According to the books I've read, they were meeting up into 1942 (summer), then she dropped away from him after that. There were pictures of them attending premieres in 42 (she wearing an absolutely stunning white gown with triangle cutout and then a black version of the same gown), and there is mention of them meeting at the Inauguration of Roosevelt in Jan 41.
OMG, I just realized that I know way too much incidental info.
I have pictures of her wearing the white gown. Evidently Charlie planned to make another film with Paulette around 1942 and there was even a contract drawn up between Charlie Chaplin "Producer" & Paulette Goddard "Artist". It was signed by Charlie but not Paulette.
I notice that too - I am fascinated by their relationship, and how the biographers tend to gloss over those 10 (or 8 really) years that they were together with a simple "maybe they were married, maybe not and they had a good time - moving on" then harp about Oona and those 8 kids and that marriage. I don't buy into the whole "Oona was his perfect mate" line either.
I have never believed that Charlie was head over heels for Oona when he married her. I believe the main reason he married her was because of his legal troubles. However I do think he learned to love her deeply and depended on her a great deal in his later years. I have never understood why he had all of those kids. He once told someone that he knew it made Oona happy, so he went along with it. Plus he never used birth control and I also think having kids as an older man made him feel manly. Oona was willing to give up her life for Charlie & I think she became a bit of a doormat. It's suggested in Paulette's bio by Julie Gilbert that Charlie was involved with another woman during his marriage to Oona. This wouldn't surprise me at all. He was easily able to separate sex and love.
I remember that - it was in a letter to Erich that she mentioned some "baby starlet" he was seeing. I totally believe it. I agree, I think Paulette was no doormat, and Oona was.
Of course this is just the matter of personal view, but for me he did not seem like a person who would seek shelter from his legal troubles in a marriage with a girl he did not really love, especially after all problematic divorces he had had. About they having a lot of children, I remember reading somewhere that Oona told her friend she wanted to have 10 children with Chaplin, so maybe this was mainly her wish, not Chaplin. But now I cannot find the source again and not really sure about its correctness.
I think he was worried about how it looked that a 17-year-old had been spending nights at his house, plus Harry Crocker evidently told a friend who was with the FBI that Charlie didn't want to get married but one of his maids was threatening to blackmail him (he was apparently paying off the help to say that Oona never spent the night), so the easiest thing to do was to go ahead and marry Oona (although if we take Georgia Hale's word, he asked her first).
I am not sure. He also slept with Lita when she was only 15 and still strongly resisted a marriage. At the time he met Oona he may have more trouble legals, but he also had more experience with divorces. And if we look at the way he determined to go on with the Joan Barry case despite that the details of the relationship would be published I think that he was not that much afraid. Furthermore, if Oona was not in with the maids to blackmail him, what was the difference with that blackmail matter if he got married or not.
I come back to the fact that two of his best films were made during their relationship and he was also pretty scandal free during that time. She must have been doing something right. When she moves out(in Dec 40), he's in trouble with women again within a year!
After all, what do we all know. If one has an opinion, it doesn't mean, it is right. I think, if in the marriage between Charlie and Paulette everything was allright, they wouldn't have part. I don't think, Oona was a doormat, when Charlie could sometimes be difficult, doesn't mean she was something like that. That is all too private. No one of us would like to discuss our privacy in the public.
There was definitely reason for the breakup - he wanted to control her, she was not about to be controlled - this is obvious in all the books where their marriage is discussed. From what Oona herself has written and said - her life was all about Charlie, and she made no bones about it.
I totally agree. Oona *wanted* her life to be about Charlie and I think that was the kind of woman Charlie had always wanted--one that didn't want a career and could devote herself to him. She also knew how to deal with his moods.
I read the "Oona, Living in the Shadows" book and her life was so sad after he passed. She devoted everything to him and had nothing to hold onto after that. Her own children comment about that when they are interviewed.
I have just come across this page while searching for information on Paulette Goddard and quite frankly i am incredibly disturbed by what i have seen with these comments. Are you a Chaplin fan? i ask because to me it looks as though you are more interested in his personal life and slandering his good name than commenting on his work and his legacy. I have flicked through your past posts and it is the same. Chaplin is not a man who died hundreds of years ago and has no surviving relatives, does it not strike you as slightly cold to a man you claim is a "hero" to say such things that may be seen by his family? "All those kids" as you put it, stating they were not wanted only adds to making Chaplin seem a callous individual, is this how you wish us to see him? How would you like such things to be written about you and your family see them?
To suggest that Chaplin had lovers into his marriage with Oona and the other pieces of information you add onto this site really are nothing more than salacious pieces of gossip TRUE Chaplin fans like myself have tried for decades to ignore. Focus on his art, on his films and on the work he leaves behind! Any man can create scandal, it takes a genius to create a masterpiece!
You can continue to ignore his faults. I don't have issue with that. I find it more interesting to know a person as a whole human. Each experience adds to the whole essence of the human being. This does not make me less than a TRUE Chaplin fan, just an informed one.
Everything I've read here comes from informed fans who've spent years reading books, articles and personal interviews with his surviving family over years and years.
I think we need to be careful when dealing with a man whose family are still with us and who can see the things written about him. I agree with you that it is better to see a man as a whole, i am all for that! In fact one of the things i like about Charlie is he was always human when so many celebrities try to be immortal and it fails miserably. On the other hand I do agree with the above anon that we do not always need to know the in depth details. I read an article once that stated that Oona and Charlie in Switzerland were at each others sides all the time, i am sure she would have noticed an affair. I believe it was an interview with Geraldine Chaplin come to think of it, hope this helps.
Wow! I just found this site a few months ago and love all the information I see, photos and tidbit wise!
Don't get the issue with people discussing what is already public information?
I've read interviews with Geraldine, Michael and I think it was Josephine (from a biography of Oona - not sure which one) who said it was always Charlie first and the kids second, and Oona made sure of that. So you have to take the good anecdotes with the bad I guess.
For those interested in Chaplin's personal life, there are plenty of books ("I couldn't Smoke the Grass on my Father's Lawn" being quite an amusing ones) to delve into. His surviving family give interviews and pieces of insight all the time - they are not hiding in Switzerland hoping not to see anything bad about him on the internet!
I also just read the comments above and there is nothing there that hasn't come from printed sources that are freely available on the internet in whole or pieces. There is no slander, and no salacious rumoring going on.
For those not interested in his personal life, just watch the films!
When I first got into looking up Charlie on the net this was one of the first pages I visited (Chaplin in Pictures anyway) and i was always fascinated by the pictures and information. I personally like to see Charlie from another angle and although sometimes I do not agree with some of the information and personal opinions I am always fascinated to see how others see Charlie. None of us on here (I am sure) knew him and what he was really like, I agree we cannot really comment but his image and information is in the public domain for anyone to access. I run a Facebook page and sometimes its hard to always keep things politically correct or comment without offending, you just have to remember to stay true to what you like and what you are interested in and hope others see it that way too!
None of us will ever know if Charlie loved Oona, or if he was nice behind closed doors, or hell even if he left the toilet seat up!!! But we do have his films, interviews, articles and other texts and we should all share and embrace and understand the MAN and his WORK. At the end of the day this is all just opinion! Jess does a great job and if her opinions arent everyones cup of tea then they shouldnt read them! the internet is big enough for everybody
How can you defend someone who writes a site such as this? It may be information all in the public domain but it is disgusting muck that should not see the light of day by someone who claims they are a Chaplin fan!
Secondly: As we are talking of public domains i put this to everyone who reads this tripe...........
How can you put an official Chaplin disclaimer on your site and yet you go against the fundamental principles or protecting the image and interest of a man you claim to *like*.
According to the books I've read, they were meeting up into 1942 (summer), then she dropped away from him after that. There were pictures of them attending premieres in 42 (she wearing an absolutely stunning white gown with triangle cutout and then a black version of the same gown), and there is mention of them meeting at the Inauguration of Roosevelt in Jan 41.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I just realized that I know way too much incidental info.
I have pictures of her wearing the white gown. Evidently Charlie planned to make another film with Paulette around 1942 and there was even a contract drawn up between Charlie Chaplin "Producer" & Paulette Goddard "Artist". It was signed by Charlie but not Paulette.
DeleteWhat I notice about all the pictures of Charlie and Paulette is that they actually seemed to enjoy and like each other.
ReplyDeleteI notice that too - I am fascinated by their relationship, and how the biographers tend to gloss over those 10 (or 8 really) years that they were together with a simple "maybe they were married, maybe not and they had a good time - moving on" then harp about Oona and those 8 kids and that marriage. I don't buy into the whole "Oona was his perfect mate" line either.
ReplyDeleteNeither do I!
DeleteI have never believed that Charlie was head over heels for Oona when he married her. I believe the main reason he married her was because of his legal troubles. However I do think he learned to love her deeply and depended on her a great deal in his later years. I have never understood why he had all of those kids. He once told someone that he knew it made Oona happy, so he went along with it. Plus he never used birth control and I also think having kids as an older man made him feel manly. Oona was willing to give up her life for Charlie & I think she became a bit of a doormat. It's suggested in Paulette's bio by Julie Gilbert that Charlie was involved with another woman during his marriage to Oona. This wouldn't surprise me at all. He was easily able to separate sex and love.
DeleteI remember that - it was in a letter to Erich that she mentioned some "baby starlet" he was seeing. I totally believe it. I agree, I think Paulette was no doormat, and Oona was.
DeleteOf course this is just the matter of personal view, but for me he did not seem like a person who would seek shelter from his legal troubles in a marriage with a girl he did not really love, especially after all problematic divorces he had had.
DeleteAbout they having a lot of children, I remember reading somewhere that Oona told her friend she wanted to have 10 children with Chaplin, so maybe this was mainly her wish, not Chaplin. But now I cannot find the source again and not really sure about its correctness.
I think he was worried about how it looked that a 17-year-old had been spending nights at his house, plus Harry Crocker evidently told a friend who was with the FBI that Charlie didn't want to get married but one of his maids was threatening to blackmail him (he was apparently paying off the help to say that Oona never spent the night), so the easiest thing to do was to go ahead and marry Oona (although if we take Georgia Hale's word, he asked her first).
DeleteI am not sure. He also slept with Lita when she was only 15 and still strongly resisted a marriage. At the time he met Oona he may have more trouble legals, but he also had more experience with divorces. And if we look at the way he determined to go on with the Joan Barry case despite that the details of the relationship would be published I think that he was not that much afraid.
DeleteFurthermore, if Oona was not in with the maids to blackmail him, what was the difference with that blackmail matter if he got married or not.
I come back to the fact that two of his best films were made during their relationship and he was also pretty scandal free during that time. She must have been doing something right. When she moves out(in Dec 40), he's in trouble with women again within a year!
ReplyDeleteAfter all, what do we all know. If one has an opinion, it doesn't mean, it is right. I think, if in the marriage between Charlie and Paulette everything was allright, they wouldn't have part. I don't think, Oona was a doormat, when Charlie could sometimes be difficult, doesn't mean she was something like that. That is all too private. No one of us would like to discuss our privacy in the public.
ReplyDeleteThere was definitely reason for the breakup - he wanted to control her, she was not about to be controlled - this is obvious in all the books where their marriage is discussed. From what Oona herself has written and said - her life was all about Charlie, and she made no bones about it.
DeleteI totally agree. Oona *wanted* her life to be about Charlie and I think that was the kind of woman Charlie had always wanted--one that didn't want a career and could devote herself to him. She also knew how to deal with his moods.
DeleteI read the "Oona, Living in the Shadows" book and her life was so sad after he passed. She devoted everything to him and had nothing to hold onto after that. Her own children comment about that when they are interviewed.
ReplyDeleteI have just come across this page while searching for information on Paulette Goddard and quite frankly i am incredibly disturbed by what i have seen with these comments. Are you a Chaplin fan? i ask because to me it looks as though you are more interested in his personal life and slandering his good name than commenting on his work and his legacy. I have flicked through your past posts and it is the same. Chaplin is not a man who died hundreds of years ago and has no surviving relatives, does it not strike you as slightly cold to a man you claim is a "hero" to say such things that may be seen by his family? "All those kids" as you put it, stating they were not wanted only adds to making Chaplin seem a callous individual, is this how you wish us to see him? How would you like such things to be written about you and your family see them?
ReplyDeleteTo suggest that Chaplin had lovers into his marriage with Oona and the other pieces of information you add onto this site really are nothing more than salacious pieces of gossip TRUE Chaplin fans like myself have tried for decades to ignore. Focus on his art, on his films and on the work he leaves behind! Any man can create scandal, it takes a genius to create a masterpiece!
You can continue to ignore his faults. I don't have issue with that. I find it more interesting to know a person as a whole human. Each experience adds to the whole essence of the human being. This does not make me less than a TRUE Chaplin fan, just an informed one.
ReplyDeleteEverything I've read here comes from informed fans who've spent years reading books, articles and personal interviews with his surviving family over years and years.
I agree to an extent, however.....
ReplyDeleteI think we need to be careful when dealing with a man whose family are still with us and who can see the things written about him. I agree with you that it is better to see a man as a whole, i am all for that! In fact one of the things i like about Charlie is he was always human when so many celebrities try to be immortal and it fails miserably. On the other hand I do agree with the above anon that we do not always need to know the in depth details. I read an article once that stated that Oona and Charlie in Switzerland were at each others sides all the time, i am sure she would have noticed an affair. I believe it was an interview with Geraldine Chaplin come to think of it, hope this helps.
Wow! I just found this site a few months ago and love all the information I see, photos and tidbit wise!
ReplyDeleteDon't get the issue with people discussing what is already public information?
I've read interviews with Geraldine, Michael and I think it was Josephine (from a biography of Oona - not sure which one) who said it was always Charlie first and the kids second, and Oona made sure of that. So you have to take the good anecdotes with the bad I guess.
For those interested in Chaplin's personal life, there are plenty of books ("I couldn't Smoke the Grass on my Father's Lawn" being quite an amusing ones) to delve into. His surviving family give interviews and pieces of insight all the time - they are not hiding in Switzerland hoping not to see anything bad about him on the internet!
I also just read the comments above and there is nothing there that hasn't come from printed sources that are freely available on the internet in whole or pieces. There is no slander, and no salacious rumoring going on.
For those not interested in his personal life, just watch the films!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first got into looking up Charlie on the net this was one of the first pages I visited (Chaplin in Pictures anyway) and i was always fascinated by the pictures and information. I personally like to see Charlie from another angle and although sometimes I do not agree with some of the information and personal opinions I am always fascinated to see how others see Charlie. None of us on here (I am sure) knew him and what he was really like, I agree we cannot really comment but his image and information is in the public domain for anyone to access. I run a Facebook page and sometimes its hard to always keep things politically correct or comment without offending, you just have to remember to stay true to what you like and what you are interested in and hope others see it that way too!
ReplyDeleteNone of us will ever know if Charlie loved Oona, or if he was nice behind closed doors, or hell even if he left the toilet seat up!!! But we do have his films, interviews, articles and other texts and we should all share and embrace and understand the MAN and his WORK. At the end of the day this is all just opinion! Jess does a great job and if her opinions arent everyones cup of tea then they shouldnt read them! the internet is big enough for everybody
Totally agree!
DeleteAyse Behcet: Firstly......
ReplyDeleteHow can you defend someone who writes a site such as this? It may be information all in the public domain but it is disgusting muck that should not see the light of day by someone who claims they are a Chaplin fan!
Secondly: As we are talking of public domains i put this to everyone who reads this tripe...........
How can you put an official Chaplin disclaimer on your site and yet you go against the fundamental principles or protecting the image and interest of a man you claim to *like*.
I hope the Chaplin family see this, i really do!