Chaplin and Edna Purviance, his frequent leading lady, in Work ( 1915 film ) | Work ( 1915 )

Chaplin intended it as a star-making vehicle for Edna Purviance, and did not appear in the picture himself other than in a brief, uncredited cameo.

Chaplin and Purviance in the memorable restaurant scene

This plot was abandoned almost immediately, before Chaplin's character was introduced, the documentary states, and Chaplin began again, with a story, still set in a cafe, about a man who has never been in a restaurant before displaying terrible table manners before meeting a lovely girl ( Purviance ) and shaping up.

Chaplin's stock company at Essanay included Ben Turpin, who disliked working with the meticulous Chaplin and only appeared with him in a couple of films ; ingenue Edna Purviance, who became his off-screen sweetheart as well ; Leo White, almost always playing a fussy continental villain ; and all-purpose authority figures Bud Jamison and John Rand.

In 1915 Edna Purviance was working as a secretary in San Francisco, when Chaplin was working on his second film with Essanay Studios, working out of Niles, California, one hour southeast of San Francisco.

Although she was romantically involved with Chaplin for several years, Purviance eventually married John Squire, a Pan-American Airlines pilot, whom she wed in 1938 and who died in 1945.

Chaplin biographer David Robinson wrote that Purviance did return briefly to the Chaplin Studios and prepared for a small role in the film, but that she did not go before the cameras.

Chaplin had several reasons for producing this film, and one of these reasons was to help Purviance gain recognition as an actress without Chaplin at her side.

She subsequently appeared in a number of other theatrical movies, notably as Edna Purviance in Chaplin in 1992 and with Al Pacino in Carlito's Way in 1993.

At the time Dines was romantically involved with Normand's friend ( and frequent Chaplin co-star ) Edna Purviance.

Chaplin also commissioned him to write and direct A Woman of the Sea ( also known as The Sea Gull ), starring his former star and lover Edna Purviance, but this film was later destroyed by Chaplin.

Behind the Screen is a 1916 short silent film written by, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin, and also starring Eric Campbell and Edna Purviance.

Much of the film is slapstick comedy involving Chaplin manhandling large props, but other plotlines include a strike by the stagehands, and Purviance, who is unable to become an actress, dressing as a man and becoming a stagehand.

Chaplin kissing Purviance in " Behind the Screen "

After Chaplin learns that Purviance is really a woman, he kisses her while on the set ; at this point, a male stagehand enters and, thinking that Chaplin has kissed a man, starts acting in an overtly effeminate way until Chaplin kicks him.

The documentary series Unknown Chaplin revealed previously unseen footage from this movie, including an alternate take where Purviance's character is shown playing a harp, an outtake in which Edna, playing the guitar, starts laughing ( the documentary supports the belief that Purviance and Chaplin were romantically involved at the time ), and several takes of a scene in which Chaplin's character narrowly misses having his feet chopped off by an axe ( accomplished by filming the scene backwards ) -- this scene was never used in the final film.

Famous actors from this era are now legendary: Ben Turpin, Mabel Normand, Edna Purviance, Roscoe " Fatty " Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Charley Chase, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy ( the duo of Laurel & Hardy were among those who made a commercially successful transition into talking pictures ), and many others.

" His early years were spent with his mother and brother in the London district of Kennington ; Hannah had no means of income, other than occasional nursing and dressmaking, and Chaplin Sr. provided no support for his sons.

" For the two months she was there, Chaplin and his brother were sent to live with their father, whom the young boy scarcely knew.

Shops were stocked with Chaplin merchandise, he was featured in cartoons and comic strips, and several songs were written about the star.

In 1917, Chaplin imitators were widespread enough for the star to take legal action, and it was reported that nine out of ten men attended costume parties dressed as Chaplin.

Shortly before this, Chaplin and his wife had separated after 18 months of marriage — they were " irreconcilably mismated ", he remembered.

Chaplin was reported to be in the state of a nervous breakdown, as the story became headline news and pirated copies of the document were read by the public.

Chaplin finished editing the picture in December 1930, by which time silent films were an anachronism.

Chaplin later wrote, " Although we were somewhat estranged we were friends and still married.

There were strong parallels between Chaplin and the German dictator, having been born four days apart and raised in similar circumstances.

Although blood tests proved Chaplin was not the father of Barry's child, Barry's attorney, Joseph Scott, convinced the court that the tests were inadmissible as evidence, and Chaplin was ordered to support the child.

A 1922 image of Charlie Chaplin Studios, where all of Chaplin's films between 1918 and 1952 were produced

As ideas were accepted and discarded, a narrative structure would emerge, frequently requiring Chaplin to reshoot an already-completed scene that might have otherwise contradicted the story.

Chaplin disliked unconventional camera angles and only used close-ups to highlight an emotional scene, and usually preferred to employ a static, " stage-like " camera setting where the scenes were portrayed as if set on a stage.

These tunes were then developed further in a close collaboration between the composer ( s ) and Chaplin.

In 2011 two murals depicting Chaplin on two 14-storey buildings were also unveiled in Vevey.

Chaplin's photographic archives are held by the Musée de l ' Élysée in Lausanne, and some of the images in the collection were presented in an exhibition, Charlie Chaplin – Images d ' Un Mythe, in 2011 – 2012.

Retrospectives of his work were presented that year at The National Film Theatre in London, the Munich Stadtmuseum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which also dedicated a gallery exhibition, Chaplin: A Centennial Celebration, to him.

In American film, the most prominent comic actors of the silent era were Charlie Chaplin ( although born in England, his success was principally in the U. S .), Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd.

The comedian Charlie Chaplin was one of the last silent film hold-outs, and his films during the 1930s were devoid of dialogue, although they did employ sound effects.

For the first time in many years, German audiences had free access to cinema from around the world and in this period the films of Charlie Chaplin remained popular, as were melodramas from the United States.

Its two leads, Charlie Chaplin and Claire Bloom, were in the industry in no less than three different centuries.

There she worked with Fatty Arbuckle, Mack Sennett ( with whom she was romantically involved for a short time ) and Charlie Chaplin amongst others.

During production of the film Chaplin had been involved with the actress Pola Negri, a romantic pairing that received vast media interest.

This scene involved up to 380 extras and was especially stressful for Chaplin to shoot.

Chaplin has notably been involved in European cinema, most notably taking French and Spanish-speaking roles.

Alvilde Chaplin, future wife of the author James Lees-Milne, was involved with Singer from 1938 to 1943 ; the two women were living together in London at the time of Winnaretta's death.

It was planned as such by Joseph Schenck, CEO of United Artists at the time it was founded, but UA's owners ( including Mary Pickford and Charles Chaplin ) were against becoming involved in exhibition.

Previously, Ayrton had been married to a cousin, Matilda Chaplin ( 1846 – 1883 ); their marriage had taken place while Ayrton was on home leave from India and Matilda was involved in the Edinburgh Seven campaign to open medical education to women.

However, Brian Wilson was not involved at all with the song's recording sessions, leaving the basic track to be recorded by Brian's brother Carl and ex-Flame and then-Beach Boys members Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin.

Also included is an extensive series of alternate takes illustrating how Chaplin slowly developed the story line of The Immigrant, including a scene from an abortive first attempt at filming which involved a completely different storyline.