September 12, 2013

A King In New York, released September 12th, 1957*

Chaplin plays King Shahdov, a deposed monarch who seeks refuge in America.
Shahdov pantomimes an order for caviar in a loud nightclub.
 On the left is Oliver Johnston who is excellent as the long-suffering Ambassador Jaume.

After watching Dawn Addams (Ann Kay) taking a bath through a keyhole,
Shahdov becomes so excited that he leaps into his own tub.
Chaplin had filmed many takes of this scene but the gag wasn't coming off,
according to associate producer Jerry Epstein.  Annoyed, Chaplin did one last take.
This time he hit his head on the porcelain and it made a loud crack.
Epstein recalled that you could have heard a pin drop on the set, but Charlie stood up, rubbed his head,
and said, "Good or bad, it goes."

Chaplin directs Shani Wallis' nightclub scene which was deleted from the film.
Charlie with son, Michael, who plays Rupert. 
Publicity shot of Dawn Addams, who played Ann Kay.
Addams became friends with Charlie & Oona after she auditioned for the role of Terry in Limelight.
 She later recalled that Charlie's favorite acting instruction to her  was "break though."
"Remember to be definite," he said, "moving your head is indefinite.
Only make a move when it means something."
This was a lesson Chaplin learned 50 years earlier from H.A. Saintsbury
who told him not to move his head too much while acting.

*This was the date of the UK release. The film wasn't released in the U.S. until 1972.

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