The Gold Rush (United Artists) (1925)

Georgia Hale and Charlie Chaplin, in “The Gold Rush.” IIA—One Col Scene (Mat .15; Cut .25) There are two tenants at the Charles Chaplin studios who get special attention from the master of comics himself. They are Topaze, the cat, and Teddy, the dog. When Charlie, who will be seen in “The Gold Rush” at the .. Theatre, beginning on . , leaves Hollywood, he leaves com¬ plete instructions at the studio for their care and feeding. “The Gold Rush” was written and directed by Charlie and is being releasd by United Artists. ManyHobbies On Roster Of FamousComic Star's Interests Include Sports And Music (Advance Feature) How does Charlie Chaplin spend his time when he doffs the famous derby, cane and shoes and calls it a day? The interests of the great co¬ median, who is starring in “The Gold Rush,” which will be pre¬ miered at the . Theatre on ., are varied and his hob¬ bies numerous. Few people know that his home contains one of the finest libraries in the country. His Napoleonic collection boasts every book ever printed about the “little Corporal.” Charlie is a musician of ability, playing the organ, the piano, the cello, accordian and even the hum¬ ble harmonica. His collection of ancient Japanese prints is the envy of connoiseurs and within recent years he has become a collector of old Staffordshire ware. Also, Charlie is an expert deep- sea fisherman and holds the button of honor presented by the Tuna Club for a record catch. He plays a fast game of tennis, likes hand¬ ball and keeps himself in trim by sprinting. It is not generally known that the comedian was at one time an amateur long distance runner in England. A moment of sentiment for Charlie Chaplin and his pal in “The Gold Rush.” 12A— One Col. Scene (Mat .15; Cut .25) (Advance Featured) As varied and fanciful as they are plentiful are the stories concerning the origin of Charlie Chaplin’s famous screen cos¬ tume. But for the authentic explanation, we must go to the brilliant comedian himself. Char¬ lie, who is starring in “The Gold Rush,” which will have its first showing at the . Theatre on., says: “Contrary to general belief, I did not wear the costume so fa¬ miliar to you all in my first picture, in which I was a newspaper report¬ er. It was my second. I was hur¬ riedly told to ‘put on funny make¬ up.’ I went to the wardrobe and got a pair of baggy pants, a tight coat, a small derby and a large pair of shoes. “I wanted the clothes to be a mass of contradictions, knowing pictorially the. figure would be vividly outlined on the screen. To add a comic touch to my face, I wore a small mustache which would not hide my expression. The clothes seemed to imbue me with a spirit of the character. He actually be¬ came a man with a soul—a point of view. “In defining the type of person he was, I explained: ‘he wears an air of romantic hunger—forever seeking romance, but his feet won’t let him.” And perhaps in this last simple sentence, Chaplin himself has ex¬ plained the little tramp’s philoso¬ phy. Country Needs Reel Laughter, Says Comedian In spite of what the highbrows say about the Chaplin brand of comedy and humor being just a step away from tragedy Charlie insists that his one aim in picture¬ making is to be funny and to make people laugh Charlie believes that the world today needs laughter more than it ever did before. Since the serious trend world conditions have taken, people need a tonic for the nerves, an opportunity to brush away the impending sense of disaster which overtakes us in our daily grind. People, says Charlie, don’t want stories of futility, heartache, dis¬ appointment, frustration. They need the sunshine and release of laughter. So, Charlie is presenting the world with “The Gold Rush,” which will have its premiere at the. Theatre on ., so that audi¬ ences can be refreshed by an even¬ ing of hilarious fun such as only the genius of Chaplin can produce. Charlie wrote and directed “The Gold Rush,” and his supporting- cast includes Mack Swain, Tom Murray, Henry Bergman, Malcolm Waite and Georgia Hale.. CAT AND DOG! Most Comedians Work In Deepest Secrecy Newspaper men—and others—so often ask, “Why doesn’t Chaplin allow visitors on his sets?” As a matter of fact, he does—but very seldom. Anyone familiar with the basis of comedy knows that it is built on what is called in the profession “gag situations.” While of course ail good comedies must have a story, the pictures rely mainly on funny situations—some of which are so closely interwoven with the story itself as to be inseparable. All prominent picture comedians work on closed sets. Harold Lloyd and the Marx Brothers, in particu¬ lar are adamant about this. Were outsiders allowed to view the pic¬ ture in shooting, naturally the situations would be disclosed and the denoument would be ruined. This is especially true of a Chap¬ lin picture. Whether Charlie is right can be seen when “The Gold Rush” starts a run at the . Theatre Fifth Column Gets Stymied In Hollywood Chaplin Reveals Spy Defense In Studio (Advance Feature) J During the production of each of his pictures, Charlie Chaplin insists on secrecy. This is merely a sound mer¬ chandising principle, which other producers have also tried, but somehow only Chaplin has been able to enforce it. Whether from compulsion or devotion, the people who work for him guard the de¬ tails of each film as zealously as if they were military secrets. This leads in time to espionage. ( Because every newspaper is an¬ xious to publish a Charlie Chaplin scoop and because every hostess in Hollywood is equally eager to be the first with genuine gossip, spies try to get in and out of the Chaplin studio during a production. They are, for the most part, extras who are not above selling to the enemy the information they pick up on * the set in spite of Chaplin’s re¬ iterated warnings. When such fifth columnists are discovered they are dealt with summarily, but on the whole they are unable to do much damage. In his years of making movies, Chaplin has developed a _ j powerful defense against such sabotage. To begin with, Chaplin, whose “The Gold Rush” will start a run at the.Theatre on., shoots his pictures in such a way that not even the players know what the story is about until the film is screened for them. For when it comes to putting out a picture, Charlie does not believe in taking everybody into his confidence. / N For Audiences It has been said that to combine comedy and pathos in a film pro¬ duction and not destroy the illusions of the audience requires a truly ^ great artist . In ‘‘The Gold Rush,” his brilliant comedy of the Alaska gold rush. coming on . to the . Theatre, Charlie Chaplin seeks the sympathies of the audience in the role of a weakling prospector, a hard-luck sourdough in the Alas¬ kan wilderness. One of the most touching scenes is where Chaplin prepares what to him is a banquet, but really is a pitiful attempt at an elaborate dinner, to entertain Georgia, the dancehall girl, and her friends. His ' guests fail to arrive and it gradu- \ ally dawns on him that he is the ' ^ victim of a ghastly joke. Charlie thereupon pretends that his girl has come and proceeds to entertain her with a dance, called the Oceana Roll, in which he em¬ ploys two forks and two buns. His dance is so finished, so polished that it almost becomes a take-off on good dancing. V__ FRENCH CHEF! In “The Gold Rush,” the next attraction at the . Theatre, beginning on., Charlie Chap¬ lin gives a perfect exhibition of a French chef when he presides with finesse at a boiled-boot dinner. ^ In “The Great Dictator” Charlie w ^ was a barber. Again, he had com¬ pletely mastered the movements and the skill of this profession. He stropped a razor with absolute authority. He worked up a soap lather with felicity. He applied the lather to his patron’s face with abandon, but he managed to keep it out of his mouth and he didn’t cut his patron’s throat. Chaplin is always the expert supreme. Page Fourteen