Bits and Pieces About Charlie Chaplin

Back when I first got my website together, what I really wanted was a space where I could share the odds and ends of interesting but useless silent film trivia that I'm always coming across.

For the longest time, I couldn't do much about that, because I didn't know jack about HTML. But now, thanks to Gerald Smith, I've learned enough to post my first self-made edition of this thing I call the 'It' Column.

I've posted some items about Charlie Chaplin that you probably didn't already know. I don't think any of them have been discussed in the newsgroups, anyway, and they include:

* Why re-issues of Chaplin's Keystones got the Federal Trade Commission upset * What the head of First National *really* thought of Chaplin * How Chaplin could have made $95,000,000... but didn't

I hope you'll like them. They're at http://www.unknownvideo.com/it.shtml Next week, I'll be replacing them with some bits and pieces about M-G-M in the 1920s.

Chris Snowden Unknown Video

Very charming and entertaining! I shall take a look every week, and who knows, maybe someday I will be so inspired that I will get off my lazy ass and actually buy something! Appreciatively, Archie Waugh

Great stuff, Chris. The 1926 Exhibitors' Reports are fascinating: who knew that Crandon, Wisconsin was populated with such grouches? (although I agree that MARE NOSTRUM is 'long and tiresome'. The gossip sections were also great, especially Constance Talmadge diverting entire rivers and Louise Brooks paying the orchestra to stop playing!

Bob Keser

Thanks, Chris.

The bit about Bob Hope shows up in the Chaplin literature occasionally, and I think I've seen the radio plug mentioned, but never reported on in detail.

As for the head of First National