So the economy is in depression, fat cat bankers rule. Crime is all over and it seems the little guy is getting crushed under the weight of oppression.Modern Times you say? No. We have traveled this road before.And one man defined the struggle of the poor to better their lot in this world..The Tramp is back, and ready to amuse…..

Sir Charles Spencer “Charlie” Chaplin, KBE (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977) was a British comic actor and filmmaker. Chaplin was one of the most influential figures of the silent era, whose screen character “The Tramp” became a global phenomenon and remains one of cinema’s most iconic images. His career in entertainment spanned more than 75 years, from Victorian music hall until close to his death at the age of 88. Chaplin’s high-profile public and private life encompassed both adulation and controversy.As a composer, I am struck by Chaplin’s music. It is really rather good, haunting refrains, repetitive melodies that drum into your belly like a fish slapping plank wood.Chaplin composed like Beethoven did, with an eye towards drama and percussion. But was Chaplin ever actually homeless in real life? Well……….

Raised in London, Chaplin’s childhood was defined by poverty and hardship. He was sent to a workhouse twice before the age of nine; his father was absent, and his mother was committed to a mental asylum. Chaplin began performing from a young age, touring music halls with a clog dancingtroupe and later working as a stage actor and comedian. At 19 he was signed to the prestigious Fred Karno company, which took him to America. It was while touring with the comedy troupe that Chaplin was scouted by the film industry. His first appearances came in 1914 with Keystone Studios, where he developed the Tramp persona and formed a large fan base. Chaplin directed his films from an early stage, and continued to hone his craft as he moved to the Essanay, Mutual, and First National corporations. By 1918, he was one of the richest and most famous men in the world.

The rogue historian asks How did Chaplin resonate globally and why was his rise so meteoric? And could today’s rising tide of homeless and food scarce populations relate to the “Little Champ” ?

Chaplin played a homeless person who demanded dignity. As a tide of immigrants worldwide dealt with revolution, dislocation,poverty, war and class differences, Chaplin attracted global audiences by the sheer tenacity the “Little Tramp” showed in the face of overwhelming odds. Who hasn’t felt small or unimportant at times? Who hasn’t felt alone in a crowd? Chaplin is the ultimate symbol of the silent war of the have’s vs the have not’s Imagine Chaplin in the Occupy crowd, wreaking havoc.Imagine Chaplin in Modern day New York, assailing wicked banksters. Chaplin would have found 2013 content rich and surely would have fought for the underdog.Ironically, Charlie , who made his fame portraying an outcast chased by policemen, store owners, even other “tramps” would find himself the subject of a real life witch hunt later in his life.

In 1952 Chaplin had left Hollywood on a visit to England and while aboard ship in the Atlantic, was notified that his reentry permit had been revoked. Atty. Gen. James P. McGranery said the action had been prompted by “public charges” associating Chaplin with communism and “grave moral charges.” The comedian would have to appear at a hearing to prove his “moral worth” before he could return. Chaplin, who was still a British subject, declined to go through such a hearing. “Since the end of the last world war,” Chaplin said, “I have been the object of lies and propaganda by powerful reactionary groups who, by their influence and by the aid of America’s yellow press, have created an unhealthy atmosphere in which liberal-minded individuals can be singled out and persecuted. Under these conditions I find it virtually impossible to continue my motion-picture work, and I have therefore given up my residence in the United States.” Chaplin and his family moved to a mansion overlooking Lake Geneva near the Swiss village of Vevey.

That government ruling was widely and correctly interpreted as a shabby cover to bar Chaplin from the country for political reasons. While he never belonged to a political party, he was sympathetic to liberal and some radical causes. Worse, he was outspoken. And some of his films, which ridiculed aspects of American society, were denounced as “left-wing propaganda.”

In August 1960, a superior court judge refused to issue an order compelling the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the Hollywood Improvement Association to show cause why they should not be directed to include Chaplin’s name on the Walk of Fame. The court acted on a petition filed by Charles Chaplin, Jr., who contended that omission of his father’s name from the Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk project was malicious. Chaplin Jr. himself demanded $400,000 damages on the complaint that the decision of the two Hollywood organizations libeled him and injured his career. His suit was eventually dismissed.

After the reentry prohibition against Chaplin was dropped years later, the actor remained in Switzerland. As the years passed, both Chaplin and the times changed and, in an interview in London in 1962, he said: “What happened to me, I can’t condemn or criticize the country for that. There are many admirable things about American and its system, too. I have no ill feelings. I carry no hate. My only enemy is time.” This statement in itself shows the sunny disposition that has come to define Chaplin.A champion of humanity, he harbored no ill will, and thus, won the war, even if he had lost many battles.

By the early days of 1972, the officials, including an attorney general of the United States, who were outraged at Chaplin’s radically-tinged politics, were now gone. It was rumored that Chaplin would return to the United States for the first time in twenty years to receive a special Academy Award voted to him. If Chaplin decided to return, he would have to apply to the U.S. Consulate in Geneva for an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa. The U.S. State Department would then rule on the application.

Possibly because of Chaplin’s promising return, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Committee voted on whether to approve a star for the actor and voted 5 to 4 against it. After that vote, Chamber president,A. Ronald Button ordered an advisory poll of chamber membership that responded 3 to 1 in favor of installing a Chaplin star. Based on that, the Chambers directors went against their Executive Committees recommendation and voted 30 to 3 in favor of adding Chaplin’s name to the sidewalk honor. The decision still had to be approved by the Los Angeles City Council, but Button said it had always approved the directors’ recommendations in the past. “I can’t imagine them opposing the star,” he said. Eventually the city council approved Chaplin’s star, 11 to 3. The three dissenting councilmen never spoke publicly in opposition, but privately complained that since the comedian earned his money here he should not have left the country to live in Switzerland. It is 2013 and thanks to revolution, war, dislocation, inflation, deflation,and the greatest demarcation line between the rich and poor in a hundred years, Chaplin is back, and this time, it’s personal…

Father: Charles Chaplin, Sr. (alcoholic)
Mother: Hannah Smith
Brother: Sydney Chaplin (half brother)
Wife: Mildred Harris (m. 23-Oct-1918, div. 1920)
Wife: Lita Grey (m. 26-Nov-1924, div. 1926)
Wife: Paulette Goddard (m. Jun-1936, div. Jun-1942)
Wife: Oona Chaplin (dau. of Eugene O’Neill, m. 16-Jun-1943)
Son: Norman Spencer Chaplin (b. 7-Jul-1919, d. 10-Jul-1919)
Son: Charlie Chaplin, Jr. (b. 5-May-1925, d. 20-Mar-1968)
Son: Sydney Chaplin (stage actor, b. 30-Mar-1926, d. 3-Mar-2009)
Daughter: Geraldine Chaplin (actress, b. 31-Jul-1944)
Girlfriend: Pola Negri
Slept with: Marion Davies (rumored)
Girlfriend: Edna Purviance
Mistress: Louise Brooks (1925)

United Artists
Oscar (honorary) 1929 for The Circus
Oscar (honorary) 1972 (Lifetime Achievement)
Oscar for Best Music Original Score 1973 for Limelight (shared)
Erasmus Prize 1965 (with Ingmar Bergman)
Knight of the British Empire 4-Mar-1975
French Legion of Honor 1985
Hollywood Walk of Fame 6751 Hollywood Blvd
Left at Orphanage
Mann Act Violation 1944 (acquitted)
Paternity Test blood test (1943)
Exhumed 1-Mar-1978 (grave robbed)
Risk Factors: Asthma
FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTOR
A Countess from Hong Kong (5-Jan-1967)
A King in New York (12-Sep-1957)
Limelight (23-Oct-1952)
Monsieur Verdoux (11-Apr-1947)
The Great Dictator (15-Oct-1940)
Modern Times (5-Feb-1936)
City Lights (30-Jan-1931)
The Circus (6-Jan-1928)
The Gold Rush (26-Jun-1925)
A Woman of Paris (26-Sep-1923)
Pay Day (2-Apr-1922)
The Idle Class (25-Sep-1921)
The Kid (21-Jan-1921)
A Day’s Pleasure (15-Dec-1919)
Sunnyside (15-Jun-1919)
Shoulder Arms (20-Oct-1918)
The Rink (4-Dec-1916)
Behind the Screen (13-Nov-1916)
The Vagabond (10-Jul-1916)
The Floorwalker (15-May-1916)
A Night in the Show (20-Nov-1915)
Work (21-Jun-1915)
The Tramp (12-Apr-1915)
His New Job (1-Feb-1915)

FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
A Countess from Hong Kong (5-Jan-1967)
A King in New York (12-Sep-1957)
Limelight (23-Oct-1952)
Monsieur Verdoux (11-Apr-1947)
The Great Dictator (15-Oct-1940)
Modern Times (5-Feb-1936) · Factory Worker
City Lights (30-Jan-1931) · A Tramp
The Circus (6-Jan-1928) · A Tramp
The Gold Rush (26-Jun-1925) · The Lone Prospector
The Pilgrim (26-Feb-1923) · The Pilgrim
Pay Day (2-Apr-1922) · Worker
The Idle Class (25-Sep-1921)
The Kid (21-Jan-1921) · A Tramp
A Day’s Pleasure (15-Dec-1919) · Father
Sunnyside (15-Jun-1919)
Shoulder Arms (20-Oct-1918) · Doughboy
A Dog’s Life (14-Apr-1918) · The Tramp
The Immigrant (17-Jun-1917) · Immigrant
The Cure (16-Apr-1917)
The Rink (4-Dec-1916)
Behind the Screen (13-Nov-1916)
The Count (4-Sep-1916) · Apprentice Tailor
The Vagabond (10-Jul-1916) · Street Musician
The Floorwalker (15-May-1916)
A Night in the Show (20-Nov-1915)
Work (21-Jun-1915)
The Tramp (12-Apr-1915)
His New Job (1-Feb-1915)
Tillie’s Punctured Romance (14-Nov-1914) · Charlie
The Rounders (7-Sep-1914) · Reveller
The Masquerader (27-Aug-1914) · Film Actor
The Knockout (11-Jun-1914)
Tango Tangles (9-Mar-1914)
A Film Johnnie (2-Mar-1914) · Film Johnnie

Author of books:
My Autobiography (1964, memoir)

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