Who was Charlie Chaplin?

Welcome to History's Not Boring by Kidopoly.com! Join your hosts, Mira and Finn, as we travel back in time to meet the funniest man in the world—Charles Spencer Chaplin! Did you know that before he was a massive Hollywood star, Charlie was just a little boy growing up very poor in London? His life was really tough, and his family even had to go to a workhouse! But Charlie had a secret superpower: he loved to perform! Starting on stage as a tiny kid to earn pennies, he eventually traveled to Hollywood and created a character that changed the world. Meet "The Little Tramp," a sweet, bumbling hero with a tiny mustache, a dusty bowler hat, a swinging cane, and a totally hilarious, waddling walk! Charlie Chaplin became the most famous person on the planet, making millions of people laugh and cry without ever saying a single word on screen. He practically invented modern comedy! Tune in to discover how a poor boy from England used silly walks and pantomime to become a legendary movie star!

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to History's Not Boring by Kidoply.com. I'm Mira. And I'm Finn. Finn, imagine being so poor that at seven years old you're sent away to a gloomy place called a workhouse.

SPEAKER_00 0:14

A workhouse? That sounds really scary. What exactly is that?

SPEAKER_01 0:20

It was a harsh Victorian institution for people with absolutely no money. But imagine that same scared kid growing up to sign a$1 million contract, becoming the most famous person on earth.$1 million? Wait, who was it? The King of Silent Comedy, Charlie Chaplin! And the timing is perfect, because we just passed the 137th anniversary of his birth this April.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

Silent comedy? You mean he was funny without even talking?

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Exactly! He can make you laugh so hard your stomach hurt, or cry real tears, all without saying a single word. Whoa! How did he do that? Well, let's travel back in time and find out. Our story starts in London, England. Charles Spencer Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

What was his life like back then?

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Really tough. His parents, Hannah and Charles Sr. were stage performers, but they didn't make much money and they spit up when Charlie was a baby. Oh no. How did his mum take care of him? She tried really hard, taking in sewing jobs. But by 1896, when Charlie was just seven years old, they completely ran out of money. Is that when he went to the workhouse? Yes. In Victorian London, if you had zero money, you went to a workhouse. Charlie and his older brother Sidney were sent to the Lambeth Workhouse. Did his mum go with them? She did at first, but the rules were strict. Children were immediately separated from their parents. They took him away from his mum. That's awful. It was. Charlie was soon transferred to a school for poor orphans called Hanwell School. Imagine being seven, having your hair shaved off, wearing a scratchy uniform, and living with over 800 other kids. 800 kids? It sounds like a giant prison. It felt like one. A retired Navy captain would even use a four-foot-long wooden cane to punish kids who broke the rules. Poor Charlie. How did he ever get out of there? Well, to understand his escape, we have to rewind two years to when he was only five. That's when something magical happened. The year is 1894. Five-year-old Charlie is backstage at a rowdy theatre called the Canteen in a miniature town called Aldershot, watching his mum Hannah sing.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

Was it a big show?

SPEAKER_01 2:58

Yes, but the crowd was rough. Suddenly, right in the middle of a song, Hannah's voice cracked. It dropped to a whisper.

SPEAKER_00 3:08

Uh-oh. What did the audience do?

SPEAKER_01 3:10

They got angry. They started booing, yelling, and even throwing things at the stage. No, his poor mum! She was forced to walk off the stage crying. The theatre manager panicked. He had seen little five-year-old Charlie imitating his mum before, so he grabbed the tiny boy and literally pushed him onto the stage.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

A five-year-old, all by himself in front of an angry crowd, I would be terrified. Not Charlie.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

He confidently started singing a popular song. The crowd loved it so much, they started showering him with loose coins. Wow, he saved the day! Even better! Right in the middle of the song, Charlie stopped singing. He told the audience he was going to pick up the money first, and then finish the song.

SPEAKER_00 4:01

He stopped the show to pick up pennies.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

Yes! The crowd roared with laughter. He even did a funny imitation of his mum's cracked voice. It was his very first performance. That's incredible! Did he keep performing? He did. He joined a comedy troupe, travelled to America, and in 1914, at age 24, he got hired to make movies in Hollywood for$150 a week. Now he's at Max Senit's Keystone Studios in Hollywood. But remember, this is 1914. Movies didn't have sound yet.

SPEAKER_00 4:37

Right. So you just watch people move around in silence?

SPEAKER_01 4:41

Exactly. So to be funny, you had to look funny and move funny. One day, his boss told him to quickly put on some comedy makeup for a movie called Mabel's Strange Predicament.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

What did he choose?

SPEAKER_01 4:56

Charlie went to the wardrobe room and decided everything about his outfit should be a total contradiction.

SPEAKER_00 5:03

What do you mean by contradiction?

SPEAKER_01 5:05

He picked out pants that were super baggy, but a coat that was way too tight. That sounds ridiculous. Then he grabbed a tiny little bowler hat and a pair of massive size 14 shoes that belonged to another actor named Ford Sterling.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

Size 14? Those would look like boats on his feet.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

They did. He actually had to put them on the wrong feet just to keep them from falling off. That's what gave him his famous waddling walk.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

Wait! The funny walk was just because the shoes were too big.

SPEAKER_01 5:39

Yep. He added a small toothbrush-style moustache to look older without hiding his facial expressions, and grabbed a thin, flexible bamboo cane.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

And that became his famous character.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

Yes. He called him the Little Tramp. The moment audiences saw that funny walk, the baggy pants, and the twirling cane, they went absolutely crazy for him. Finn, Charlie's rise to fame was faster than a rocket. In just three years, he went from making$150 a week to signing a contract with First National Exhibitor Circuit for$1 million.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

A million dollars? In 1917? That's a mountain of money.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

It was one of the first million-dollar acting contracts in Hollywood history to make just eight films. The kid from the freezing London workhouse was now the most expensive performer on earth.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

That makes me so happy.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

He finally had enough money. And he used his power to make incredible movies. In 1921, he made a movie called The Kid about his little Trump character taking care of an orphan.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

I bet that reminded him of his own tough childhood.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

Exactly. He poured all his real feelings into it. People loved it because he didn't just make them laugh, he made them care.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

Are there any weird facts about him?

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Oh, definitely. Did you know that even though his movies were silent, he actually wrote all the background music for them himself? Whoa, he could write music too! Yep, he composed the scores and lived a long, amazing life, finally passing away on Christmas Day in 1977 at the age of 88.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

From the workhouse to changing the world. What a story. Alright, Finn, time for the quiz. Are you ready? I think so.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

Lay it on me. First question. What was the name of the scary place Charlie was sent to live when he was seven? Next one. How old was Charlie during his very first stage performance? Question three. What did the audience throw on stage that Charlie stopped to pick up? Here's number four. Name two things that were part of the Trump's famous funny costume. Last question. How much money was Charlie's record-breaking movie contract in 1917? Great job! Let's see how you did. The answer to question one is the workhouse. He was sent to Lambeth Workhouse and Hanwell School. For question two, he was indeed just five years old when he stepped in for his mum. Number three, the answer is coins. He literally stopped the song to collect his money. Question four, you could have said baggy pants, tight coat, giant shoes, small bowler hat, a bamboo cane, or his mustache. And the final answer is one million dollars, making him the highest paid actor in the world.

SPEAKER_00 8:59

Wow, I got all of them. That was awesome. I still can't believe he wore shoes that were so big he had to put them on the wrong feet. That is genius!

SPEAKER_01 9:09

It really is. Charlie Chaplin proved that no matter where you start out, even in a harsh workhouse, you can grow up to make the whole world smile.

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If you laughed at the story of the little tramp today, please leave us a five-star review. Just scroll down and tap the stars.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

It helps other kids find the show. Oh, and don't forget to head over to our site kidopoly.com. We've got tons of fun learning games and cool history activities waiting for you there.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

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SPEAKER_01 9:45

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SPEAKER_00 9:47

Thanks for exploring history with us today. See you next time on History's Not Boring. Bye! Bye everyone.