In today’s world of “superstars” and “celebrities” almost everywhere you look, even like me, you can’t name many of them. The reason for this upsurge is mainly down to two things; the advent of social media and its influencers and the increasing number of programmes on TV and other devices, which feature ordinary members of the public, a lot of which start out as “wanna-be” celebrities. You may have guessed by now that I am not a great fan of the “celebrity” image of today and so-called instant stardom.
But, things were not always this way. At the beginning of the film industry in the early years of the twentieth-century, there were few big stars around. Things started to change as the silent movies began to be produced. And some of these early stars are still known and respected today. These include Oliver and Hardy, Buster Keaton and the Keystone Cops. But, there was one performer who soon took not only the film industry by storm, but became a movie idol around the world.
And he came from London. His name, of course, was Charlie Chaplin. He was born on the 16th April 1889 in south London to Charles and Hannah Chaplin. Charlie Chaplin began his career as a child performer in the music halls. His first part on stage was that of “Billy the Page Boy” in an adaptation of a Sherlock Holmes story. He was 12 years old. In 1910, when he was 21, he made his journey to America. He toured with the Fred Karno music hall troupe. He was a success and decided to do a second tour in 1912 with Karno.
By now, he was gaining a fine reputation and it seemed the American audiences loved him. His first film acting role came in 1913 for the Keystone Film Company. The movie was called “Making a Living” and it did not receive any rave reviews. But, Chaplin was given another chance and this time, he did much better. In fact, he did so well that he showed what production stamina he had by making a total of 36 films in just one year, 1914. They were obviously shorts, shot in black and white and with no sound. But that was still very impressive.
It was also in 1914 that Chaplin invented the character that would rocket him to world stardom. It was the character we have all associated with Chaplin; the Tramp. His hat and cane became trademarks as well as his doleful looks. These films were all comedies but anyone watching them would become aware they were more than this. Most of his performances included a social conscience. We would see Chaplin facing many adversities and usually at the end, finding happiness. It was a recipe that hit home to many members of the audience. Movie houses attracted many of the ordinary people who were not rich but had hopes and they readily identified with the character.
Soon, he was in a position to run his own career. So, with three other famous names of the time, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and DW Griffiths, they set up their own movie production company. It was the famous United Artists. In 1928, one of their films won an Academy Award. But, not everything ran smoothly for Chaplin. There were some personal issues with his love life and in the 1950s, he fled America to escape the McCarthy purges. He believed his left-wing views would not now be acceptable to those in power. He moved to Switzerland and died their on Christmas Day 1977.
John Pullen 