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Harold Heffernan, Miami News, Miami, Florida, March 15, 1941.

Harold Heffernan

(...) Photo, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis,

Missouri, July 11, 1941

„Scored a moral victory over Mr. Chaplin“

Editorial content. „Chaplin Promises Reporters

      He‘ll Be More Co-Operative

      Uncomfortable Session With Boys Of Press Brings

      Assurances Of Charlie‘s Change

      By HAROLD HEFFERNAN

      HOLLYWOOD, Cal., March 15. – A dozen newspaper men

who make a more or less honest living writing pieces

about Hollywood and its inmates had an astonishing experience

a few days ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.

      Charlie Chaplin invited up to his Beverly Hills home for

a press conference. Not in the memory of the oldest

newspaper inhabitant had such an event occurred before.

The press responded and had a good time. It is

extremely doubtful whether Charlie enjoyed himself half as much

as he‘d planned.

      Presumably, Charlie expected to do most of the talking,

probably about The Great Dictator (now entering its

popular-priced runs) and about his new picture (which United

Artists wants him to hurry through for release early next

year) and he did et fairly well launched on those subjects. But

only for a few minutes.

      The men who write the pieces trekked into Mr. Chaplin‘s

mansion with a lot of things on their mind. They

intimated at the first sip of the first Scotch and soda that they

weren‘t particularly interested in The Great Dictator,

now six months old. And as for Mr. C‘s future picture, that was

still in the offing – probably the far offing.

      What the columnists wanted to know most about was

Charlie‘s relations – or rather lack of relations – with

Hollywood correspondents. They thought this the one opportune

time to find out.

      They wanted to know, among other things, why they had

been barred from the set of The Great Dictator and

refused admittance to the Chaplin Studio during its making.

      They wanted to know why Charlie, one of the

most colorful, newsworthy figures in the life of Hollywood,

shuns them habitually, refusing to make himself

available on the telephone or in person.

      Getting a little more personal, they wanted to know why,

when their editors and readers were demanding

verification or denial of a certain marriage, Charlie should

wrap himself in even more silence.

      They wanted to know why, after all these rebuffs,

they should suddenly be welcomed at the Chaplin residence

at a so-called ,press conference.‘

      It was obviously an uncomfortable session for the

cloistral Charlie. He squirmed in his chair and nervously ran

a hand through his thick thatch of white hair.

      Anyone else might have gotten pretty mad, but Charlie

didn‘t. He was pleasant, even jovial through the

entire inquisition. And at the conclusion he admitted he was

all wrong.

      ,But what can I do?‘ he kept repeating. ,I‘m all the time

worn out when I‘m working on a picture. And I dread

interviews. Yes, I realize I‘m a public figure, that I should

make myself available to the press. I realize, too,

that my pictures are hit hard financially by this aloofness

on my part.

      ,But it‘s just a part of my makeup. I can‘t change it. But

I can promise to be more thoughtful and co-operative

when I start my next picture. I‘ll really see that my sets aren‘t

barred next time.‘

      The press figured it had scored a moral victory over

Mr. Chaplin, if ever so slight, and was content thereafter to let

Charlie talk about his coming picture.

      When the spirit moves (that‘s always an important

condition with Charlie) he‘ll make a comedy about European

refugees. It will have a New York background

and will picture the chaos and futility surrounding the lives

of a pair of personable young people caught in the

malestrom of a world trying to put itself back together.

      The Chaplin character? A well-to-do, philosophical drunk.

And Charlie will play the entire role in tails and top hat!

      ,Will you make it in color?‘ Charlie was asked.

      ,Oh, I should say not,‘ he replied, startled. ,You know I‘m

always years behind the times. I‘ll get to colors about 1950.“

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