Charlie Chaplin get starteded seeming in his first motion pictures in 1914—40 motion pictures, to be actual—and, via 1915, the United States had a significant case of “Chaplinitis.” Chaplin mustaches have been suddenly popping up each and everythe place–as were Chaplin imitators and Chaplin look-alike contests. A tender Bob Hope apparently gained one such contake a look at in Cleveland. Chaplin Fever continued burning sizzling thru 1921, the yr when the Chaplin look-alike contake a look at, proven above, was once held outfacet the Liberty Theatre in Bellingham, Washington.
According to legfinish, somethe place between 1915 and 1921, Chaplin decided to go into a Chaplin look-alike contake a look at, and misplaced, dangerously.
A brief article known as “How Charlie Chaplin Failed,” seeming in The Straits Instances of Singapore in August of 1920, learn like this:
Lord Desborough, presiding at a dinner of the Anglo-Saxon membership informed a story which could have an enduring lifestyles. It comes from Miss Mary Pickford who informed it to Girl Desborough, “Charlie Chaplin was once at some point at an even within the United States, the place a princigood friend attraction was once a competition as to who may highest imitate the Charlie Chaplin stroll. The true Charlie Chaplin concept there may well be an opportunity for him so he entered for the in step withformance, minus his celebrated moustache and his boots. He was once a frightful failure and got here in twentieth.
A variation at the similar story gave the impression in a New Zealand informationpain step with, the Poverty Bay Herald, once more in 1920. As did another story within the Australian informationpain step with, the Albany Advertiser, in March, 1921.
A competition in Charlie Chaplin impersonations was once held in California contemporaryly. There was once somefactor like 40 competitors, and Charlie Chaplin, as a comic story, entered the contake a look at below an assumed title. He impersonated his widely recognized movie self. However he didn’t win; he was once twenty seventh within the competition.
Did Chaplin are available twentieth position? twenty seventh position? Did he input a contake a look at in any respect? It’s a laugh to imagine that he did. However, a century later, many consider the story the stuff of city legfinish. When one researcher requested the Association Chaplin to weigh in, they apparently had this to mention: “This anecdote informed via Lord Desborough, whoever he could have been, was once somewhat broadly documented within the British press on the time. There are not any other references to this type of competition in any other press clipping albums that I’ve noticed so I will be able to best suppose that that is the supply of that hearsay, city fable, whatever it’s. However, it can be true.”
I’d love to imagine it’s.
Observe: An earlier version of this submit gave the impression on our web site in early 2016.
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