Philosophy
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere,
This week we saw the birthday of one of the greatest physical comedians in history, the one and only Charlie Chaplin. Born in London, Chaplin's mother was institutionalized and he grew up poor becoming a performer at a very young age to support himself and his brother. He joined a comic troup with Stan Laurel that toured America and was seen by Max Sennett who signed him to a film contract.
The master of the silent comedy, Chaplin's character, the little tramp, was incredibly deep allowing him to do the silliest of sight gags, heart wrenching sadness, sly scams, and always with an incredible sense of humanity.
He was one of the first true superstars, ultimately using his fame, power, and wealth to become one of the founding members of United Artists, a studio formed to give artists more control over their work. At UA, he made his last great silent The Gold Rush and his two masterpiece talkies, City Lights and Modern Times.
These last two films clearly displayed his left-leaning political sympathies, which, coupled with his agnosticism, landed him on the wrong side of McCartyism. His power and stardom kept McCarthy from calling Chaplin before the committee, but when he returned back to England for a visit, J Edgar Hoover had his visa revoked and he never returned to the States.
To prove that Einstein can be worked into any conversation, one of my favorite stories about Chaplin comes from Einstein's arrival in the United States after fleeing Germany with the rise of the Nazis. Einstein's general theory of relativity had made him famous and when he came to California to speak at Cal Tech, he met Charlie Chaplin. When the car with the two of them arrived, it was mobbed, surrounded by screaming fans of the actor and the physicist. Einstein was flabbergasted and looked at Chaplin and asked, "What does this all mean?" Chaplin smiled and said, "Nothing."
So great was the admiration, that when he met Groucho Marx and told him how much he loved the Marx Brothers' movies, Groucho was humbled to receive such praise from the master. This was no mere clown, this was Chaplin.
In his honor, use this holiday to date someone half your age.
To the little tramp or great dictator in all of us,
Live, love, and laugh,
Irrevend Steve
- Funniest Cartoon
My Fellow Comedists, This week marks the 83rd anniversary of the release of Steamboat Willie, the first animated cartoon with sound. From the beginning, the medium was seen as a good one for comedy because the sort of slapstick gags we saw coming out...
- Feast Of Saint Marcel
Friends, This week saw the 86th anniversary of the birth of Marcel Marceau. His real name was Mangel and he came from a Jewish family. He fell in love with Charlie Chaplin's work and would perform his versions of Chaplin's clowning acts for neighborhood...
- Chaplin Film Bought For £3.20 Fails At Auction
"Rare Charlie Chaplin film fails to sell" June 30th, 2011 BBC NEWS A rare Charlie Chaplin film bought for £3.20 on eBay has failed to sell at auction despite being expected to fetch "a significant six-figure sum". Charlie Chaplin in Zepped, thought...
- $4,600.00...for A Dress?
If you have it, spend it. "Marilyn Monroe's Seven Year Itch dress sells for $4.6m" June 19th, 2011 BBC NEWS The white dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch has sold for $4.6m (£2.8m) at an auction in Los Angeles. The...
- Unusual Einstein Photographs
Here is a collection of not too often seen photographs of Einstein "Declaration of Intention" to become a U.S. citizen, January 15th, 1936. October 1st, 1940--Citizenship "Observatório Nacional", during Einstein's visit to Brazil, in 1925 Conrad...
Philosophy
Feast of Saint Charlie
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere,
This week we saw the birthday of one of the greatest physical comedians in history, the one and only Charlie Chaplin. Born in London, Chaplin's mother was institutionalized and he grew up poor becoming a performer at a very young age to support himself and his brother. He joined a comic troup with Stan Laurel that toured America and was seen by Max Sennett who signed him to a film contract.
The master of the silent comedy, Chaplin's character, the little tramp, was incredibly deep allowing him to do the silliest of sight gags, heart wrenching sadness, sly scams, and always with an incredible sense of humanity.
He was one of the first true superstars, ultimately using his fame, power, and wealth to become one of the founding members of United Artists, a studio formed to give artists more control over their work. At UA, he made his last great silent The Gold Rush and his two masterpiece talkies, City Lights and Modern Times.
These last two films clearly displayed his left-leaning political sympathies, which, coupled with his agnosticism, landed him on the wrong side of McCartyism. His power and stardom kept McCarthy from calling Chaplin before the committee, but when he returned back to England for a visit, J Edgar Hoover had his visa revoked and he never returned to the States.
To prove that Einstein can be worked into any conversation, one of my favorite stories about Chaplin comes from Einstein's arrival in the United States after fleeing Germany with the rise of the Nazis. Einstein's general theory of relativity had made him famous and when he came to California to speak at Cal Tech, he met Charlie Chaplin. When the car with the two of them arrived, it was mobbed, surrounded by screaming fans of the actor and the physicist. Einstein was flabbergasted and looked at Chaplin and asked, "What does this all mean?" Chaplin smiled and said, "Nothing."
So great was the admiration, that when he met Groucho Marx and told him how much he loved the Marx Brothers' movies, Groucho was humbled to receive such praise from the master. This was no mere clown, this was Chaplin.
In his honor, use this holiday to date someone half your age.
To the little tramp or great dictator in all of us,
Live, love, and laugh,
Irrevend Steve
- Funniest Cartoon
My Fellow Comedists, This week marks the 83rd anniversary of the release of Steamboat Willie, the first animated cartoon with sound. From the beginning, the medium was seen as a good one for comedy because the sort of slapstick gags we saw coming out...
- Feast Of Saint Marcel
Friends, This week saw the 86th anniversary of the birth of Marcel Marceau. His real name was Mangel and he came from a Jewish family. He fell in love with Charlie Chaplin's work and would perform his versions of Chaplin's clowning acts for neighborhood...
- Chaplin Film Bought For £3.20 Fails At Auction
"Rare Charlie Chaplin film fails to sell" June 30th, 2011 BBC NEWS A rare Charlie Chaplin film bought for £3.20 on eBay has failed to sell at auction despite being expected to fetch "a significant six-figure sum". Charlie Chaplin in Zepped, thought...
- $4,600.00...for A Dress?
If you have it, spend it. "Marilyn Monroe's Seven Year Itch dress sells for $4.6m" June 19th, 2011 BBC NEWS The white dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in the 1955 film The Seven Year Itch has sold for $4.6m (£2.8m) at an auction in Los Angeles. The...
- Unusual Einstein Photographs
Here is a collection of not too often seen photographs of Einstein "Declaration of Intention" to become a U.S. citizen, January 15th, 1936. October 1st, 1940--Citizenship "Observatório Nacional", during Einstein's visit to Brazil, in 1925 Conrad...