TCM Schedule for Thursday, August 14, 2014 -- Summer Under The Stars - Charlie Chaplin

[Staph]

Today's Star of the estival season is the Little Tramp himself, Charles Spencer Chaplin, born on April 16, 1889, in Walworth, London, UK. Charlie's career began in England's music halls at age five, acting at age eight, vaudeville in the U.S. at eighteen. By the age of 21 he was in California working for Mack Sennett making short comedy films. He invented his tramp costume with the help of Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle's pants, Arbuckle's father-in-law's derby, Chester Conklin's cutaway, Ford Sterling's size-14 shoes, the diminutive Charles Avery's jacket, and some crepe paper belonging to Mack Swain (which became the tramp's mustache). The only item that actually belonged to Chaplin was the whangee cane. Today we get not only the films that Chaplin starred in, but many that he directed, wrote, and composed as well. Enjoy!


6:00 AM -- Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914)
In this silent film, a con man dupes a wealthy country girl into marriage.
Dir: Mack Sennett
Cast: Marie Dressler, Charles Chaplin, Mabel Normand
BW-72 mins,

The first feature-length comedy ever made, and the last time that Charles Chaplin would be directed by someone other than himself.


7:14 AM -- Recreation (1914)
The Tramp gets involved in a scuffle with a seaman over a girl in this silent short film.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Edwin Frazee, Charles Chaplin, Helen Carruthers
BW-5 mins,

Released as a split reel along with the documentary The Yosemite (1914).


7:30 AM -- Shoulder Arms (1918)
In this silent film, a private fresh out of boot camp accepts a daring mission behind enemy lines.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charles Chaplin,
BW-38 mins,

Many in Hollywood were nervous that one of their most famous peers was going to tackle the subject of WWI. It was released shortly before the Armistice so it did not help boost national morale. But it did end up as one of Charles Chaplin's most popular films and it was particularly popular with returning doughboys.


8:18 AM -- The Big Idea (1918)
A clerk in a failing antiques store gets a big idea on how to move the merchandise in this short film.
Dir: Hal Mohr
Cast: Belle Mitchell, Norman Napier, Fred C. Newmeyer
BW-9 mins,


8:30 AM -- Sunnyside (1919)
In this silent film, an overworked farmhand dreams of marrying the farmer's daughter.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Albert Austin
BW-30 mins,

Chaplin described the making of this film as 'like pulling teeth' in his autobiography due to the mental block he suffered as a result of his unhappy marriage to Mildred Harris.


9:00 AM -- A Day's Pleasure (1919)
In this silent short film, a man's attempts to give his family a day out are complicated by their dilapidated car.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Jackie Coogan
BW-18 mins,

The house the family appears from is in reality Charles Chaplin's office.


9:30 AM -- The Pilgrim (1923)
In this silent film, an escaped convict poses as the new pastor of a small-town church.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Kitty Bradbury
BW-42 mins,

This was the last film in which Charles Chaplin co-starred with Edna Purviance. Chaplin would direct and have a cameo in her next film, A Woman of Paris (1923) and produce her lost film, A Woman of the Sea (1926), and she would have cameos in a couple of his later films, but this was their last major acting work together.


10:15 AM -- A Woman of Paris (1923)
In this silent film, when a young woman thinks her fiance has jilted her, she runs off to Paris and a life of sin.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Edna Purviance, Adolphe Menjou, Carl Miller
BW-78 mins,

The re-issue of this film, with a musical score and new cut by Charles Chaplin, was the last work of his entire film career. By then the 87-year-old Chaplin was visibly frail, but still walking. His score was aided by arranger Eric James, and he took a small theme from Monsieur Verdoux (1947), but most of the score was Chaplin's. The film was re-issued posthumously in 1977 with the new score to overwhelming critical and public praise. At that time many critics praised it (as in the trailer) as one of the best films ever made.


11:45 AM -- The Gold Rush (1925)
In this silent film, a lost soul in the Yukon seeks love and wealth.
Dir: Charlie Chaplin
Cast: Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Georgia Hale
BW-89 mins,

Nominated for Oscars (for the re-issue in 1943) for Best Sound, Recording -- James L. Fields (RCA Sound), and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Max Terr

The "dancing rolls" sequence was so popular with audiences that, in some cases (such as the film's Berlin premiere), projectionists stopped the film and replayed the scene.


1:15 PM -- Chaplin Today: The Gold Rush (2003)
Filmmaker Idrissa Ouedraogo shares his impressions of Charlie Chaplin's classic The Gold Rush.
C-27 mins, CC,

Charles Chaplin stated that this was the film by which he most wanted to be remembered.


1:45 PM -- The Circus (1928)
In this silent film, the Little Tramp joins a circus to hide from the police.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charles Chaplin, Merna Kennedy, Betty Morrissey
BW-72 mins,

In October 2010, a clip from this movie was featured on several network morning shows because of speculation that it showed definitive evidence of "time travel." In the scene, an extra appears to be walking down the sidewalk, talking on, of all things, a cell phone. As per the 3/1/13 airing of the film on TCM, the supposed "Cell Phone Sequence" that has been viewed and attributed on You Tube, to be a scene from "The Circus&quot 1928) does not appear in the film and neither does that extra.


3:00 PM -- Modern Times (1936)
The Tramp struggles to live in a modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman.
Dir: Charlie Chaplin
Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman
BW-87 mins, CC,

Chaplin allows the Tramp to speak on camera for the first time during the restaurant scene, but insisted that what the Tramp says be universal. Therefore, the song the Tramp sings is in gibberish, but it is possible to follow the story he tells by watching his hand gestures.


4:28 PM -- A Vitaphone Pictorial Revue No. 4 (1936)
This short film contains three unique segments, involving materials testing, Air Force physical exams, and winter swimmers. Vitaphone Release 2036.
BW-8 mins,


4:45 PM -- The Tramp and the Dictator (2002)
A fascinating comparison of the parallel lives of Charlie Chaplin and Adolph Hitler. Includes never-before-seen color film shot by Chaplin's brother.
Dir: Kevin Brownlow
Cast: Walter Bernstein, Ray Bradbury, Sydney Chaplin
C-55 mins, CC,

This documentary is featured on the 2-Disc Charlie Chaplin Collection DVD for The Great Dictator (1940), released in 2003.


5:45 PM -- The Great Dictator (1940)
A Jewish barber takes the place of a war-hungry dictator.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie
BW-125 mins, CC,

Nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- Charles Chaplin, Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- Jack Oakie, Best Writing, Original Screenplay -- Charles Chaplin, Best Music, Original Score -- Meredith Willson, and Best Picture

Charles Chaplin got the idea when a friend, Alexander Korda, noted that his screen persona and Adolf Hitler looked somewhat similar. Chaplin later learned they were both born within a week of each other (Chaplin 4/16/1889, Hitler 4/20/1889), were roughly the same height and weight and both struggled in poverty until they reached great success in their respective fields. When Chaplin learned of Hitler's policies of racial oppression and nationalist aggression, he used their similarities as an inspiration to attack Hitler on film.



TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: SUMMER UNDER THE STARS: CHARLIE CHAPLIN



8:00 PM -- The Birth of the Tramp (2014)
This short documentary explores the history of the success and popularity of Charlie Chaplin.
Dir: Eric Lange
BW-60 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

In 1921 Chaplin was decorated by the French government for his outstanding work as a filmmaker, and was elevated to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1952. In 1972 he was honored with an Academy Award for his "incalculable effect in making motion pictures the art form of the century." He was awarded Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 1975 Queen's Honours List for his services to entertainment.


9:00 PM -- A Dog's Life (1918)
In this silent film, the Little Tramp finds a stolen fortune with the help of his dog.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charles Chaplin,
BW-34 mins,

Sydney Chaplin (Charles Chaplin's brother), played a small role in this film, and it was the first time the two brothers were on screen together.


9:45 PM -- The Kid (1921)
In this silent comedy, an adoptive father schemes to keep his son.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Jackie Coogan, Edna Purviance, Carl Miller
BW-53 mins,

The production company tried to cheat Charles Chaplin by paying him for this six-reel film what they would ordinarily pay him for two-reel film, about half a million dollars. Chaplin took the unassembled film out of state until they agreed to the one-and-a-half million he deserved, plus half the surplus profits on rentals, plus reversion of the film to him after five years on the rental market.


10:45 PM -- The Idle Class (1921)
In this silent short, the Little Tramp discovers he's a dead ringer for a rich man with a beautiful, unhappy wife.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charles Chaplin,
BW-33 mins,

Chaplin plays two roles here -- the rich husband and the little tramp.


11:30 PM -- The Birth of the Tramp (2014)
This short documentary explores the history of the success and popularity of Charlie Chaplin.
Dir: Eric Lange
BW-60 mins, CC, Letterbox Format

On-screen and off-screen, Chaplin favored the company of much younger women. He was 29 years old when he wed Mildred Harris; she was 17. He was 35 years old when he wed Lita Grey; Lita was 16. He was 47 years old when he wed Paulette Goddard; Paulette was 26. He was 54 years old when he wed Oona O'Neill (Oona Chaplin); Oona was 17.


12:30 AM -- City Lights (1931)
In this silent film, the Little Tramp tries to help a blind flower seller to see again.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee
BW-87 mins,

In terms of years, this film was Charles Chaplin's longest undertaking. It was in production for over three years, from 31 December 1927 to 22 January 1931, although he only shot for 180 days.


2:00 AM -- Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
A man woos and murders rich widows to support his invalid wife.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charles Chaplin, Mady Correll, Allison Roddan
BW-124 mins, CC,

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Screenplay -- Charles Chaplin

According to Robert Lewis, "It was easy to define the position held by Charlie Chaplin in the making of Monsieur Verdoux. He was everything--writer, star, director, producer and casting director, as well as supervisor of all other departments: costumes, scenery, make-up, lighting, shooting schedules, camera set-ups, and the musical score. He also crawled around on the floor with a knife, scraping up bits of old chewing gum stuck to the floor. For good measure he'd entertain the troops between shots with hilarious imitations, such as William Gillette's inanimate playing in "Sherlock Holmes," a Kabuki actor pounding his feet on the floor, and crossing his eyes with pain, or Maurice Schwartz, the Yiddish actor, intoning a speech while twirling an imaginary beard that went clear to the floor."


4:15 AM -- A King in New York (1957)
A European king loses his money while stranded in the U.S.
Dir: Charles Chaplin
Cast: Charles Chaplin, Maxine Audley, Jerry Desmonde
BW-105 mins, CC,

The first film that Charles Chaplin made in the UK after his exile from America, and his last leading role in a movie.