Woody mentions CC and BK -- wow!

Yeah, right, big deal! However, since I like excerpts from newspapers, books, etc. in which Charlie is mentioned (not a disparaging word, of course), here 'tis:

So the inevitable question with 'Deconstruction Harry,' which opened Thursday, is yet again: How much connection will Allen admit to between his comic persona and his real-life identity? 'I think this is true for all comedians on the screen,' says Allen. 'I mean if you see all the Chaplin films, and the Keaton films, there is a persona that emerges. You live your life, you do your films, and people deconstruct it for you. It's not something you do consciously.'

From 'Deconstructing Woody: The Filmmaker Puts Himself in His Movies. Or Does He?' by Desson Howe, Washington _Post_, 12/27/97, page D01.

I think any comedian worth even marginal interest would have to give respect to important pioneers. I am glad Allen does give this acknowledgement. It's a lot better than Chevy Chase, who admits to disliking 'black and white comedy', dismissing it all as 'another era entirely.' But then Chevy pretty much got the career he deserved.

Woody Allen interviewed Groucho Marx in New York City in February, 1973. The interview is printed in _Hello, I Must Be Going_ by Charlot(te) Chandler. Quite a bit of the interview is Alan and Marx comparing opinions on film comedians. Groucho also talks at length about meeting Chaplin in vaudeville. Anyways, here's what Allen says on Chaplin:

I think he had three great films.... Well three and a half I guess. There's certain of them I find too mawkish. I like _Modern Times_, _City Lights_, and _The Gold Rush_. The others just seem so tedious to me. I don't like _The Great Dictator_ or _Monsieur Verdoux_ or _Limelight_.

- Robert Moulton

Jim, actually Chevy got a much BETTER career than he deserved!