In Which Chaplin Makes a Big Mistake

From Jack Oakie's autobiography, 'Jack Oakie's Double Takes':

'On 'Modern Times,' the picture he made just before 'The Great Dictator,' the only crew he had was his cameraman, Roland Totheroh, and one property man. Not even a script girl, because the script was in his head. While talking about the terrible cost of things and the necessity of watching the purse strings, Charlie painted the blackest picture ever about 'Modern Times.'

mistake. Lost a lot of money on that one.' I felt terrible. It seemed awful to me that Charlie should have suffered such disappointment with such a great picture.

picture.' I was trying to tell him that I didn't think that anything about 'Modern Times' was a mistake.

' 'Yes,' he said, 'but a big mistake.' I thought he was going to cry, remembering the tragic error that was breaking his heart.

' 'I only made ten million dollars on that one.' He shook his head. He believed that if it had been a talkie he could have doubled that figure.'

Chris Snowden

hear hear, all these directors are out and bout for the money, scumbag apes the lot of them, disgusting. they do have a point thou: with ten mil he can buy ten thousand rolls royce, with 20 million he could be 20 thousand the man makes sense

Pure fiction. Part of the script is available for reading on the Image DVD. And the production values of the film obviously required a large crew.

It's true that Chaplin was initially disappointed with the profit from _Modern Times_, but things improved.

Connie K.