Charlie Chaplin is the most well-known name in the history of silent film. He gave much comic relief to audiences during the Great Depression. His movies made people laugh like they could not in their stressful, everyday lives. The humor that Chaplin used to make people enjoy life came from the painful experiences he had growing up. His childhood had a large impact on how he saw the world and resulted in how he showed the world that view.
Chaplin’s childhood came with much heartbreak, but out of that also came a new beginning for him. Chaplin grew up in a poor family. He said in his autobiography, “I was well aware of the social stigma of our poverty. . . Those who could not sit down to Sunday dinner at home were of the mendicant class, and …show more content…
He created an outfit for Kid Auto Races at Venice made of thrift shop styled clothes that did not fit right (Barson). Since Chaplin’s family did not have a lot of money, he did not exactly wear the best-looking clothes, and the ones he did wear were most likely hand-me-downs from his brother. “As a finishing touch, he pasted on a postage-stamp mustache” that was cropped around the edges and is now known as the toothbrush mustache (Barson). Chaplin said that while he was still living with his mother as a child, there was also “another guest, a very tense, good-looking young man with a cropped red mustache” that Chaplin “grew very fond of” (Chaplin 73-74). Chaplin used this man’s appearance to help develop his own character many years …show more content…
At the height of Chaplin’s career, people were buying everything from socks to spoons dedicated to him (Gehring 67). People were inspired by Charlie Chaplin and wanted to be just like him. The toothbrush mustache worn by Chaplin spread to the men of his audience, and many of them grew their mustaches as he did (Gehrig 67). Not only was Chaplin a role model during his fame, he was also a style icon. Chaplin had a large following as an actor and director. In 1951, Huff wrote in his biography about Chaplin, “It is estimated that three hundred million people have seen each Chaplin comedy”(1). Half of the world’s current population had watched everything Chaplin ever made, and that does not include how many people have become fans of his work today. Chaplin became one of the most successful men in the silent film industry (Hughes-Onslow 44). He made millions of dollars by creating movies that everyone seemed to love. “Even today, he is the standard by which all film comedies are measured” (Gehring 67). Whether it is by professional movie critics or average movie goers, people have this idea of comedy that came from the one and only Charlie
Chaplin’s childhood came with much heartbreak, but out of that also came a new beginning for him. Chaplin grew up in a poor family. He said in his autobiography, “I was well aware of the social stigma of our poverty. . . Those who could not sit down to Sunday dinner at home were of the mendicant class, and …show more content…
He created an outfit for Kid Auto Races at Venice made of thrift shop styled clothes that did not fit right (Barson). Since Chaplin’s family did not have a lot of money, he did not exactly wear the best-looking clothes, and the ones he did wear were most likely hand-me-downs from his brother. “As a finishing touch, he pasted on a postage-stamp mustache” that was cropped around the edges and is now known as the toothbrush mustache (Barson). Chaplin said that while he was still living with his mother as a child, there was also “another guest, a very tense, good-looking young man with a cropped red mustache” that Chaplin “grew very fond of” (Chaplin 73-74). Chaplin used this man’s appearance to help develop his own character many years …show more content…
At the height of Chaplin’s career, people were buying everything from socks to spoons dedicated to him (Gehring 67). People were inspired by Charlie Chaplin and wanted to be just like him. The toothbrush mustache worn by Chaplin spread to the men of his audience, and many of them grew their mustaches as he did (Gehrig 67). Not only was Chaplin a role model during his fame, he was also a style icon. Chaplin had a large following as an actor and director. In 1951, Huff wrote in his biography about Chaplin, “It is estimated that three hundred million people have seen each Chaplin comedy”(1). Half of the world’s current population had watched everything Chaplin ever made, and that does not include how many people have become fans of his work today. Chaplin became one of the most successful men in the silent film industry (Hughes-Onslow 44). He made millions of dollars by creating movies that everyone seemed to love. “Even today, he is the standard by which all film comedies are measured” (Gehring 67). Whether it is by professional movie critics or average movie goers, people have this idea of comedy that came from the one and only Charlie