World Tour (1931-32) Revisited: Out & About in St. Mortiz, Pt. 2

Learning to ski, St. Moritz, c. 1932

For those who may have just discovered "Discovering Chaplin," my "World Tour Revisited" series follows Chaplin chronologically on his 16-month world tour to promote City Lights, which started in February 1931 & ended in June 1932. I began the series one year ago on February 12th when Chaplin left the U.S. for England. You can read previous posts in the series under the label "World Tour (1931-32) Revisited."

Presently (in February 1932), Chaplin is in St. Moritz, Switzerland, where he has been since December. He is accompanied by his lover and traveling companion, May Reeves, and his brother, Sydney.¹ Douglas Fairbanks, who invited Chaplin to St. Moritz, was along for the first part of the stay, but by February had already returned to Hollywood. This post includes a few more pictures from Charlie's visit to the swank Swiss ski resort where he made his skiing debut.

Outside the Palace Hotel, St. Moritz

Charlie & Syd (far left) at the Apollo Kino.

Chaplin met several other celebrities who were wintering in the Alps, including Adolphe Menjou, the star of his 1923 film, A Woman Of Paris, as well as photographers Lee Miller² and George Hoyningen-Huene. He was also introduced to Egyptian businessman, Aziz Eloui Bey & his wife Nimet. As usual, Charlie was the life of the party:

Having just completed City Lights, he ate dinner as if he were blind, wrapped Nimet's head in a table napkin and proceeded to extract an imaginary tooth (a sugar lump) from her mouth, then posed for Huene before a snowy replica of his alter ego, the Little Tramp.³

Charlie & May will remain in St. Moritz until they leave for Italy on March 2nd.

Charlie posing next to a Tramp ice sculpture (right), and shaking hands
with a dog. Photos by George Hoyningen-Huene.
Vogue, March 1932

May Reeves & Syd Chaplin in front of the Tramp sculpture.

Charlie chatting with Adolphe Menjou in St. Moritz, top left.

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¹ Syd returns to his home in Nice by the end of February but will rejoin Charlie in Italy and accompany him on the rest of his tour.
² Chaplin supposedly had an affair with Lee Miller in Paris in March 1931, a month before he met May Reeves.
³Lee Miller: A Life by Carolyn Burke