Rumors were swirling at this time that Charlie and Lita were already having marital problems. Since their shotgun wedding the previous November, the couple had not yet been seen together in public. Hollywood gossips believed that Charlie had moved back into the Los Angeles Athletic Club while Lita and her mother occupied his home.
Although Charlie had not actually moved out, he was not spending much time at home either. After long days at the studio, he was often seen eating dinner at a restaurant with one or two of his associates. But Lita didn't just sit at home crocheting baby booties, one evening she was spotted dancing the night away with a "good looking youth" at a nightclub ("mommer" chaperoning, of course.)*
In keeping with his M.O., Charlie avoided interviews about his private life. Lita's only comment was that she rarely saw her husband because he worked late & that it would be lonely in the house if it weren't for her mother. She also said that she and Charlie hoped the baby was a girl, but if it were a boy, he would be named Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr.
*Chicago Tribune, Jan. 18th, 1925
I feel sorry for Lita every time I see a picture of her. I think what Mildred Harris did with the "false alarm" pregnancy was way worse. And even so, Charlie wasn't that mad at Mildred. Maybe due to the fact she gave him an easier divorce.
ReplyDeleteMildred didn't try to ruin him. Charlie's bitterness towards Lita had to do with the fact that she (and her family) tried to destroy his career with her divorce complaint. He never forgave her for that.
DeleteI must say, that's a very becoming style for a maternity dress!
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