The Golden Age of Hollywood was a place of pioneers, storytellers, ideas, westward expansion, money, politics and scandal- the story of Hollywood is the story of America itself. At the turn of the 20th century, Hollywood in Los Angeles was a dusty country hamlet, but soon bright young things came from across the country and even the Atlantic to seek fame and fortune. One of them was Charlie Chaplin who became famous for his iconic Little Tramp character with his baggy trousers, bending cane and toothbrush moustache. In a lot of ways The Tramp was a mirror of Chaplin’s own life- born into abject poverty in London, looking for something better, standing up for those without a voice. But Chaplin was of course a more complicated, darker character- his personal life was controversial and troubling- he had a number of relationships and marriages with teenagers whom he often met as children starring in his films. At the height of his fame, he was on the FBI's most wanted list under instruction from J Edgar Hoover and was eventually exiled from the USA, where he'd made his name.
It’s a long and complicated life and to help Dan untangle it is Paul Duncan, author of ‘The Charlie Chaplin Archives’. He's one of very few whose ever been granted full access to the archives of the Chaplin estate in Paris and Switzerland...
Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.
Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world-renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW. Download the app or sign up here.
We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.
You can take part in our listener survey here.