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F. C. Othman, UP, Des Moines Register, D. M., Iowa, March 6, 1941

„The reporters mostly weren‘t interested“

Editorial content. „Chaplin Makes Slip,

      Refers to ,My Wife‘

      By Frederick C. Othman.

      HOLLYWOOD, CAL. (U. P.) – Charlie Chaplin announced

Wednesday he was going to New York, N. Y., to start

work on a new picture about a refugee in a full dress suit, drunk

and lost in the big city.

      Chaplin also let slip by mistake that he‘s really married

to Paulette Goddard, heroine of his last picture, and

of whom he has seen little since last fall. Miss Goddard has

been rumored about ready to divorce him.

      Chaplin announced his plans at his first press conference

in the memory of the oldest correspondent. He served

caviar and highballs, but the reporters were too busy bombarding

him with questions to eat.

      After an unhappy hour trying to brush away queries about

where he was married, and when, and why did he try

to make a mystery of himself, Chaplin said:

      ,I have always felt that my private life is my own and

my wife‘s,‘ he said. ,No, I still have nothing to say

about where we were married or when.

      ,I guess because my earlier domestic troubles (his marriages

to and divorces from Mildred Harris and Lita Grey)

got so much into print. I have adopted a defense mechanism.‘

      In the new picture, Chaplin said, he will play the

leading role and Miss Goddard probably will be the principal

feminine character.

      ,The story is whirling around in my mind now,‘ Chaplin

said, displaying seven unused scratch pads and

a dozen unsharpened pencils. ,The picture will hav the

viewpoint of two human beings trying to function

in these chaotic times with no future – just living for the

moment.

      ,Prosperous Refugee.‘

      ,I‘ll be the refugee, but I won‘t be a tramp. I‘ll be a

prosperous refugee and a drunk. I‘ll play most of the role in a full

dress suit.‘

      Asked what had happened to the tramp character

which made Chaplin famous and earned him a fortune, the

white-haired comic said:

      ,President Roosevelt didn‘t do him any good. The

president started talking about the forgotten man and my little

fellow lost his job. Now he‘s on WPA.‘

      He added that when he was making a picture, he did the

work of ,at least 10 men‘ and probably was the hardest-working

man in Hollywood. he said, however, that he tried to keep

his movie-making activities secret.

      Why a Conference?

      One of his guests then wanted to know what was the idea

of calling his first press conference.

      ,I‘ll answer that frankly,‘ Chaplin said. , My latest

picture is about to go into general release and I want to stir up

some interest in it.‘

      The reporters mostly weren‘t interested.“

      Two photos.

      UP, United Press.

      WPA, Works Progress Administration, renamed 1939

      Works Projects Administration.

Redaktioneller Inhalt

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