Given the date, the sad look on Charlie's face, and Paulette's black veil and dress, this photo
may have been taken at Douglas Fairbanks' funeral in December 1939. Chaplin's hair is dyed for the filming
The Great Dictator which he began shooting in September.
I've seen this photo before and wondered the same thing. The photo never had anything other than the 1939 caption.
ReplyDeleteIn my files, this picture is dated Feb 09 1940. However, I can't remember why. Charlie is wearing a tuxedo. Is that the correct way of dressing to attend funerals? We can see they are seated in a row, so, if they are not seated in a church, may be they are attending a show? What kind of show? May be an homage to Doug, less than 2 months after his death, which could explain Paulette's black veil and dress, and Chaplin's sadness?
ReplyDeleteMore questions than answers, I know...
D.
I didn't notice Chaplin's tux so this probably isn't a funeral then. That was a total guess anyway. Too bad we can't see the faces of the people they are talking to. Another mystery...
Deletethen that would make this Chaplin's "damn, this is boring" expression.
ReplyDelete