Excellent CC book to check out

Just wanted to recommend one of the best books I've ever read about CC: 'Charlie Chaplin's One-Man Show' by Dan Kamin. I have the revised paper edition published in 1991 by Southern Illinois Univ. Press; don't know if it's still available. Dan Kamin is a professional mime and a very perceptive critic. His background allows him to analyze CC's performances with a depth I have not seen elsewhere. He's also an excellent writer. A good find.

I agree - Dan Kamin's book on Chaplin is one of the best (taken from an approach no one had ever previously explored) and is definitley in the top 5 or ten 'must-have' books on CC.

'What one loves about life are the things that fade.' - Michael Cimino's HEAVEN'S GATE

Pourquoi essaya-t-il de faire croire qu'il était juif ? Why Chaplin try to make believe he was jew ?

Somebody could try to help me in my reflexion. Quelqu'un peut-il m'aider à répondre à cette question ?

I wish I could respond in French, because I think there are subtleties involved here that may not translate well.

I don't believe Chaplin ever pretended to be Jewish. What he most emphatically did do was not deny it outright. The closest he came is the often quoted line, 'I'm afraid I don't have that honor.'

Personally, I think several factors played a part in his attitude. His half-brother, Syd, with whom he was always close, was reportedly part Jewish. Charlie would not have emphasized anything that would have 'separated' the two of them.

He very probably identified, at least in terms of the Tramp character, with the stereotypical image of Jews as persecuted outsiders.

As a cultural group, Chaplin had great respect for Jews, and individually appreciated the intellect and creativity of several of his personal friends and associates who were Jews.

Probably most importantly, Chaplin would never have wanted to play into the hands of the anti-semites and for that reason would at various times claim more or less kinship to confound those racist attitudes.

I think you misunderstand this....He never said he was Jewish - his response when asked if he was, 'I'm sorry, but I don't have that good fortune.' His half-brother Sydney was half-Jewish and he respected and loved him very much. The closest he came to being Jewish was portraying the Jewish Barber in 'The Great Dictator'. In his book, 'My Autobiography', he refers to himself as a Protestant and told about how his mother used to tell him about Jesus and the bible.

So what gave you the impression that Charlie was trying to make people think he was Jewish?

Lori

He always said that denying you were a Jew played into the hands of anti-semites.

There may be other possible reasons. Many people of European descent (including me) can never be sure who their ancestors were. For all I know, I may have a Jewish (or Gypsy) ancestor myself.

Also, his half-brother Sydney supposedly had a Jewish father, and CC was quite close to Sydney, even when he was annoyed with him

He did say he was Jewish sometimes. His inconsistency on this point is well covered in McCabe's biography and several other places.

Connie K.

Connie, who's McCabe? David Robinson dealt with this issue and concluded that Chaplin was not. In his own book, 'My Autobiography' he states that he was Protestant - that he at one point he was the only Protestant in a group of Catholics, and felt out of place......I think, though, Robinson said even Sydney was baptised Protestant.....so religious wise - as a youth anyway - Charlie wasn't a follower of the Jewish faith. As for having Jewish in him race-wise - well, I suppose only his mother would've known that for sure (and then again....).

Lori

MRS QT asked...

John McCabe, an expert on Laurel & Hardy. He just wrote the book on James Cagney & also wrote a book called CHARLIE CHAPLIN.

McCabe goes on to describe how that at various times in Chaplin's life, he stated/wished he was Jewish due what McCabe calls a chameleon-like personality: being a certain way to certain people. There is one anecdote I read (from somewhere) when Chaplin was discussing his merits for playing the serious part of Jesus Christ in a silent movie. He said, in effect, that he's perfect for the part: 'I'm Jewish!'

{CHOP}

I tend to think that there was something screwy about Chaplin's birth: what with no birth certificate and all. And for that matter, Sydney's birth. Kenneth Lynn in his Book CC & HIS TIMES, conjectured that there is more physical similarity between Charlie's father & Sydney than between Charlie's father & Charlie (Charlie's son CC Jr also seems to have commented on this). And when you take a look at a picture of Sydney in his middle age, he DOES look like CC Sr! Therefore I wouldn't be surprised to find that Charlie's father IS really Sydney's father. And as for ol' Charlie, well, that's anyone's guess. Maybe, as my good friend Leslie wonders, he IS the son of a

Correct. May Reeves also reports an incident in which someone asked him if he was Jewish, and, since he saw that the person wanted a positive answer, he said he was.

When CC was in an obliging mood, he did tend to say what he thought people wanted to hear.

Syd's birth was registered, and Chaplin Sr. was the nominal father. One might see some resemblance between the two, but later Chaplin Sr. denied paternity in Syd's case.

He never denied that he was Charlie's father, however, and seems at least occasionally to have shown mild interest in him.

Chaplin Sr. not only performed songs but wrote them, and was perhaps the source of CC's musical talent.

The alleged Gypsy blood was on Chaplin's mother's side. Milton, however, finds Gypsies perched on virtually every branch of CC's family tree.

Here's a question for her, Lou. What on earth can she adduce as evidence for these strange claims she makes about CC's family history? I certainly don't see any clear sources or rationale in her book.

Connie K.

Connie on another question for author Joyce Milton...

Okay, that's the third question. The first two being (1) Why did she write the book? (2) How does she feel qualified to diagnose Chaplin's psychological behavior? Let's make this a class project & get at least 12 to 20 questions.