Charlie Chaplin (1951)

cc 144 and Pola's fiance\ He kept stepping on her toes and pinching her arms to no effect. Robinson feared it might lead to a duel. Pola and Charlie were inseparable for a week. They rode and dined together alone. Chaplin had expectd to stay no more than forty-eight hours in Berlin but decided each day to prolong his visit. Among the highlights of this Berlin visit, was a party at which Pola and he did a classic dance. Then, as a solo, Chaplin interpreted and burlesqued a Russian ballet dancer. The guests happened not to have the slightest notion who he was; by the end of the evening they were bursting with admiration for him. He had built a reputation from scratch. During his Berlin trip he twice visited the poorer sections and took note of the many war cripples. Gradually Berliners discovered what an important person was in their midst. It was with regret that Chaplin left Berlin and Pola Negri. The following year he was to meet her again in Hollywood. Chaplin's party flew back to England from Paris. Among other visits he was conducted through a hospital for wounded soldiers by Philip Sassoon and was impressed by the spirit of some of the hopelessly crippled men. Then came his week end with H. G. Wells and discussions of politics and world affairs; and, with St. John Ervine, the dramatist, a discussion of the possibilities of talking pictures. It was the period of De Forest's Phonofilms and similar German developments. Chaplin was not interested, claiming that the voice was superfluous in films, which were essentially a pantomimic art. He would as soon rouge the marble cheeks of a statue. For relaxation, amidst the talk, charades were played, that favorite game among the well-to-do in the pre-radio, pre-recordplayer, pre-home-movie era. There were also long walks and some outdoor games including one invented by Wells