On This Day in History: April 10

Charlie Chaplin finally gets his Oscar

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Born into poverty in 1889 London, Charlie Chaplin was soon discovered as an acting talent and by the age of 19 was on his way to America with a theater troupe. Before his 30th birthday he was one of the most well-known figures in the world, but he never got his American citizenship, which the government used to kick him out of the country after accusing him of being a communist.

--On This Day in History, Shit Went Down: April 10, 1972--

In 1919 Chaplin co-founded United Artists so he had total control over his films, and he used that control to become increasingly political. Modern Times (1936) criticized capitalism, The Great Dictator (1940) satirized Hitler, and Monsieur Verdoux (1947) once again criticized capitalism and the military-industrial complex. The U.S. was going hard on the anti-communist red scare shit, and Chaplin became a target, with FBI director J. Edgar Asshole launching an investigation into the filmmaker.

Chaplin, who twice married 16-year-olds, one of whom claimed he was abusive, referred to himself as a “peacemonger” but not a communist, although he did have communist friends. Back then there was plenty of guilt to be had via association. And people were all hey he isn’t even an American and never became a citizen so maybe he should just GTFO. Member of Congress John Rankin, who helped create the communist witch hunt called the House Un-American Activities Committee, said Chaplin’s “very life in Hollywood is detrimental to the moral fabric of America” and that he created “loathsome pictures,” and he should be “gotten rid of at once.” Additionally, author George Orwell had a secret list of people he accused of being communists that he shared with the British Government, who shared it with the CIA, and Chaplin was on it.

Chaplin’s next film, Limelight, was apolitical. The movie takes place in London, so he decided to have the premiere there, leaving with his family in 1952. The day after he set sail, the U.S. Attorney General revoked Chaplin’s re-entry permit and said if you wanna come back you need to be interviewed so we can determine if you’re commie or not.

Declassified documents later revealed the FBI didn’t have shit on Chaplin, and if he’d re-applied, he likely would have been let back in, but Chaplin was all fuck you, America, I’m done. He and his family lived the rest of their lives in Switzerland, continuing to create new films and rework older ones.

Chaplin returned to America only once. Twenty years after leaving the country for good, as a way for America to “make amends” or some shit, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences offered him an Honorary Award for “the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century.” The awards ceremony took place on April 10, 1972. Chaplin had been hesitant to attend but decided to go, and the press made a big deal of it. Upon receiving his award Chaplin was given a 12-minute standing ovation, the longest in Oscar history.

Charlie Chaplin died in 1977 at the age of 88.

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