DAY BY DAY: 1936

A day-to-day account of one year of Chaplin's life.


(Clickable links are in red)


JANUARY

Wednesday, January 1 & Thursday, January 2: Chaplin spread appears in Vanity Fair; Charlie and Paulette attend a dinner party at the Trocadero.

Sunday, January 5th & Monday, January 6th: Chaplin previews Modern Times in Glendale; Breen Office requests changes to the film.

Saturday, January 11th, 1936: Chaplin sends flowers to John Gilbert's funeral.

Monday, January 13th, 1936: Breen Office sends Certificate of Approval for Modern Times




Thursday, January 16th: "Charlie In The News": Tidbits from the newspapers.

Tuesday, January 21st - Thursday January 23rd: "Charlie In The News," inc. an interview with Chaplin & Douglas Fairbanks

Friday, January 24th: Charlie and Paulette attend opening of the Ballet Russes.



Saturday, January 25th: Chaplin is featured on the cover of Picturegoer.

Monday January 27th: Interview with Chaplin from the Los Angeles Times.


FEBRUARY

Saturday, February 1st: Studio production report: "C.C. did not come to studio. Dub foreign version UA studio 3:50 to 4:30 PM."

Sunday, February 2nd: The New York Times was abuzz with the upcoming world premiere of Modern Times.

Wednesday, February 5th: Modern Times premieres at the Rivoli in NYC.


Tuesday, February 11th: London premiere of Modern Times, plus "Charlie in the News."

Wednesday, February 12th: Charlie and Paulette attend the Hollywood premiere of Modern Times at Grauman's Chinese Theater.


Saturday, February 15th: Charlie and Paulette watch the Derby Day races at Santa Anita. 

Monday, February 17th: Chaplin, accompanied by Paulette, her mother, Alta, and his valet Frank, sets sail for Honolulu.


Tuesday, February 18th: The SS Coolidge stops in San Francisco en route to Honolulu.


February 21-26: The Coolidge sails from S.F. to Honolulu.



February 26th: The Coolidge arrives in Honolulu; Chaplin lunches with George Bernard Shaw.


MARCH

Sunday, March 1st: En route to Japan.

Friday, March 6th: Charlie, Paulette, etc. arrive in Yokohama. Travel on to Tokyo where they attend a kabuki performance the the wrestling matches.

 

Saturday, March 7th: The SS Coolidge embarks for Shanghai.

Monday, March 9th: Arrival in Shanghai. Welcoming party hosted by Butterfly Wu & meeting with Mei Lanfang.


Thursday: March 12th: Hong Kong. Chaplin is interviewed about Modern Times and dodges questions about his marital status.

Saturday, March 14th: Chaplin & Co. leave for Singapore aboard the Suwa Maru.




Wednesday March 18th: Arrival at Singapore.

"Although the Suwa Maru arrived earlier than was expected, there was a large crowd at the wharf to see Mr. Chaplin." ...



Thursday, March 19th: Rickshaw rides through Chinatown. Paulette tells a reporter that she "may have been" wearing a wedding ring on her arrival in Singapore the previous day.

"Paulette was fascinated with the rickshas. As her puller carried her a few paces, she cried out excitedly to Charlie, who laughed back a reply." ...



Friday, March 20th: Chaplin visits the Singapore Reformatory for boys.

Saturday, March 21st: Chaplin attempts to charter what was known in Singapore as the "Honeymoon yacht."

Sunday, March 22nd: The travelers' are guests of the Sultan of Johor.


Monday, March 23rd: The gang leaves Singapore at dawn and flies to Batavia, Java.


March 24-25: Bandung and Garut: The travelers' road trip across Java begins with two stops in West Java.


March 26-27: Garut to Djokja


Saturday, March 28th: Off to BaliCharlie and his companions drove from Djokja to Surabaya where they boarded the steamer Merak for Bali.

APRIL


March 29th - April 6th: Bali!



Monday, April 6th: The Chaplin party returns from Bali.


Tuesday, April 7th: The travelers return to Singapore for the next three days.

Friday, April 10th: Chaplin, et al, depart for Indochina aboard the Aramis.


April 10th-12th: En route to Indochina.



April 12th-13th: The Chaplin party arrives in Saigon on the 12th. They spend two days before taking off on a roadtrip across Vietnam and Cambodia.


Saturday, April 18th: "Sak Lo" (aka Charlot) & his companions reach Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia.

(circa) Monday, April 20th: Chaplin & Co. vist the ruins of Angkor.


(circa) April 21st - 23rd: The group tours the region formerly known as Annam. Chaplin is reported dead. 


April 24th - May 1st: The travelers spend the next week in Hanoi.


MAY


May 1st - May 3rd: Chaplin and his companions move eastward to Hongay and Port Courbet. 


May 7-8th, 1936: The travelers return to Hong Kong and take a side trip to Canton.



Saturday, May 9th: Chaplin departs Hong Kong for Shanghai aboard the Kashima Maru. He tells reporters about a potential problem with U.S. immigration laws. 

May 11-12th: Chaplin has a chance meeting with fellow passenger Jean Cocteau on the Kashima Maru.  After one night in Shanghai, the Chaplin party departs for Japan aboard the SS Coolidge.



Drawing of Chaplin by Cocteau, 1936
May 16th: Arrival in Kobe.

May 16-17: The Chaplin party motors to Kyoto.

Tea at the Hiiragiya Inn, Kyoto.


May 18th-22nd: Arrival at Yokohama. Chaplin and Co. spend the next week dividing their time between there and Tokyo.

Charlie & Paulette with violinist Jacques Thibaud
 and geisha performer Ichimaru
Friday, May 22nd:  Charlie, Paulette, Alta, and Frank depart Japan for California aboard the President Coolidge.

Friday May, 29th: The Coolidge makes a brief stop in Honolulu. 

Aboard the Coolidge, en route to CA.

JUNE

Wednesday, June 3rd: The Chaplin party arrives in San Francisco on Paulette's 26th birthday. From there they drive to Pebble Beach.

Thursday, June 4th: In a letter to his brother, Sydney Chaplin gives a critical analysis of Charlie's latest film, Modern Times, and suggests ideas for future projects.

Aboard the Coolidge in San Francisco, with fellow passenger,
Jean Cocteau.

Friday, June 5th: Charlie, Paulette, Alta, and Frank leave Pebble Beach in the morning and drive home to Los Angeles. Chaplin visits with his sons.

Monday, June 8th: Chaplin's car is rear-ended on Hollywood Blvd.

Sunday, June 28th: In an article published in the Los Angles Times, Chaplin discusses his ambitious future film plans.

Tuesday, June 30th: Day one of the United Artists Sales Convention at the Ambassador Hotel.

JULY 

Wednesday, July 1: Chaplin announces at UA convention that he plans to make 2 films during the 1936-37 season, including one starring Paulette in a leading role. That night, Charlie and Paulette attend the Actors' Fund Benefit at Pan-Pacific Auditorium.

Thursday, July 2nd: Last day of the UA Sales Convention.

Wednesday, July 8th: Chaplin was present at a meeting in which Dr. A. H. Giannini was unanimously elected president and chairman of the board of the United Artists Corporation.

Wednesday, July 22: Charlie and Paulette attend a reception honoring Danish director Johannes Poulsen at Pickfair.


Wednesday, July 27th: Charlie and Paulette attend the premiere of Anthony Adverse at the Carthay Circle Theater. Afterward they attended a party hosted by the film's director Mervyn LeRoy.

AUGUST

Monday, August 17th: Charlie and Paulette attend a concert by conductor Leopold Stokowski at the Hollywood Bowl.


Thursday, August 27th: Film Daily reports that the Chaplin Studio is being wired for sound.

Friday, August 28th: Chaplin announces that he has purchased the film rights to the D.L. Murray novel, Regency.

Saturday, August 29th - Sunday, August 30th: Chaplin spends the weekend fishing at Catalina.



SEPTEMBER

Saturday, September 5th - Sunday, September 6th: Charlie and Paulette spend the weekend with friends at Catalina Island. (Catalina Islander, September 10th, 1936)

Friday, September 11th: Motion Picture Daily reports that Institutional Cinema Service Inc. has been perpetually enjoined from distributing or exhibiting two of Chaplin's films: A Dog's Life & Shoulder Arms.


Friday September 18th - Sunday September 27th: Charlie and Paulette attend the Pacific Southwest Tennis Tournament at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.


OCTOBER

Early October: Publicity photos with Paulette Goddard are taken at Chaplin's home by Max Munn Autrey.


Thursday, October 8th: Chaplin attends a performance by mime artist Angna Enters at the Biltmore Theater.

Saturday, October 10th: Paulette Goddard flies to New York with her mother for a two-week vacation.

Friday, October 23rd: Paulette returns from New York.

Saturday, October 31st: Charlie and Paulette attend a preview of Garden Of Allah at Grauman's.



NOVEMBER


Wednesday, November 4th: Chaplin's former wife, Lita Grey, announces marriage to Henry Aguirre.

Wednesday, November 11th: Although Chaplin purchased tickets to the British Charity Ball at the Ambassador for himself and Paulette, they did not attend.

DECEMBER

Sunday, December 6th: Charlie and Paulette attend a party at the home of John and Elaine Barrymore.

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