The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 30

12 THE SYDNEY, MORNING HERALD WOMEN'S SUPPLEMENT. TUESDAY, MARCH 24. 1936. I i 11 Charlie Chaplin Entertains Another Generation. TOWARD3 the end af last year, Charlie Chaplin attended an early-morning business conference at a Lot Angeles hotel.

Word spread that he was there, and in less than halt an hour, a thousand people had fathered oatslde. Three-fourths of that crowd of waiting admirers were children girls and bojrs between the ages of six and It. Most of them were too young to have seen Chaplin on the screen, since his most recent Him, "City Lights," is almost five years old. Yet they were there In the hope of catching a glimpse of him, and they cheered madly when he appeared. ipse wwri i v.

r.v- i v' V-r 'V Machinery plays a big part in the new Chaplin film. It was all constructed under Charlie's supervision, and, although it is made entirely or wood, tt all luorfrs CHARLIE CHAPLIN and PAVLETTE GODDARD in a tcene from "Modern Times," which commences its Sydney on Baiter Saturday. grown-ups too. Ana not only the average adult but the adult who has a mind much greater than his fellows admires Charlie. Paderewski, on his last visit to New York, said that his trip was a disappointment "because none of the Chaplin fllnu were showing." Thomas Burke once remarked, "He calls out all my affection as a man and my admiration as as artist." Bernard Shaw admits, "Long before Mr.

Chap, lin became famous and had got no farther than throwing bricks or having them thrown at hta I was struck with his haunted, tragic express! on remarkably like Sir Henry Irving." EMIL LUDWlG'S TRIBUTE. Emll Ludwlg once wrote, "I had many long talb with Chaplin, and found him most unusual-tot most Interesting person I met." Ex-Crown Prince Wllhelm. in his personal memoirs, maintains that, "Charlie Chaplin as the person who elevated the motion pictures tc the realm of art." But perhaps the most glowing tribute ever mid rtet.J PAVLETTE THIS is hot an isolated illustration of the popularity of the man who has made the whole world laugh end cry. Such scenes have been repeated in a hundred cities and countries, the only variations being In the size of the crowd and the language of the applauders. If these young admirers had.

seen Chaplin in one or two films their enthusiasm could be attributed to the comedian's genius; if they had been older and well acquainted with the vagaries of living, their cheers could have been traced to Chaplin's poignant understanding of life. But this was a new generation whose reasons for admiring a great man were not the reasons of their parents. The only explanation of their presence was Chaplin's Intangible magic, for Charlie, the film comedian, transcends the cope of motion pictures. BEGINNINGS. No greater proof exists of this than the vault in the Chaplin home.

It is filled with books of Press clippings garnered from every part of the world. They date from that night in London when, at the age of six, he was pushed on to the stage to take the part of his mother, who was ill. He sang "Jack Jones." They cover his American and British tours In vaudeville. They describe his growing popularity while he made 21 two-reelers and two feature films for Mack Bennett. "Tillie's Punctured Romance," with Mabel Normand, was one of them, and perhaps really the first film that established Chaplin.

They recall the 12 shorts for Essanay, and then the Mutual Films, Including the never-to-be-forgotten "Floorwalker." Later clippings begin to speak of Chaplin as an artist, a genius, one of the world's great men, for he had Joined First National and made "A Dog's Life," "Shoulder Anns," 'The Kid," and "The Pilgrim." By this time his pictures were being shown all over the world. In 1925 he began to distribute his films through United Artists, of which company he is a controller, and he embarked on his policy of spacing his Dlctures a number of years apart. These have to Chaplin came from the lips of a fellow-picture Dlaver. and himself a comedian the lt ni Rogers. "Chaplin is all that these real-so-called GODDARD, who recently announced her engagement to Charlie Chaplin.

She ma he I her film tirhut in "Modern Times artists are supposea to oe. And he Is the onlj cent us develoned in the films since the? stm-tat "Moaern limes will oe released as an Eastet attraction in oyoney. ann 11 is rumoured that Aus (Below.) Two wallt take to the road together. A Chaplin tcene, combining humour and pathot. Included "The Oold Bush," "The Circus." and "City Lights." As one fingers the clippings of to-day and yesterday one finds that, in spite of the fact that Charlie Chaplin has not appeared in a film for more than four years and has only now com Dieted a new one, "Modern Times," he still stands out In the news columns of the world Press.

IN DISTINGUISHED COMPANY. The well-known magazine, "Vanity Fair. recently featured a page of celebrities who played the violin for no other reason than their love of the Instrument. Chaplin was presented in such varylngly distinguished company as Upton Sinclair, Albert Einstein, and Benito Mussolini. In another issue of the same periodical he has been pictured with Marconi, Edison, and Ford as the most prominent men of our time.

Another American newspaper recently published a feature entitled "Distorted Faces of Celebrities." Chaplin was along with Lloyd George and Ramsay MacDonald. In Hungary lately, a poll was taken by a lending newspaper asking Its readers whom they would choose to save if seven world-famous figures were In danger and only one could survive. Chaplin was among them, and he topped the poll. Far removed from Hungary, another contest took place last year. This was in Japan, and prizes were offered for the best impersonation of Charlie.

Hundreds of men and boys enrolled, swarming the streets In Oriental imitations of the comedian's baggy trousers, cane, outsize shoes, battered bowler, and moustache. Chaplin has even been erected in marble and the statute is not In America. He stands on the parapet of a bridge in Rotterdam, Holland. So this man, whom the French claim was born in Fontainebleau and the English maintain comes from Halworth, is truly an international figure. HIS UNIVERSAL APPEAL.

As the children of all nations who belonged to the last generation knew and adored the comedian, so the youngsters of to-day are to be Introduced to him, unchanged, and his circle of devotees will be even widened. It Is Interesting to note that smong them will be Chaplin's own two sons, Sidney ged 9, and Charles, aged 10, who once said that they loved Mickey Mouse, but they didn't think Daddy was at all funny. Of course they only knew the dapper Englishman, with his deep, well-modulated voice and his well-cut clothes. They couldn't believe that he was the funny, pathetic little man whom the world laughed and cried with, for they were not old enough to enjoy his last film. It la that voice, by the way, which we have never heard in films, and which Charlie assures us we shall never hear.

Contrary to general opinion, Chaplin Is not averse to talking pictures. He likes them and thoroughly approves of them, but for his own medium he Is content to continue the silent trail alone. His voice, he says, Is so out of keeping with the vagabond character he portrays, and, besides, be you Oerman or Chinese, you can all interpret Chaplin to suit yourselves. That, in a small measure, explains his popularity with people of all nationalities. Chaplin is symbolic of a funny little man tossed on the tide of Ater on obsence 0 nearly five years, CHARLIE CHAPLIN to the screen, unchanged.

He wiU not talk in his new picture, but use been made synenromsea souna. ih. iharinw 0( tlH 1. cuuicuiBii, T. i-A with PSUlW fortune, and that tide ebbs and flows In any odd corner of the globe.

Another astonishing feature of Chaplin's work Is his ability to amuse not only the children, but present leaing a nummj Ooddaro, nis leading uor,.