March 21, 2016

Day By Day: 1936

Saturday, March 21st: Chaplin attempts to charter "Honeymoon Yacht"

80-years-ago today, Chaplin caused a stir in Singapore when he inquired about chartering a yacht called the Sea Belle II for his upcoming tour of Bali. That morning he planned to inspect the yacht and make the proper arrangements so that he could embark on Monday morning. He had originally planned to fly, but due to his being constantly hounded by the press, he had hoped that the yacht would give him and Paulette more privacy.

The Sea Belle belonged to Sir Shenton Thomas, Governor of the Straits Settlements. It had recently been nicknamed the "Honeymoon yacht" because the only other time it had been chartered for private use was when heiress Doris Duke and her husband J.H.R. Cromwell hired it for their honeymoon cruise  of the East Indies the previous year. Not surprisingly, the notion that Chaplin might lease a "Honeymoon yacht" made headlines worldwide.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, March 22nd, 1936

As a result, Chaplin decided to scrap these plans and leave by plane for Bali, as he had originally intended.

Tomorrow: Charlie and Paulette are entertained by royalty.

Day By Day: 1936

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