City Lights 1930 1931 1932 next previous
City Lights Clippings 174/387
Georgia Hale, City Lights Premiere, Los Angeles, January 30, 1931.
Georgia Hale, Charles Chaplin – „City Lights“ screentest, 1929
At one point, Virginia Cherrill came back to the set
late, keeping Charles Chaplin waiting. Chaplin, whose
relationship with Cherrill was not friendly, fired her
on the spot. He intended to reshot the film with Georgia
Hale, his heroine from „The Gold Rush“ (1925),
playing the flower girl; he even reshot the final scene
between the tramp and the flower girl with Hale
in the role. However, Chaplin had already spent far too
much time and money on the project to start over.
Knowing this, Cherrill offered to come back to work –
at double her original salary. Chaplin reluctantly
agreed and the film was completed.
IMDb Trivia (Source: Virginia Cherrill interview, The
Unknown Chaplin, 1983)
& Albert Einstein, Charles Chaplin, Elsa Einstein and Georgia Hale
(right) at the „City Lights“ World Premiere, Los Angeles
Theatre, Jan. 30, 1931 – Press Photo
„British, of course. But I‘m a gypsy“
Editorial content.
Georgia Hale
Charlie Chaplin Intimate Close-ups
London 1999
„Dr. Albert Einstein and his wife arrived in Hollywood
just a few days before the opening of Mr. Chaplin‘s picture.“
(...) „Dr. Einstein, his wife, and Charlie and I had dinner
at his home before the opening.“ (...) „He asked Dr. Einstein,
,Do you believe there is a God?´ Dr. Einstein waited
a moment and then answered thoughtfully, ,Yes, I think
there is a Supreme Intelligence.´“ (...)
„During the drive home, Dr. Einstein and Charlie
discussed many subjects. Dr. Einstein said, ,United States
is great because of its composite of people from all
over the world. They come here all seeking freedom – a new
way of life.‘ This brought up the subject of nationality.
He added, ,Because of the persecution of the Jews I always
say I am Jewish. I gladly admit it. But I really think
of myself as a citizen of the world.‘
One could really feel with his vision so wide and high,
he could only belong to the universe. When I asked
Charlie, ,And what is your nationality?‘ he answered, ,British,
of course. But I‘m a gypsy.“ (...)
The world premiere of City Lights takes place in Los Angeles
January 30, 1931 at the Los Angeles Theatre.
Los Angeles Theatre, 615 South Broadway (between
6th and 7th Streets), Los Angeles.
City Lights opens in New York February 6, 1931
at the Cohan Theatre.
George M. Cohan Theatre, 1482 Broadway (between
42nd and 43rd Streets), New York.
Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation
about the Los Angeles theatre opening night:
„The theatre was built in less than six months. In August
of 1930 there was only an excavated hole in the
ground, and in January of 1931 the theatre had its grand
opening. Lee (architect S. Charles Lee) speeded
construction by having the plaster ornamentation fabricated
off-site and then brought to the building and fit
together like a jigsaw puzzle. Most other theatres of the day
had their decorative plaster molded and finished
in place, with artisans working on scaffolding. As opening day
approached the Depression deepened and
Gumbiner (entrepreneur and film exhibitor H. L. Gumbiner)
began to run out of money. Like all theatres,
his Tower and Cameo theatres were not generating the
income they had in the twenties. Gumbiner had
already contracted with Charlie Chaplin to open his new
theatre with the premiere of Chaplin's City Lights.
It is said that Chaplin invested his own money to finish
the theatre in time for his film's premiere. Some
extra features were eliminated in the name of saving money
including a music room off the basement lounge,
an infirmary, and two other periscope projection systems
for the music room and the outside lobby.
Opening night was a glittering affair, with Chaplin
in attendance, scores of dignitaries, and
even Albert Einstein. Outside, a crowd estimated at over
25,000 thronged Broadway to get a glimpse
of the celebrities. The Depression brought a tinge of irony
to this celebration of sumptuous luxury,
as part of the crowd outside waited in a bread line
across the street. Gumbiner was justifiably
proud of his new theatre, and unintentionally angered
Chaplin when he interrupted the showing
of City Lights to point out some of the beautiful features
of the auditorium. The two men had very different
emotions that night as Chaplin waited anxiously to gauge
the audience's reaction to his new silent film
with recorded sound accompaniment, and Gumbiner
reveled in the audience's awe and delight
in his new movie palace.“
Redaktioneller Inhalt
City Lights 1930 1931 1932 next previous
