Monsieur Verdoux

In all cast listings for MONSIEUR VERDOUX, among the bit players is credited Tom Wilson and Phillips Smalley. I have never seen exactly what roles they play in the film, though. Tom Wilson was a regular cast member during the First National days, so it's possible that he's in the garden party scene somewhere with Edna Purviance. As for Phillips Smalley, I always assumed this was the early silent director, and later bit player in talkies. But he died in 1939, so is this an error, or is it a different Phillips Smalley?

I once read that both were in the garden party sequence, along with Purviance. Problem is, I forget where I read that. Sorry...

By the way, in my opinion the garden party is the most underrated sequence in Chaplin's entire body of work. Brilliantly executed and no one talks about it.

Tom Sutpen

'Cinema is Truth, 24 times a second'

I though that Edna thing was just a rumour?

It's pretty certain that she appears in the garden party scene. In the shot where Chaplin and William Frawley are talking, she is supposedly standing behind them in the background.

Pretty certain to whom? And according to what evidence? The last time we went through this there were at least three different opinions among the about even which of the only 5 or so possibilities might be her. Since no one has produced a still of Edna taken less than 21 years earlier from AWOTS (19 or 20 if you can turn up something from L'Education du Prince, which I have yet to see), I don't see how anyone can know what they're looking for with enough certainty to ID her for sure.

When asked about Edna in Verdoux, Grandpop specifically talked about the screen test/audition they did with her for the Mme. Grosnay part, and how relieved *everyone* was when she took herself out of contention for that role. He said nothing about her being in the film as an extra.

Before we did the 50th anniversary screening, I personally went through all the call sheets for the Verdoux production. I didn't see her name on any of them.

Now, I'll readily admit that none of this proves Edna wasn't in the film, but it sure leads me to question anything as subjective as 'it looks like her to me' without other supporting evidence.

With all due respect to Gerald and his wonderful website, I can't accept his ID of Edna. But I also have very little confidence in my own ability to ID bit players in Chaplin films.

The plump, fortyish woman holding the little blonde girl in _Dictator_ looks a *lot* like an ageing Edna to me, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Someone needs to get some of that software that ages people from early photos and share the results with us. An actual photo would be even better, of course.

Connie K.