic silhouette he so masterfully crafted and perfectly developed, step by step. Early in his career, he experimented with many effects from his early music hall days, which he would soon develop in his later films, giving them a new dimension.

It's clear that Charlie Chaplin took the main theme of his play "A Night in the Show" from Fred Karno's vaudeville play "Mumming Birds," but he took pains to modify the script to avoid violating the law. In 1907, however, someone else emerged who might have inspired Charlie Chaplin to make "A Night in the Show." Who was it? Max Linder and his film "Au Music Hall."

Max enters the theater/operetta completely drunk and completely believes what's happening on stage... so of course he reacts... and thus destroys five acts, ending the brawl with a boxing match with balloons...

Another vaudeville stage destruction. Undeterred, the troublemaker rips off his jacket and gets into a fight with a wrestler, after which he is carried out by the theater manager.

Charlie Chaplin didn't call Max Linder his "professor" for nothing. Linder moved away from the frenetic, theatrical antics popular at the time and created a coherent character: "Max"—a refined, elegant, yet blunder-prone man in a top hat and suit. When they met, they discussed gags and ideas, and Charlie Chaplin admired Max Linder's ability to combine slapstick with charm, often borrowing or adapting concepts from Linder's extensive filmography (some 500 films).

By some coincidence, the film "A Night in the Show" reminds me of a sequel to the comedy "One A.M." (1916). The same drunken rich man in a top hat returns home late at night, drunk, and his attire suggests he's been to the theater for a performance.

After this film, Charlie Chaplin returned to his iconic role as the Tramp, donning his famous too-tight suit, too-large trousers, bowler hat and boots.

The main roles were played by, among others: Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Charlotte Mineau, Dee Lampton, Leo White, Harry Relph, Wesley Ruggles, John Rand, James T. Kelly, Paddy McGuire, May White, Bud Jamison, Phyllis Allen, Fred Goodwins, Charles Insley, Carrie Clark Ward.

Charlie Chaplin and actress Claire Bloom

in conversation with guest of honor, Princess Margaret, at the premiere of Chaplin's film "Limlight" at the Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square, October 1952, London.

"HIS MUSICAL CAREER" (1914) - Charlie Chaplin.

A very interesting article by Phil Posner describing Charlie Chaplin as a great composer of music for his films and his commitment to this art form. Music and creating it was Charlie's great passion.