The Washington times., 1916-03-01
Chaplin Comedy Capers Capital
lied At Big Fortune For
Music Hall Hanger-on.
sENNET THOUGHT HIM JOKE
But When Whole World Laughed
Shrewd Director Converted
II Into Much Real Money.

How much real money is repre-
sented In the $4,000 OF press agent
eoinaEe for Charlie Chaplin?
The answer to this question is
bound UP very largely In the reason
Why 2O.O00.0o0 people attend per-
formanccs at the thirty or forty
thousand motion picture theaters In
this country every day In the week
and on Sunday. too.
As the motion picture has grown
from sero to an industry represent
ing half billion dollars and rank
Ing. fifth among the Industries of the
United States in the past ten years.
Il Is but reasonable to suppose that
the rate of pay for one of the most
popular money makers In the indus
try would skyrocket In about the
same way. And the answer to the
question OF Chaplin's ieputed sal
ary is
In the neighborhood OF $4,000!
II vote were taken of the billion
and half people who constitute the
population of the world as to what
persons are best known to all Of them
the chances are that three or four
names would come out 80 far ahead
that the others would be also rams.
In addition to Mary Plckford. Kaiser
Wilhelm. and Theodore Roosevelt
there would be found that Of Charlie
Chaplin. There Is hardly people
civilized or uncivilized-who live in
such primitive state that they have
never seen a motion picture. And
wherever a motion picture has been
shown the films of Mary PickfoId
and Charlie Chaplin are In demand
bec6ure they are the films the pic
ture patrons like best TO see.
why this is SO y more than the
answer. II Just Is
1t Is perhaps a fact that Charlie
Chaplin amuses more human beings
than any thing, man or animal, In
the world--not even excepting the
mother-in-law joke
IL In in a character that was not
particularly popular or distinctive on
the stage that he has made this sue
>cess Chaplin is an Englishmen.
twenty-seven years old. He grew up
in the London streets and one Of the
institutions for boys. As young,
added a bit OF juggling to his re-
pertoire. In England he was a sec
ond or third rate music hall per-
former.
About the only time he appeared
before first class theater audiences
liam Gillette's production OF "Sher-
lock Holmes In London. He came
to this country In company with
his brother Sidney. and Billie Richie
and Billie Reeves-all OF whom have
become motion picture comedians" by
in q London Music Hall" The
Chaplins were not the stars of the
sketch by any means. The sketch
was seen here at the Cosmos Theater
Billie Ritchie. now with the Uni
acter In the sketch-a drunken,
dress-s,lited young rounder with a
little black mustache. derby hat
that wouldn't behave, trousers that
didn't ut and extremely large feet.
'Ritchie, an acrobat, made this char
acter do o lot of comedy falls, some
times falling OF the stage.
When the sketch was closed In
California all of the actors were
thrown out of work and most OF
them made for the motion picture
studios. Chaplin applied to Mack
sennet at the Keystone comedy fac
tory. sennett couldn't see the Chap
lin style of comedy. Neither could
anybody else connected with the
plant. He wouldn't do the things
they wanted him to do. He asked
them to let him show them some of
his own ideas.
There was O contest between boys
owning puah-o-mobiles on a certain
hill in Los Angeles. The Mutual
news film man couldn't make pic
lures OF It and Sonnet was asked
TO send one of the Keystone opera
tors 80 that the pictures could be
shown as a parr OF the regular
news fiim. Chaplin was told that
this Aim offered him a chance to
show what he could do.
The assignment was joke OF
Chaplini Chaplin made himself up
to exactly duplicate the old Billie
Ritchie vaudeville character. He
appeared before the camera In the
news film. He insisted on being be-
fore tho camera. When some one
would push him away he'd do a