The Life of the Greatest Comedy Artist
-- Charlie Chaplin

III

In November 1924, Charlie had married his leading lady, Lita Grey. It was no wiser a marriage than his first had been. Despite the turmoil[1] in his private life, Charlie went on and made a film called The Circus. Chaplin had done over seven hundred takes on that tightrope-- and all for a few minutes of film. The moment The Circus was completed, he launched into making City Lights. In the next few years Charlie was to make three of his finest films: City lights in 1931, Modern Times in 1936, and The Great Dictator in 1940.

After failure of the third marriage in 1942, He had met a young woman, the daughter of the great American playwright, Eugene O'Neill. She was only 17 years old and she and Charlie had fallen deeply in love. Her name was Oona. And now it was 1945, after the world II, America had become affected by a kind of madness, an obsessive fear and hatred of Communism. Charlie become the victim of this persecution. Against this atmosphere of persecution he set to work on a new film. The film was Limelight, the story of an aging music hall performer and the young girl he helps to success. Into it he put his memories of the London and the theatrical life he had known as a boy. America's anti-communist emotions had found a new and more lunatic[2] voice. On his way to London for its premiere[3]. The US Attorney General had forbidden Chaplin re-entry to the United States. He was an exile.

He was received warmly in London and hailed[4] as a genius. In the US, the vicious attacks continued, Charlie couldn't go back, and the family left for Switzerland. In January 1953, they settled in the beautiful house at Corsier-sur-Vevey that was to be Charlie's home for the rest of his life.

If America had denounced Charlie, he had his family-- and the acclaim of the rest of the world. In 1945 when McCarthy and his henchmen was discovered that they had been faking[5] evidence. Now America opened its arms to Charlie once more and he showered with awards.

In 1975, just before his eighty-sixth birthday, Charlie, who had been one of the London's "infant poor" was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

After a life of incredibly hard work, of great triumphs and great sorrows and trials, Charlie seemed to have entered a golden time. He was becoming frail, but loved to work as always.

"To work is to live-- and I love to live."

Christmas Eve, 1977 came and the house was brimming with[6] children and grandchildren. Charlie was settled in his room, they left the door open so that he could share in the sounds of excitement and happiness that ran through the house.

In the morning, when it was time to wake him and to wish him a Happy Christmas, it was found that Charlie had died in his sleep. He was eighty-eight years old.

It was a good day for someone who had given so much laughter and encouragement to the world to slip away.