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well rita hayworth was my first
real love has to be alec goodness sean
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00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:20,640
connery james cheer
i like the lion king
3
00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:26,800
zero mustel is my favorite comedy star
i like marlena daytrick the one i
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00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:32,399
remember being involved with earliest
was john wayne you want to be like him
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00:00:32,399 --> 00:00:36,160
talk like him who walk like him because
he's so
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enigmatic and mysterious perhaps and i
think i was probably introduced him by
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00:00:40,719 --> 00:00:45,520
my mum
who fancied him as well he kind of
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represented a lot of things that i would
like in a man
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i can't remember not knowing who he was
i mean
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00:00:52,559 --> 00:00:57,039
i knew him as soon as i could speak i
knew that name as soon as i could read
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00:00:57,039 --> 00:01:03,920
look at me max brianna's stock max b
ellis got six chosen broadway sex dolls
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on
broadway he's kind of sitting at the bar
13
00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:12,720
and he's rolling an egg on the bar
this guy the burner says oh
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what can i get for you can i go what do
you got in mind so i don't see there's
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such a thing
as such a person as credit card that's a
16
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secretion of the cinema
babe and that was about the
17
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all it's been said that a movie star as
someone we remember
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after we've forgotten the movies that
we're in the sound of their voice
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their faces and bodies take on
associations and meanings
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all of their own they become icons
this film is about the first screen icon
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from scotland
his name was eric campbell but it is the
22
00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:51,040
face not the name that people remember
he was the ultimate silent comedy
23
00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:54,079
villain appearing opposite charlie
chaplin in 11 films between
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00:01:54,079 --> 00:01:58,880
1916 and 1918 before mysteriously
vanishing from movies forever
25
00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,799
who was the scotsman who was known and
loved by millions around the world
26
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where did he come from where did he go
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do
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it's lovely to be here everyone and
welcome also to this very important
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occasion
and i think it's a weird and rather
30
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wonderful that here we are standing in
the rain and dunoon in scotland
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celebrating one of the great figures of
international cinema
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particularly that part of cinema which
really dominated the world the silent
33
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period
as you all know in the silent period
34
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cinema had no language barriers
and so the stars of silent cinema were
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00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:50,319
famous in beijing
in tokyo in south america and north
36
00:03:50,319 --> 00:03:53,599
america
and here we are roughly 80 years after
37
00:03:53,599 --> 00:03:57,040
his death
celebrating someone who would have been
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00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,760
recognized
all around the world perhaps one of the
39
00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:04,080
most recognized per people on the planet
that what we're doing this morning will
40
00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:08,000
will thankfully help
uh rehabilitate him for scots and we can
41
00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,760
call him again one of our own
and and i'll say no more in the subject
42
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except to say that i'm absolutely
thrilled
43
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to welcome to scotland and to danoon uh
eric's granddaughter
44
00:04:18,079 --> 00:04:22,479
brenda bull well it's nice to have been
found
45
00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:29,840
yes selfie go
46
00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:54,479
when i watch him on the screen to me it
seems so strange that
47
00:04:54,479 --> 00:04:57,600
never having met him to think that it is
actually
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00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:00,720
my grandfather it's difficult to relate
to
49
00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:05,520
when i was a child my mother told me all
about my grandfather and showed me
50
00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:11,600
um pictures but it wasn't until i was a
school girl that at a local specialized
51
00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:14,639
cinema
they had a series of charlie chaplin
52
00:05:14,639 --> 00:05:18,160
films
and she took me to see him then that was
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the first time i'd ever seen a moving
moving picture of him what did you think
54
00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:26,160
of them
well i was quite i was astonished at the
55
00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:31,120
time because i was only about 12 and i
i was i was surprised how tall and
56
00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:34,720
enormous
he was because i didn't realize until
57
00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:38,400
you actually see it on the screen
compared with the size of other people
58
00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:44,560
how large he was in all width ways and
height wise
59
00:05:47,840 --> 00:05:52,000
i first saw the chaplain films wearing
my hat was a film
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00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:59,520
buff in the old pathoscope 9.5 films
where charlie chaplin was king and eric
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00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:04,880
campbell was his student
and i was very very surprised to learn
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00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:08,880
campbell was in fact
from my neck of the woods so to speak he
63
00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,319
was born
fairly late into the 19th century i
64
00:06:12,319 --> 00:06:17,759
think was about 1880 1885 or so
i think the noon in these days must have
65
00:06:17,759 --> 00:06:22,000
been very much
what was called dunawata in other words
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00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,280
glaswegians came here
in great great numbers for their
67
00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:28,880
holidays everybody piled down to the
noon
68
00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:33,600
there were many many steamers and these
steamers used to carry people literally
69
00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:36,400
packed like sardines across the water
for their
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00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:40,000
couple of weeks holiday in the noon
71
00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,280
and of course in these days the clan
system
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i won't say it was still the full clan
system
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but there would have been a very large
number of campbells in this district
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00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:54,720
because it is campbell territory
but i've had quite a few bits and pieces
75
00:06:54,720 --> 00:07:03,840
of trying to trace him
and i've literally drawn a blank
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whatever his beginnings eric later said
that he was obsessed with acting from a
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very early age
in his only known piece of autobiography
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00:07:25,759 --> 00:07:30,560
he wrote as far back as i can remember i
always wanted to be an actor
79
00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:33,759
my first appearance in any stage was at
the age of eight in the children's
80
00:07:33,759 --> 00:07:39,520
operetta called
five o'clock tea i played a chinaman
81
00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:43,360
as i grew older my desire to become an
actor deepened much to the annoyance of
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my parents
who had mapped out a scientific career
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for me
i studied for about three years but my
84
00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,599
mind was more on grease paint than on
gases
85
00:07:53,599 --> 00:07:57,440
i had very bad luck at first but very
good experience
86
00:07:57,440 --> 00:08:01,759
i played in the scotch and welsh fit ups
with terrible melanomas
87
00:08:01,759 --> 00:08:05,120
it was difficult at first to be
convincing in these to me very unnatural
88
00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:07,759
roles
but i realized that the class of people
89
00:08:07,759 --> 00:08:12,319
we played to believed them
fit ups uh well we're called that
90
00:08:12,319 --> 00:08:14,960
because you virtually went into a bear
hall and you
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00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:18,400
fitted up the scenery and every play it
was a fit up
92
00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:22,000
and the kind of things they did there
were plays melodramas you know
93
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mudder and the red barn mariah monk
genie jeans they were all very well
94
00:08:27,599 --> 00:08:30,960
known pieces and some actors did nothing
else
95
00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:36,240
but that and others who came into it
didn't know what to do
96
00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:40,080
didn't realize it it wasn't always what
was written down on the page you
97
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sometimes made it up
as you went along so he had to learn to
98
00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,920
use his brain
you see and of course in those places i
99
00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:51,760
mean the actors were lucky
some of them if they got 30 shillings a
100
00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:56,399
week it was a pretty thin
existence
101
00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:04,000
eric spent several years scraping a
living with the touring fit up companies
102
00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,880
perhaps it was during one of these
engagements that he met gertrude
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robotham a pretty lancashire actress a
few years older than himself
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00:09:11,839 --> 00:09:15,920
eric and gertrude were married in april
1901
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interestingly the marriage certificate
suggests that the pair eloped
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00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:25,600
at 20 eric was still technically a minor
so he claimed that he was 27.
107
00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:29,120
perhaps to cover his tracks he also
stated that his profession was
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00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:33,920
commercial traveler
a year later a daughter named uno was
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00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:39,120
born who was soon to become the apple of
her father's eye
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00:09:41,519 --> 00:09:45,120
eric continued to appear in the
so-called legitimate theater
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in production such as this egyptian
mummy melodrama staged in glasgow in
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00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:53,120
1908
but aided by a fine baritone voice he
113
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also began to get jobs as a singer in
musicals and an operetta
114
00:09:56,959 --> 00:10:00,959
in later life he claimed to have worked
with the doily car to open a company
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00:10:00,959 --> 00:10:05,839
this is eric campbell but is a doily
card
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00:10:07,279 --> 00:10:10,480
however the area in which eric was
really to make his name
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00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:15,279
was the weird and wonderful world of
musical
118
00:10:15,279 --> 00:10:19,680
the musical of the
end of the last century beginning of the
119
00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:22,079
century was really as there's like
nothing else
120
00:10:22,079 --> 00:10:25,600
for one thing it was a complete
democratic theater i mean
121
00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:28,480
there really were the groundings up in
the gallery you only need a penny or
122
00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:33,440
something but in the boxes there'd be
uh the toffs and the gentry at
123
00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:37,440
that period every town had to it's
musical and i mean the bigger towns had
124
00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:41,440
a number of music halls
uh so an amazing number of artists were
125
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employed
the audience just demanded the
126
00:10:43,519 --> 00:10:46,480
extraordinary it didn't matter what it
was if it was extraordinary i mean
127
00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:49,680
you would have pavlova and you'd have
sarah bernhardt on the music halls
128
00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:52,959
side by side with lockhart's elephants
or performing seals or something like
129
00:10:52,959 --> 00:10:55,120
that
anything is extraordinary there's even
130
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one act actually is an american act i'm
not sure if they appeared over here but
131
00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:01,680
one act who was extraordinary being so
extraordinarily bad they were called the
132
00:11:01,680 --> 00:11:04,240
cherry sisters and they were so
appallingly bad that
133
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that people loved them because they were
bad and they loved throwing things at
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00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:11,360
them i mean
that was an act to have things thrown at
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it
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to be a musical artist was the kind of
ambition maybe kids now
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00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:33,120
who would like to be pop stars i mean it
was the same kind of compulsion to be a
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musical artist
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we had an act called joe slack and eve
and joe came on as a chef the white hat
140
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where everything was marvelous and he
brought on a
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giant silver platter and it was on
it was almost like as big as a stretcher
142
00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:08,079
if you like this giant platter
and he took the top off the platter and
143
00:12:08,079 --> 00:12:12,160
there was
actually his wife eve as a chicken
144
00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:16,160
and she was a contoso so he kind of
swung her off this thing and swung
145
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around
by the ankle as though it was a chicken
146
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and then she all sort of came to bits
and worked
147
00:12:22,079 --> 00:12:27,360
and it was a marvelous act at christmas
every music hall staged an elaborate
148
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pantomime
here's eric is an imposing emperor of
149
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morocco in a 1908 production of dick
whittington at the theater royal in
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birmingham
it was while appearing in panto that
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00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:42,480
eric was supported by the great tsar of
british music hall comedy
152
00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:47,519
fred carno khan was individual blend of
pantomime and physical comedy was to
153
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have a tremendous influence not only
over eric
154
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but over whole generations of british
and american comics
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this rare piece of archive gives a
fleeting glimpse of him with two of his
156
00:12:56,240 --> 00:13:00,480
later prodigies
flanagan and allen
157
00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:07,279
well this though it doesn't look like
very much at the moment is in fact a
158
00:13:07,279 --> 00:13:12,480
very historic building in the story of
british theater because this is fred
159
00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:17,120
carno's fun factory
uh cano was an extraordinary figure he
160
00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:20,720
was certainly the most important
impresario of comedy
161
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in the english music course and that is
the english musicals in their greatest
162
00:13:24,079 --> 00:13:30,720
days
cano really invented the comedy sketch
163
00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:34,000
the kind of comedy sketch which which
very much looked forward to the
164
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one and two real slapstick comic films
of course the most important product of
165
00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:42,880
the fun factory were the comedians
themselves and this is where
166
00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:46,160
conor really was a genius because uh he
had
167
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an incredible gift for spotting
comedians and then for training them
168
00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,880
and i think it's true to say that
there's there's practically no english
169
00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:57,120
comedian from 1900 to 1930 who hadn't
been through carnot's hands and very
170
00:13:57,120 --> 00:14:00,320
of course many of them finished up in
america then they finished up in films
171
00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:05,680
and it's marvelous to think
that through this door uh they entered
172
00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:09,199
full of fear and trembling because kano
terrorizes people but it's amazing to
173
00:14:09,199 --> 00:14:13,360
think that
here was the young charlie chaplin and
174
00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:15,680
young
stan laurel and of course big eric
175
00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:19,279
campbell and it's not a very big door i
think eric might have had some problem
176
00:14:19,279 --> 00:14:23,600
getting through it even
kano recognized an eric a performer
177
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whose enormous
threatening physical presence could be
178
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used to hilarious comic effect
in the yap yaps eric was cast as big ben
179
00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:35,760
the bruiser
a bullying boxer in a finale which
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00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:39,120
always brought the house down
big ben and the diminutive lead comedian
181
00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:42,800
were brought together for a fight
with the little comedian finally winning
182
00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:46,399
the day
it's a scenario that clearly foreshadows
183
00:14:46,399 --> 00:14:52,000
the david and goliath relationship
eric was to have with chaplin
184
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over the next four years eric appeared
in a number of other carno shows
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00:14:55,839 --> 00:14:59,199
along the way befriending and working
alongside the chaplain brothers
186
00:14:59,199 --> 00:15:03,600
charlie and sid and the young stan lora
187
00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:10,399
in 1912 stan laurel and charlie chaplin
were both part of a cardinal tour of
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00:15:10,399 --> 00:15:13,760
america
and both made the momentous decision to
189
00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:17,519
stay there
with charlie entering movies with the
190
00:15:17,519 --> 00:15:22,959
keystone company the following year
it wasn't long before eric would be
191
00:15:22,959 --> 00:15:27,839
joining them
192
00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:40,160
eric arrived in new york in july 1914
traveling first class aboard the aptly
193
00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:44,160
named ss
mini haha
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00:15:51,839 --> 00:15:55,519
his ticket had been paid for by the most
prominent american theatrical producers
195
00:15:55,519 --> 00:15:58,639
of the day
claw and erlanger who wanted him to play
196
00:15:58,639 --> 00:16:02,320
in their latest broadway production
tipping the winner a comedy about
197
00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:05,519
bookies and racehorses
198
00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:10,720
the city eric experienced was teeming
with newly arrived immigrants
199
00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:14,639
italians russians germans and not a few
scots
200
00:16:14,639 --> 00:16:23,839
lured from their homelands by the
promise of a better life
201
00:16:25,279 --> 00:16:29,519
unfortunately tipping the winner was not
a winner and closed after a dozen
202
00:16:29,519 --> 00:16:32,639
performances
but eric's notices were good and he had
203
00:16:32,639 --> 00:16:36,720
no difficulty finding work in a
successful musical comedy later boasting
204
00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:41,680
that he himself had written many of the
best numbers in the show
205
00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:46,639
by april 1915 eric was settled enough to
send for his wife and daughter
206
00:16:46,639 --> 00:16:50,240
and by that time there was a good reason
to stay away from europe
207
00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:54,880
the great war had begun and thousands of
men of eric's age were already losing
208
00:16:54,880 --> 00:17:04,319
their lives in the trenches of the
western front
209
00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:09,199
to eric an old cardinal colleague was
also in new york
210
00:17:09,199 --> 00:17:12,240
charlie chaplin was now the most famous
movie star
211
00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:16,480
in the world having just fulfilled a
year's contract with the ezine film
212
00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:19,120
company
he was in town with his brother sid
213
00:17:19,120 --> 00:17:23,679
quoting new offers
and on the 25th of february 1916 he
214
00:17:23,679 --> 00:17:27,520
signed an unprecedented contract with
the mutual film corporation
215
00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:30,960
to produce 12 two real comedies over two
years
216
00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:35,840
with a first year's paycheck of six
hundred and twenty five thousand dollars
217
00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:41,440
at that time the largest salary ever
paid to an entertainer
218
00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:49,280
before returning to hollywood the
chaplains decided to take in a broadway
219
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musical starring mitzi hayosh
the musical star of the moment and there
220
00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:58,160
on the bill
was their old friend eric
221
00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:04,320
they went backstage and immediately
recruited him for the new venture
222
00:18:04,320 --> 00:18:10,400
so it was that eric headed west to work
in the movies in march
223
00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:29,840
1916 however unquit you're a javelin
just cut it out cut it out
224
00:18:41,039 --> 00:18:46,320
hollywood at that time like around 1915
was really a rather
225
00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:50,960
a bustling little community i mean you
could say was a lazy town but compared
226
00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:54,799
to 20 years before
it wasn't so lazy so you had a great
227
00:18:54,799 --> 00:18:57,679
deal of laborers who were working
constructing homes
228
00:18:57,679 --> 00:19:01,520
and businesses and i think the word
humming might be
229
00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:06,080
right as it was sort of a humming little
community a lot of avocado
230
00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:10,559
groves and citrus grows people who first
came here said one of the major things
231
00:19:10,559 --> 00:19:15,600
they remembered was the
lovely scent of uh orange groves
232
00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:20,000
and the movie business was like gold of
course it was like a gold rush
233
00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,960
and you had a great deal of people
coming from the east coast to the west
234
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:27,280
coast at that time
and there were probably about 20 or so
235
00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:38,400
studios i would say in the hollywood and
immediate vicinity
236
00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:43,520
eric reported for work at the lone star
studios in april
237
00:19:43,919 --> 00:19:48,640
a set depicting a department store was
already under construction
238
00:19:48,640 --> 00:19:52,160
chaplin had gathered together a small
stock company of actors who would appear
239
00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:56,559
in all of his mutual films
his on-screen and off-screen lover was
240
00:19:56,559 --> 00:20:00,559
the beautiful blonde edna province
whose untutored acting style was to
241
00:20:00,559 --> 00:20:04,159
cause chaplin numerous headaches
but also provides some of the most
242
00:20:04,159 --> 00:20:08,799
charming moments in his films
of the others several like eric were old
243
00:20:08,799 --> 00:20:13,679
cardinal hands
with little or no experience of film
244
00:20:13,679 --> 00:20:16,720
this was a deliberate choice on
charlie's part
245
00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:20,000
he was keen to move away from the
simplistic slapstick of his early
246
00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:24,240
films and develop a more subtle
character-driven comedy style
247
00:20:24,240 --> 00:20:28,960
based in large measure on what he had
learned at carmel
248
00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:35,280
eric makes a dramatic entrance in the
floor walker
249
00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:39,919
his first film for chaplin he plays a
corrupt store manager intent and
250
00:20:39,919 --> 00:20:43,840
embezzling a fortune from his employers
251
00:20:46,799 --> 00:20:51,200
the striking makeup is already in
evidence but despite summer music antics
252
00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:56,320
on the escalator
eric's role is underdeveloped
253
00:20:59,679 --> 00:21:03,280
the david and goliath partnership with
chaplain that was to grow so familiar to
254
00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:17,840
film fans
only began in the second film the fire
255
00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:39,840
by now eric was much more than a mere
character actor
256
00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:44,720
he was chaplain's foil a co-star
somebody whom the audience could always
257
00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:49,760
rely on to play variations on the same
villainous role over the next 18 months
258
00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:52,559
eric and charlie continued to battle it
out in film
259
00:21:52,559 --> 00:21:55,200
after film
260
00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:01,600
eric showed himself to be a highly
adaptable and agile performer for a man
261
00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,559
of twenty stone
look at him in this scene where he
262
00:22:04,559 --> 00:22:13,840
thinks he's come across charlie kissing
a boy
263
00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:29,280
do
often it is eric who steals the laughs
264
00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:33,120
by providing the toppers and charlie's
265
00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:41,840
gangs
266
00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:49,120
although now a recognized star player
eric settled into a rather modest
267
00:22:49,120 --> 00:22:52,400
lifestyle with his family
268
00:22:52,559 --> 00:22:56,799
yeah this is a letter from my
grandmother to her sister
269
00:22:56,799 --> 00:23:04,559
clarice and it's may the 28th 1916
and it says my dear clary i don't know
270
00:23:04,559 --> 00:23:08,240
where to begin
first glad to say we got the tie for
271
00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:13,520
eric's birthday on the actual day
eric was delighted you know how he talks
272
00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:16,799
well his latest craze is to get you all
this side
273
00:23:16,799 --> 00:23:20,080
also he's certain to be able to keep us
all
274
00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:24,960
well we'll just have to wait and see if
it had not been for our dreadful war
275
00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:29,200
eric would have scraped half the fair he
says
276
00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:34,000
well we took a cottage at santa monica
about a mile from the famous sea beach
277
00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:38,000
down los angeles called venice
we look out of the back door and see
278
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:43,760
garden and lovely seafront
also perfectly quiet
279
00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:47,679
mind it is a tumble down cottage small
bedrooms front room
280
00:23:47,679 --> 00:23:51,200
and with the higher the piano chiefly
for eric's music now i didn't know play
281
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:56,240
the piano
you sound never played piano it is half
282
00:23:56,240 --> 00:24:00,880
rent so
the other half keeps up the car 13 miles
283
00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:05,039
from the studio
eric goes each morning they're on the
284
00:24:05,039 --> 00:24:09,120
third picture
an english gypsy part no title yet the
285
00:24:09,120 --> 00:24:15,679
floor walker must be on in london
i think it is in australia all america
286
00:24:15,679 --> 00:24:20,000
and canada and they have made made now
on his first picture
287
00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,679
his year's salary isn't it enormous
question mark
288
00:24:23,679 --> 00:24:26,799
you said you enclosed a slip about
chaplin
289
00:24:26,799 --> 00:24:31,600
but maybe this passing by the sense of
business got it lost
290
00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,200
we are sorry because lots of stupid
rumors get around
291
00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:39,360
already he wrote to england about the
fighting business
292
00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:43,120
the british press gave chaplin and his
cohorts a tough time during the great
293
00:24:43,120 --> 00:24:48,080
war for being in america
to try and demonstrate their patriotism
294
00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:51,760
both eric and charlie were involved in a
number of charity events
295
00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:56,080
they boxed an aide of the french nurses
and appeared together in a baseball game
296
00:24:56,080 --> 00:25:00,799
to raise war bones
it was comedians versus tragedians with
297
00:25:00,799 --> 00:25:07,279
the keystone cops as umpires
grandpop talked a lot about the the crew
298
00:25:07,279 --> 00:25:12,320
being a real family at that time and
certainly they would do things together
299
00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:15,919
they went to the fights together they
went to baseball games together
300
00:25:15,919 --> 00:25:19,279
they went out he talked about actually
it was funny when bonnie and i were
301
00:25:19,279 --> 00:25:23,200
doing some research looking up
information about eric we found out that
302
00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:26,320
there was mention of something that
grandpa talked about
303
00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:30,159
going to levy's cafe apparently that was
the normal hangout
304
00:25:30,159 --> 00:25:42,240
so apparently it was quite a family
affair in those days
305
00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:46,880
my name is bonnie mccourt and i am the
founder of the charlie chaplin film
306
00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,520
company
and i publish something called limelight
307
00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:53,039
which is a quarterly publication
strictly on the subject of charlie
308
00:25:53,039 --> 00:25:56,720
chaplin
and i've been a chaplain fan since i was
309
00:25:56,720 --> 00:26:00,480
11 years old
my parents had gotten divorced that year
310
00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:03,840
and my mother
and my brother and i moved in with my
311
00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:07,039
grandfather
and i was feeling a little lonely and
312
00:26:07,039 --> 00:26:11,840
you know sort of an outsider in a
new town and didn't know anybody so my
313
00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:16,000
father bought me television set for
christmas and the week between christmas
314
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:19,840
and new year's
i was just flipping the channels and saw
315
00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:25,200
this little guy on roller skates
and he was so adorable and so
316
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:31,279
graceful and and there was this huge
scary looking man who was after him and
317
00:26:31,279 --> 00:26:35,039
i just
was so fascinated by this little man who
318
00:26:35,039 --> 00:26:39,679
managed to best this big bully who was
not only after him but after
319
00:26:39,679 --> 00:26:43,840
the woman too and here's this little guy
literally skating circles around this
320
00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:48,080
big monster
named eric campbell and here this little
321
00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:51,760
guy
just did whatever he could do to
322
00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:55,440
vanquish
the villain and save the poor woman from
323
00:26:55,440 --> 00:27:00,320
this evil man
and as an 11 year old i just fell in
324
00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:05,360
love with this little character
and now over 30 years later i'm still
325
00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:08,559
entranced by these same films that i've
seen
326
00:27:08,559 --> 00:27:11,360
hundreds of times
327
00:27:12,559 --> 00:27:16,400
charlie was contracted by mutual to
produce one film a month
328
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:20,159
and at script meetings like this eric
and other key members of the company
329
00:27:20,159 --> 00:27:23,279
were encouraged to come up with ideas
for the next film
330
00:27:23,279 --> 00:27:27,440
it was a hectic schedule and inevitably
delays began to occur
331
00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:31,520
he drove distributors absolutely crazy
because he was every film took longer
332
00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:34,799
than the one before it and
they were waiting for delivery so he
333
00:27:34,799 --> 00:27:37,760
drove them crazy
the other thing which astounded people
334
00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:41,440
at the time at the time was
uh the number of takes that he would
335
00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:45,679
make of every scene he would
would shoot and shoot and shoot a scene
336
00:27:45,679 --> 00:27:48,320
over and over and over again until he
got it right
337
00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:52,000
this was something completely new to
filmmaking at that time
338
00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:55,919
luckily for us portions of the material
chaplain discarded
339
00:27:55,919 --> 00:28:02,000
his outtakes survive and provide
tantalizing glimpses behind the scenes
340
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:08,080
as in this shot we see eric taking a
breather on the set of the floor walker
341
00:28:08,559 --> 00:28:12,240
elsewhere we can see how a novel stunt
was achieved
342
00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:17,840
how for instance did enormous eric
manage this
343
00:28:18,559 --> 00:28:22,559
of course it's not eric but a stuntman
who's been instructed to wave his legs
344
00:28:22,559 --> 00:28:25,760
around as long as he can
then hold them together when he needs to
345
00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:29,520
be rescued
and among those who rush to pull him out
346
00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:32,559
is eric himself
347
00:28:33,919 --> 00:28:37,520
the outtakes also provide insight into
the way charlie and eric work
348
00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:39,919
together
349
00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:49,760
at times we see charlie directing his
heavy from the strangest positions
350
00:28:56,159 --> 00:29:00,399
frequently chaplin required take after
take before he got the performances he
351
00:29:00,399 --> 00:29:03,600
wanted
in this case at this danger edna
352
00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:06,720
rejecting eric's romantic advances in
the adventurer
353
00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:13,840
no matter how forcefully he projects his
beard
354
00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:20,080
chaplain steps into frame to give edna a
prop
355
00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:27,840
but still can't get her to be as cool
and dismissive as he would like
356
00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:41,840
an exasperated chaplain repositions
edna's arm
357
00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:49,919
eric showing a professionalism garnered
after years on the stage
358
00:29:49,919 --> 00:29:55,840
seems unfazed by edna's inability to
give the required performance
359
00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:01,600
after more than 30 takes edna and eric
are still at it
360
00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:05,600
but now eric is obviously saying
something to edna to make her laugh
361
00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:09,840
they'll have to start all over again
362
00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:15,120
sometimes charlie would start shooting
an idea and then abandon it
363
00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:20,080
this isolated sequence shows eric and
edna in a bohemian cafe
364
00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:23,200
eric has been given the opportunity to
broaden his range
365
00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:27,440
playing a dashing svengali figure with
edna under his spell
366
00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:31,360
albert austin on the right challenges
him to a jewel
367
00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:34,559
and for once eric actually gets to kiss
edna
368
00:30:34,559 --> 00:30:37,760
who appears to rather enjoy the
experience
369
00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:41,200
but for whatever reason could charlie
have been jealous
370
00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:46,559
the idea is abandoned charlie starts all
over again with slate one
371
00:30:46,559 --> 00:30:50,000
using the same set but little else now
charlie
372
00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:53,360
is a penniless diner who can barely
afford a meal
373
00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:57,840
he's being intimidated by an arrogant
bullying waiter played by henry bergman
374
00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:05,840
eric jett has no part
375
00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:19,840
bergman has called on to beat up a
customer who can't pay his bill
376
00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:25,440
it looks like charlie can't pay either
377
00:31:28,159 --> 00:31:31,440
charlie does scene after scene and take
after take
378
00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:36,080
but something isn't working bergman just
can't give the right sense of threat to
379
00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:38,480
the role
it doesn't provide charlie with the
380
00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:47,840
right foil they just don't spark
so in the next take he makes a change
381
00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:02,799
do
eric's presence immediately brings
382
00:32:02,799 --> 00:32:15,840
chaplin's performance to life
his actions become broader and funnier
383
00:32:43,039 --> 00:32:46,880
relieved at having cracked his casting
problem even chaplin seems to be
384
00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:49,600
enjoying himself
385
00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:59,360
and behind this clap aboard we get a
tantalising glimpse of eric relaxing
386
00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:11,840
the man behind the ferocious mask
387
00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:27,360
from 1915 on there was in this country
an enormous
388
00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:30,960
chaplain craze where there were songs
written
389
00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:35,519
about chaplin or about his walk you had
little dolls that were coming out in
390
00:33:35,519 --> 00:33:39,360
this shape of chaplin you had chaplain
look like contests
391
00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:44,399
where thousands of people would turn out
in their chaplain costumes or at least
392
00:33:44,399 --> 00:33:48,320
hundreds would at a theater and then the
winner might get a certain prize or
393
00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:53,840
whatever
so you had this enormous interest
394
00:33:54,399 --> 00:33:57,840
with the increased fascination with
chaplain
395
00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:01,679
there was just a huge number of chaplain
imitators that appeared
396
00:34:01,679 --> 00:34:05,279
out of nowhere you had stan laurel who
had worked with
397
00:34:05,279 --> 00:34:10,320
charlie chaplin at carno doing a little
keystone trio which was sort of uh
398
00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:14,159
stan laurel as charlie chaplin which i
think would be marvelously wonderful to
399
00:34:14,159 --> 00:34:16,079
see
in fact there was one fellow named
400
00:34:16,079 --> 00:34:20,079
charles amador who used the name charlie
aplin
401
00:34:20,079 --> 00:34:24,079
and that definitely called charles
chaplin the idea that someone would use
402
00:34:24,079 --> 00:34:28,079
the name charles aplin
among the imitators was a glasgow
403
00:34:28,079 --> 00:34:32,399
comedian called billy ritchie
richie had preceded chaplin in many of
404
00:34:32,399 --> 00:34:35,760
the roles at carno
and claimed perhaps with some truth that
405
00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:38,879
he was in fact the original of the
little tramp figure
406
00:34:38,879 --> 00:34:43,440
and that chaplin had imitated him in his
walk and costume
407
00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:47,280
unfortunately richie met a rather
gruesome end before his film career
408
00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:50,399
really took off
when he was attacked and fatally injured
409
00:34:50,399 --> 00:34:55,440
by a group of ostriches on the set of
one of his films
410
00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:05,119
as soon as you had chaplain imitation
and and chaplain imitators you began to
411
00:35:05,119 --> 00:35:09,839
have eric campbell imitators
oliver hardy was hired by billy west uh
412
00:35:09,839 --> 00:35:12,960
to do
a bit of the eric campbell routine with
413
00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:15,280
the large
mustaches or beards where you could
414
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:17,760
hardly even see oliver hardy underneath
all that
415
00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:20,160
makeup
416
00:35:24,720 --> 00:35:28,320
chaplin's popularity was hardly limited
to north america
417
00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:31,520
he'd become a universally recognized
figure
418
00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:36,000
and so of course had eric who was known
to millions of children around the world
419
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:45,839
as big uncle eric
even back in his homeland
420
00:35:54,079 --> 00:35:58,880
my impression of those early days i was
only
421
00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:01,920
kind of very young that there were
certainly
422
00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:09,440
gales of laughter because chaplin
was at his peak then and at that time
423
00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:13,680
a cinema sheet activated by a whistle
being blown
424
00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:18,160
was run across the stage and it was just
a linen sheet
425
00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:25,200
and take down on me on the opposite side
and then a film a short film
426
00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:29,280
was projected on the screen whilst
behind the screen
427
00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:32,760
the stage was being set for the variety
at
428
00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:40,000
monocyclist or performing dogs or
something like that
429
00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:46,079
the reaction to chaplin
was a very very good indeed but the
430
00:36:46,079 --> 00:36:50,480
reason being basically
that there was a a great deal of knock
431
00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:55,040
about
and uh action practically the whole time
432
00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:59,040
uh particularly with the custard pies
instead of flying around
433
00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:06,720
particularly in the face of the uh
be whiskered kind of villain eric
434
00:37:06,839 --> 00:37:09,839
campbell
435
00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:16,720
i answered about eric getting two years
contract with charlie chaplin
436
00:37:16,720 --> 00:37:19,839
and if the war is over the second year
is travel
437
00:37:19,839 --> 00:37:26,880
to china egypt japan australia etc
both yoona and self included miami small
438
00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:29,839
biz
take no notice of press mata because
439
00:37:29,839 --> 00:37:33,200
they print anything
charlie chaplin is going to take the
440
00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:37,839
best offer you can bet
and he likes eric so well but he was
441
00:37:37,839 --> 00:37:40,720
upset to know he had some three good
offers
442
00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:46,640
from other movie people he telephoned us
to go to lunch at their best hotel there
443
00:37:46,640 --> 00:37:51,839
gave eric his terms etc rushed eric off
to a lawyer to sign the contract
444
00:37:51,839 --> 00:37:54,960
now it's as sweet as anything to eric
many people
445
00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:58,880
said here charlie chaplin had eric to
thank for his pictures
446
00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:03,040
yet charlie chaplin cut half of eight's
good work out when the pictures were
447
00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:06,880
shown
just as eric's career was blossoming his
448
00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:11,680
personal life took a tragic turn from
which it would never recover
449
00:38:11,680 --> 00:38:15,839
his wife whom he had married in scotland
and brought to this country passed away
450
00:38:15,839 --> 00:38:19,200
rather suddenly
and he and his daughter were in a car
451
00:38:19,200 --> 00:38:22,960
accident and his daughter
went to recuperate at a friend's house
452
00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:27,920
and while his daughter was recuperating
he met this woman at a party and about
453
00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:31,680
three weeks later they were married
this is like a month after his wife had
454
00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:35,040
passed away
clayton pearl gilman was a beautiful
455
00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:39,040
young southern belle with theatrical
pretensions and a reputation as a gold
456
00:38:39,040 --> 00:38:42,880
digger
the marriage was a surprise to all even
457
00:38:42,880 --> 00:38:45,280
chaplain wasn't told until after the
event
458
00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:48,960
and eric's daughter una only found out
when she returned home from her friends
459
00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:51,839
a few days later
460
00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:57,520
pearl had been part of a vaudeville
singing group with two of her sisters
461
00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:02,400
they traded in the name of a more famous
sibling sexport mabel gilman corey
462
00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:05,520
who had gained notoriety by marrying
elderly steel magnate
463
00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:08,560
w e corey
464
00:39:12,320 --> 00:39:16,320
but admiration was not to last two
months later
465
00:39:16,320 --> 00:39:20,240
cupid and comedy failed to mix according
to mrs clayton pearl campbell
466
00:39:20,240 --> 00:39:23,920
sister of mrs mabel gilman corey who
will seek separate maintenance from her
467
00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:28,560
husband eric campbell
well-known film comedian doing some
468
00:39:28,560 --> 00:39:32,000
research i came across the divorce
complaint which
469
00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:35,359
by today's standards was
470
00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:39,839
rather tame but in those days i guess
this was hot stuff i don't know but in
471
00:39:39,839 --> 00:39:43,200
part
this is um this was part of her divorce
472
00:39:43,200 --> 00:39:47,839
complaint this is why she
divorced eric campbell that since said
473
00:39:47,839 --> 00:39:50,800
marriage defendant has treated plaintiff
in a cruel and
474
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:54,160
inhuman manner and in particular as
follows
475
00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:57,520
that honor about the third day of
october 1917
476
00:39:57,520 --> 00:40:01,599
at the home of plankton and defendant
and in the presence and hearing of
477
00:40:01,599 --> 00:40:04,960
friends of the plaintiff
defendant cursed the plaintiff and said
478
00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:10,079
to her god damn you take your feet down
and struck plaintiff and hurt shamed and
479
00:40:10,079 --> 00:40:13,680
humiliated her
that while at the cafe in the town of
480
00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:17,040
vernon the defendant
insisted on introducing and did
481
00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:22,079
introduce the plaintiff
to a hula dancer against the objection
482
00:40:22,079 --> 00:40:25,839
of the plaintiff
and said he liked hula dancers and that
483
00:40:25,839 --> 00:40:30,319
they were just as good as she was
that the defendant is a steady and
484
00:40:30,319 --> 00:40:33,119
excessive drinker of intoxicating
liquors
485
00:40:33,119 --> 00:40:37,040
and on nearly every night following the
marriage of the plaintiff and defendant
486
00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:40,800
the defendant has returned home in an
intoxicated condition
487
00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:45,280
and cursed and abused the plaintiff and
frightened and humiliated her
488
00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:49,520
that the defendant is a large and
powerful man
489
00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:53,680
and boasts continually of his physical
prowess and repeatedly told the
490
00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:58,800
plaintiff that he had on one occasion
killed a man with a single blow of his
491
00:40:58,800 --> 00:41:02,000
fist
and threatened to kill her do you
492
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:06,240
believe all of that
well i don't know that hula dancer stuff
493
00:41:06,240 --> 00:41:09,760
is a little hard to take
494
00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:15,599
but well he was a big powerful man i
mean that's very true i mean it's very
495
00:41:15,599 --> 00:41:18,640
obvious from his interactions with
chaplin but
496
00:41:18,640 --> 00:41:22,319
from what i've heard from what other
people said about him he was a very
497
00:41:22,319 --> 00:41:26,560
gentle and sweet man
eric moved out of his house in santa
498
00:41:26,560 --> 00:41:30,319
monica and took an apartment next to
chaplain's own in the exclusive los
499
00:41:30,319 --> 00:41:34,640
angeles athletic club
we can only guess if he confided his
500
00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:38,960
obvious unhappiness to chaplain
what is for sure is that he never
501
00:41:38,960 --> 00:41:42,160
displayed anything but a professional
attitude on the set
502
00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:45,839
where most were unaware of his private
503
00:41:46,839 --> 00:41:51,760
anguish
all during this period eric was at work
504
00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:54,560
in what would be chaplin's final film
for mutual
505
00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:58,960
and also one of his funniest the
506
00:42:00,839 --> 00:42:04,560
adventurer
at the very end of the film there is a
507
00:42:04,560 --> 00:42:09,200
moment that with hindsight
is immensely poignant chaplin kisses
508
00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:12,240
eric
goodbye
509
00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:17,839
having completed his mutual contract
chaplain was determined to further
510
00:42:17,839 --> 00:42:21,920
extend his independence by building his
very own film studio
511
00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:25,200
chaplain eric and the others gather
round on the day the construction work
512
00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:27,599
began
513
00:42:29,200 --> 00:42:32,800
so excited was chaplin with the idea of
having his own studio
514
00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:36,400
that he had his cameraman raleigh toledo
make this film
515
00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:45,839
showing it going up
516
00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:49,440
construction was scheduled to take five
months during which time eric was still
517
00:42:49,440 --> 00:42:53,920
under contract
and being paid a hefty salary
518
00:42:56,720 --> 00:43:01,520
to offset this expense charlie agreed to
loan erika to his friend mary pickford
519
00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:05,680
for her latest film
amarillo of clothesline alley although
520
00:43:05,680 --> 00:43:07,760
he was still being asked to play a
villain
521
00:43:07,760 --> 00:43:11,520
this was an enormous break into dramatic
acting for eric
522
00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:14,560
remember that at the time pickford
america's sweetheart
523
00:43:14,560 --> 00:43:18,720
was the most popular actress in the
world
524
00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:24,000
but three days into shooting amarillo
eric increasingly erratic and reckless
525
00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:27,200
in his behavior
went to a lively party at the vernon
526
00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:30,800
country club
drunk he drove back with some friends at
527
00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:41,839
four o'clock in the morning
528
00:44:04,400 --> 00:44:08,160
when he hit the oncoming vehicle he was
traveling at 60 miles an hour on the
529
00:44:08,160 --> 00:44:12,880
wrong side of the road
he was killed instantly his passengers
530
00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:16,240
escaped with minor injuries
531
00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:22,160
i'm afraid when eric campbell died in
the automobile accident it was
532
00:44:22,160 --> 00:44:26,880
in some ways i'm sure chaplin must have
not only had a great personal loss at
533
00:44:26,880 --> 00:44:30,000
that
but also realized i'm in trouble where
534
00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:33,839
am i ever going to find someone who
could replace this man
535
00:44:33,839 --> 00:44:36,960
and i don't think he ever found anyone
that ever
536
00:44:36,960 --> 00:44:41,839
replaced eric campbell because of
campbell being such a superior comedian
537
00:44:41,839 --> 00:44:44,560
and heavy
538
00:44:46,400 --> 00:44:49,440
he never found another villain quite
like campbell
539
00:44:49,440 --> 00:44:52,640
there was usually an opponent a heavy
but
540
00:44:52,640 --> 00:44:56,160
you don't really remember them they're
bits of machinery
541
00:44:56,160 --> 00:45:00,240
not such a strong personality as
campbell and i think that if campbell
542
00:45:00,240 --> 00:45:03,040
survived
the relationship the i mean the artistic
543
00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:07,119
relationship they built up would have
developed and i think that you know
544
00:45:07,119 --> 00:45:11,200
something quite wonderful and rich
might have come out of it and chaplin
545
00:45:11,200 --> 00:45:15,599
was not the
not the character ever to ever to
546
00:45:15,599 --> 00:45:21,040
acknowledge a partner but i think that
that there would have been something
547
00:45:21,040 --> 00:45:27,599
quite close to a partnership if
if eric had lived
548
00:45:27,599 --> 00:45:32,079
without eric's more manic influence
chaplin's films grew progressively more
549
00:45:32,079 --> 00:45:36,640
self-obsessed and sentimental
they never again had the wild inventive
550
00:45:36,640 --> 00:45:40,000
iconoclastic even cruel humor of the
mutual films
551
00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:45,440
the ones which many chaplain admirers
now regard as his greatest achievement
552
00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:49,040
stan laurel one of eric's greatest
friends later said
553
00:45:49,040 --> 00:45:53,359
eric was such a wonderful guy people
used to say that he had a heart as big
554
00:45:53,359 --> 00:45:57,040
as himself
an elite was a mountain of a man i think
555
00:45:57,040 --> 00:46:00,160
he would have made a great success in
the movies when sound came in because he
556
00:46:00,160 --> 00:46:04,160
had a beautiful big voice
again just like himself the odd thing
557
00:46:04,160 --> 00:46:06,480
though was that he was really a very shy
man
558
00:46:06,480 --> 00:46:11,280
like charlie in that respect eric used
to refer to himself as an elephant
559
00:46:11,280 --> 00:46:18,480
i guess in a way he was right big
gentle lovable
560
00:46:22,480 --> 00:46:29,920
when my mother had both her parents
die within such a short space of time
561
00:46:29,920 --> 00:46:37,200
and not having any relatives in
america she was forced i presume through
562
00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:40,720
having nowhere to go to come back to
england and she
563
00:46:40,720 --> 00:46:45,359
she went to stay with her aunt in
nottingham
564
00:46:45,359 --> 00:46:50,079
who looked after her because i think she
was only about 15 at the time
565
00:46:50,079 --> 00:46:55,680
and she was left with no prospects
really so she had to get a job as a
566
00:46:55,680 --> 00:47:01,359
window dresser
on occasion i have said i said to people
567
00:47:01,359 --> 00:47:05,359
did you see my grandfather on television
last night and they'd say
568
00:47:05,359 --> 00:47:09,520
no who was that and you'd say well you
said the charlie chaplin films are on
569
00:47:09,520 --> 00:47:12,640
they say
yes and i say well the very big man the
570
00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:17,760
opposite that's my grandfather
and nobody believes you which is a bit
571
00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:20,240
depressing because it's rather difficult
to prove
572
00:47:20,240 --> 00:47:25,839
isn't it
573
00:47:30,319 --> 00:47:33,520
rosedale was one of the first cemeteries
to
574
00:47:33,520 --> 00:47:40,559
allow people of all color creed
religions to be buried in one location
575
00:47:40,559 --> 00:47:44,400
we have many many famous people here
just a few i'll name today
576
00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:48,559
hattie mcdaniels who is the first
african-american actress to receive an
577
00:47:48,559 --> 00:47:53,280
academy award for her portrayal
in gone with the wind we have ray ray
578
00:47:53,280 --> 00:47:58,640
bradbury who's the famous writer
we also have frederick rindge who is one
579
00:47:58,640 --> 00:48:02,240
of the founders of pacific mutual
insurance company
580
00:48:02,240 --> 00:48:07,839
and now we have of course mr alfred eric
campbell to add to that that list of
581
00:48:07,839 --> 00:48:24,640
famous people interred here at rosedale
mr campbell was uh cremated in december
582
00:48:24,640 --> 00:48:28,880
1917
and some six months later the undertaker
583
00:48:28,880 --> 00:48:33,920
who handled his service
picked up his ashes he was to have been
584
00:48:33,920 --> 00:48:37,920
interred in a niche
in our columbarium but apparently for
585
00:48:37,920 --> 00:48:42,880
some reason we're
we suspect that uh possibly that it
586
00:48:42,880 --> 00:48:46,839
wasn't paid for
so he had to go back to the handling
587
00:48:46,839 --> 00:48:54,559
mortuary so the undertaker kept him
for some 21 years
588
00:48:57,520 --> 00:49:01,599
he returned the cremains to us some 21
years later
589
00:49:01,599 --> 00:49:06,960
and we kept them here for an additional
13 years
590
00:49:06,960 --> 00:49:11,599
before we finally interred them on our
grounds
591
00:49:11,599 --> 00:49:16,079
and again there no one none of the
relatives contacted us apparently
592
00:49:16,079 --> 00:49:22,160
so he was interred
on our grounds and we're not quite sure
593
00:49:22,160 --> 00:49:26,000
where
but he was interred here and he's
594
00:49:26,000 --> 00:49:30,240
he's part of the beautiful scenery you
see here
595
00:49:30,240 --> 00:49:33,920
our trees and the flowers and we'd like
to think of him like that
596
00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:38,640
um and finally some 44 years later as
you know
597
00:49:38,640 --> 00:49:42,839
today we're going to place his memorial
plaque
598
00:49:42,839 --> 00:49:59,839
to put him finally to rest
599
00:50:24,839 --> 00:50:27,839
do
600
00:50:36,559 --> 00:50:41,440
i like to bet with a big scottish guy
where he was like beating everybody up
601
00:50:41,440 --> 00:50:44,800
i liked the mic eyebrows kept going up
and down
602
00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:48,559
well i've been into silent movies and
especially charlie chaplin for quite a
603
00:50:48,559 --> 00:50:51,760
while actually
i watched quite a few charlie chaplin
604
00:50:51,760 --> 00:50:55,760
when i was young
well i think that's an old-fashioned mr
605
00:50:55,760 --> 00:50:58,960
bean
i think quite a lot of the modern ones
606
00:50:58,960 --> 00:51:02,800
just take off it because
a lot of the modern ones it is the bad
607
00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:06,559
guy chase is a good guy but the good guy
wins
608
00:51:06,559 --> 00:51:10,480
you're skinny i thought it was really
good he sort of put the
609
00:51:10,480 --> 00:51:13,520
excitement into the film he brought all
the
610
00:51:13,520 --> 00:51:18,240
violence into it as well
the first impression when i was told
611
00:51:18,240 --> 00:51:21,520
that it was black and white
films i thought it would be quite boring
612
00:51:21,520 --> 00:51:25,599
but it turned out it was really good and
i saw that i didn't really need the
613
00:51:25,599 --> 00:51:37,839
birds where are they fake campers yeah
that's a comedy will always be funny
614
00:52:02,839 --> 00:52:05,839
my
615
00:52:17,839 --> 00:52:19,920
you
57420
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