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City Lights Clippings 11/387

St. Louis Star and Tribune, St. Louis, Missouri, Oct. 22, 1928.

Harmonica player Borrah Minnewitch, Charles Chaplin,

Sid Grauman, 1928, Discovering Chaplin

& Charles Chaplin, 1927,

chaplininpictures.tumbir.com, photo

& CHARLIE CHAPLIN‘S

      leading lady, Virginia Cherrill, arrives in west.

(...) Pacific and Atlantic Photo, St. Louis Star

and Tribune, Oct. 22, 1928

„I have never seen myself as a screen actress“

Editorial content. „Chaplin Chose Society Girl for Role

      Partly Because Her Name Ends in A

      She will Be His Fifth Consecutive Leading Lady

      With That Characteristic.

      HOLLYWOOD, CAL., Oct. 22. – (By N. E. A.) – Charlie

Chaplin has again reverted to blonds, or rather a blond,

for his leading lady. This time it is 20-year-old Virginia Cherrill,

wealthy Chicago society girl.

      Miss Cherrill is the first blond Chaplin has selected for

his leading lady since Edna Purviance. Following

Edna were Georgia Hale, Lita Grey (who later became Mrs.

Chapin) and Merna Kennedy.

      Although she had never been before a movie camera

in her life, Miss Cherrill was signed by Chaplin as his

leading lady in City Lights, a story of the Paris underworld,

which will go into production within the next few weeks.

He also has an option to use her in a second film if he wants her.

      Virginia‘s name had considerable to do with her

being signed. She is the fifth consecutive leading lady of

Charlie‘s whose first name ends with the letter ,a.‘

      ,Why?‘ the comedian was asked. ,Because I’m a fatalist,‘

he replied. ,I had tested more than a hundred girls for

the part and was on the verge of signing two or three of them,

but something told me that the girl I wanted would

still put in an appearance. Then I met Miss Cherrill at a party. Immediately I thought that she was just the girl I wanted

for my picture. And when I learned that her first name ended

in ,a,’ that clinched it.‘

      For the time being at least Virginia is under the wing

of Sue Carol, about the only society girl who has

ever been really successful in pictures. The two girls have

been friends since they were 11 years old. Sue,

having been a member of the film colony for about a year

and a half, will be able to give Virginia a good many

pointers that should prove invaluable to her.

      Is Virginia excited about her new role? Just listen to this:

      ,I have never been so thrilled in my life. It is almost

like a dream to me. In fact, even in my wildest dreams I have

never seen myself as a screen actress. I did have sort

of a desire to break into pictures after Sue made such a success

of her work, though. And now I am going to work with

Charlie Chaplin, whom I always have thought was one of the

greatest actors on the screen. I had an idea that a girl

would have to have years of experience as an actress before

Chaplin would even consider her.‘“

Redaktioneller Inhalt

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