Charlie Chaplin Articles

Charlie Chaplin Bio (New Leader Magazine, 1951)

Here is an interesting review of Charlie Chaplin, a 1951 biography:

The acting of Charlie Chaplin has enriched our lives; it has become part of our experience. Regardless of how his casual and unserious politics are interpreted, irrespective of what attitude is taken toward newspaper stories of his private life, his films have demonstrably healthy influence on audiences. All one needs to do to prove this is to sit in a theater and listen to the genuine laughter which Chaplin evokes.

Charlie Chaplin Bio (New Leader Magazine, 1951) Read More »

MODERN TIMES (Stage Magazine, 1936)

The world, with the exception of those bright eyed youngsters under the age of five, has waited pretty breathlessly for the reappearance of a forlorn little figure in a derby, baggy trousers, and disreputable shoes. The fact that his reappearance was to be under the sinister title, Modern Times alarmed not a few of us. This hapless creature, whose name by the way, is Charlie Chaplin, had come to mean an unchangeable element to us…Disguised in current mechanistic ingenuity, veiled in lukewarm disapproval of the plight of the working man, and tinted a slight shade of Red, it remain, delightfully and irrevocably, Chaplin.

MODERN TIMES (Stage Magazine, 1936) Read More »

A Woman of Paris (Time Magazine, 1923)

The Time Magazine review of Charlie Chaplin’s film, A Woman of Paris, fell in line with many other reviews of the work: they all believed that Chaplin, as director, had moved the ball forward insofar as the development of film – and Time hoped that they had seen the end of Chaplin the clown. However, the 82 minute film was a commercial flop, primarily because he wasn’t in it (they chose not to publicize that he played an extra’s roll for one quick scene).


The first film Chaplin had directed was The Kid (1922) – and you can read about that here…

A Woman of Paris (Time Magazine, 1923) Read More »

Charlie Chaplin’s Credo (Direction Magazine, 1941)

This, the much-discussed final speech in The Great Dictator, is more than a climax and conclusion to Chaplin’s newest film, it is a statement of Chaplin’s belief in humanity, a belief in which his creative powers and artistic development are deeply rooted.

Hope…I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone, if possible -Jew, Gentile -black man -white.

Charlie Chaplin’s Credo (Direction Magazine, 1941) Read More »

Charlie Chaplin and His Imposters (Motion Picture Magazine, 1916)

With the popularity of Charlie Chaplin (1889 – 1977) came a large number of artificial, bootlegged Charlie Chaplin movies and a host of fraudulent ‘Charlies’. All the fake Chaplins were clad the same and all answered to the same name yet all had different biographies and were not terribly funny in the slightest degree. Chaplin No. 1 did not care for this one bit and did not hold back while talking to this correspondent from Motion Picture Magazine.

Charlie Chaplin and His Imposters (Motion Picture Magazine, 1916) Read More »