24. Awkward Facts About the Lovable Tramp
English actor Charlie Chaplin (1889 – 1977) was the silent film era’s most famous and beloved star, and one of the silver screen’s all-time greats. However, there was a creepy side to him. In addition to being a pioneer who revolutionized acting and comedy, Chaplin was also a pervert who liked ’em young. So young as to cause scandal, derail his career, and get him de facto deported from the US. He was also a Harvey Weinstein type before there was a Harvey Weinstein. Chaplain reportedly pioneered the “casting couch”, whereby powerful Hollywood figures extracted explicit favors from actresses during auditions. He used caption cards in auditions to prompt aspiring actresses into increasingly suggestive acts and poses until they stood before him naked or nearly so.
That kind of predation however was run of the mill. He had other kinks that went beyond the usual quid pro quo harassment, and into the realm of the… unusual. Among other things, Chaplain had a thing for pies – and not just as comedic props and gags. After he got actresses to disrobe amidst their auditions, Chaplin would grope them in exaggerated ways on the couch. Then, after he had worked himself up by getting them to do a striptease on demand, followed by a groping session on the couch, he would stand them naked against a wall and throw pies at them. That seemed to do it for him.
