The Gad About Town

Sir Charles Chaplin was born on this date in 1889. The world of his parents was one of desperate poverty—his father was an alcoholic music hall singer and his mother had been an unsuccessful stage performer, and neither seemed inclined to be parents—and by age seven the boy was living in workhouses, paupers’ schools, and, finally on the streets.

By age 26, he was the most famous movie star—really, the most famous human, on the planet.

In 1914, Chaplin developed his most important creation, the Tramp. He started with the costume, and with it came the character, or the beginnings of one. On January 10, of that year, the Tramp, wearing what soon would be his globally recognized outfit of baggy pants, too-small derby hat, bendy cane, and little mustache, made his public debut in front of a crowd at a youth car derby in Venice, California. A film of his antics, “Kid Auto Races in Venice,” was released a couple weeks later, in February.

The Tramp came to Chaplin fully formed, it appears. Not only is the costume complete in the six-minute-long movie but his full array of gestures—the twirl of the cane, the dismissive tip of the hat, the flat-footed walk, a kick of the leg to turn his body entirely around—is seen. (There is one prop and one gesture that are unfamiliar to viewers of today, though, and they did not stay with the character: he is seen smoking cigarettes throughout the short.)

Here is all six minutes and nine seconds of “Kid Auto Races at Venice” (below the fold):
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