Charlie's Career Story
Ever since Charlie Chaplin was born, he had the acting bug, and at the young age of twelve, Charlie was given his first chance to act in a real stage show, and appeared as "Billy" the page boy, in support of William Gillette in "Sherlock Holmes". At the end of this shows' run, Charlie started a career as a comedian in Vaudeville. This career move sent him to the United States in 1910 as a featured player with the Fred Karno Repertoire Company. He was an immediate star with American audiences, especially with his characterization in a sketch entitled "A Night in an English Music Hall". In the fall 1912, Chaplin was offered a motion picture contract. After much deliberation, he finally agreed to appear before the cameras at the expiration of his Vaudeville commitments in November 1913. His entrance into the film world took place later that November when he joined Mack Sennett and the Keystone Film Company. He started off with $150 a week, but his huge success on the screen prompted other producers to start negotiations for his contract. At the end of his Sennett contract, Chaplin moved on to the Essanay Company with a large pay increase included. The following year Charlie was even more in demand and signed with the Mutual Film Corporation for a much larger paycheck to make twelve two-reel comedies. These included "The Floorwalker", "The Fireman", "The Vagabond", "One A.M.", "The Count", "The Pawnshop", "Behind the Screen", "The Rink", "Easy Street", "The Cure", "The Immigrant" and "The Adventurer". When his term with Mutual expired in 1917, Charlie Chaplin decided to pursue producing, and in a desire for more freedom and greater leisure in making his movies, became an independent producer. He ended up owning two of his own producing studios. In early 1918, Chaplin entered into an agreement with First National Exhibitors’ Circuit - a new organization specially formed to exploit his pictures. His first movie under this new deal was "A Dog’s Life". After this film, he started a national tour on behalf of the war effort. After the tour, he made a film the U.S. government used to popularize the Liberty Loan drive, this film was called, "The Bond". His next film was a comedy about the war called "Shoulder Arms". It was released in 1918 and proved a veritable mirthquake at the box office. He later followed this film with "Sunnyside" and "A Day’s Pleasure", both released in 1919. In early 1921, Charlie came out with a six-reel masterpiece : "The Kid" to end his contract with First National. Chaplin, then, extended his career into the world of writing, music and sports. He wrote four books, "My Trip Abroad", "A Comedian Sees the World", "My Autobiography", and "My Life in Pictures" as well as all of his scripts. Here is a photo of Charlie getting into character as the "Tramp".
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He was also a self-taught musician. He played a variety of instruments with equal skill and facility. As if that wasn't enough, he was also a composer, having written and published many songs, among them: "Sing a Song"; "With You Dear in Bombay"; and "There’s Always One You Can’t Forget", "Smile", "Eternally", and "You are My Song", as well as the soundtracks for all his films. Chaplin was one of the rare comedians who not only produced all his films, but was the author, actor, director and soundtrack composer of them as well. A few years later, Chaplin was accused of being a communist by senator McCarthy, and a file was produced that supposedly detailed his subversive political activities since 1922. His first speaking film, "The Great Dictator" in 1940 added heat to this accusation because of its political nature. The film showed Chaplin playing a caricature version of Adolf Hitler, which was seen as being in bad taste. However, the film grossed over $5 million and won five Academy Awards. His support in aiding the Russian struggle against the invading Nazis was also scrutinized, leading the House of Un-American Activities Council issuing a subpoena against him in 1947, but later decided he didn't want to testify. In 1952, Chaplin visited Europe for the premiere of his film "Limelight" and was not allowed to return to the U.S.; he decided to settle in Switzerland. He later made a film called, "The King In New York'", in 1957, which was full of criticism of McCarthy and American society in general. He was allowed to return to the U.S. in 1972 to receive an Oscar for his services to film. Chaplin was then given a Knighthood of the British Order by the Queen in 1975. That would be his last trip anywhere as he died two years later. Here is a newspaper clipping about one of Charlie's films.
Here is a movie poster from Charlie's film, "The Circus".
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