Happy birthday, Sydney (March 30, 1926)
 |
| Logansport Pharos Tribune, March 31, 1926 |
 |
Los Angeles Times, April 2, 1926.
|
Arthur "Sonny" Kelly was the brother of Hetty Kelly.
Mary & Doug refer to Charlie, Jr. as "Spencer" (his middle name). In another article below, Lita calls him Spencer. This seems to have been a name that just didn't stick. See also
this interview with Chaplin from 1925.
 |
| Lita with her boys, Charlie, Jr. (left) and Sydney |
 |
| Los Angeles Times, April 1, 1926 |
According to the above, if the baby were a girl, Charlie said her name would have been Cecilia,
but that's not what Lita says. Keep reading...
 |
| Rhinelander Daily News, April 2, 1926 |
 |
| Father and sons. Sydney is the one with the curls. |
 |
| Oakland Tribune, April 23, 1926 |
Following her divorce from Chaplin, Lita began calling Sydney "Tommy," after her paternal grandfather, Thomas McMurray. She admitted in her second book,
Wife Of The Life Of The Party, that this was due to her dislike of the elder Sydney whom she claimed had made a pass at her while she was married to Charlie.
Lita once said in an interview that she thought Joan Barry's child COULD be Charlie's. Was it the wealth of infant springy curls*
ReplyDeleteI think all the kids looked more like their mammas and their families.
It was probably was the curls. I think Lita said Carol Ann "looked like a Chaplin."
DeleteI seem to remember reading somewhere that Lita told someone that Carol Ann was indeed Chaplin's child. Supposedly he paid off someone to "fake" the blood tests, anyone else heard of this? I'm not saying I believe it, I just can't remember the source.
DeleteLita spouted off some of her theories about Carol Ann in interviews and I think in her second book as well. She claimed that since Chaplin was capable of paying someone to falsify Charlie, Jr's birth certificate he could easily pay someone to fake blood tests. She also said she thought Carol Ann looked like Charlie.
DeleteYears back, Sydney was at the Castro Theater in SF to talk about his father and introduce two films of his father's that night - I think it was the Circus and Modern Times that they played, plus some of his shorts. This must have been at least 8-10 years ago now. He reminisced about his father, calling him AGAIN a "constipated man", and talked about his adoration of his stepmother Paulette, and if I am remembering correctly, he talked about how upset Marlon Brando was to see how C Chaplin treated Sydney during filming of Countess of Hong Kong - Brando could bot believe how harsh he was with his own son. It was a real treat to see Sydney in person - he was funny and very witty as well!
ReplyDeleteWhat a joy to have seen Sydney in person. You were just one step away from seeing Charlie himself.
DeleteI recently read an interview with Sydney where he said his father was always tougher on him than other people because he expected him to do better, like any father would.
It's always baffled me. If their marriage was so toxic from the beginning and Charlie wanted her to have an abortion the first time, why did they have a second child? I'd love to know the reasoning there.
ReplyDeleteShe lived in the same house and was a willing partner. Plus he didn't believe in contraceptives. What did he think would happen? According to Lita, he tried to get her to have an abortion the second time too. He also told her: "What are you trying to do, populate Los Angeles?" As if he had nothing to do with it. Charlie. Sometimes you just want to wring his neck.
DeleteYeah, he was a genius, but had no level head where women were concerned.
Delete