Simply magical and timeless…

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Anyone that has ever seen a silent film, or flipped through the pages of any coffee table book written about old Hollywood, knows the man who changed our viewing world on this day in history.

Charlie Chaplin, who arrived in the United States in 1913 from England, hadn't started out on his best foot in the silent movie world.  His English sense of humor wasn't quite understood, and his first film wasn't one that portrayed his true talent.

His boss at the time, Max Sennett, saw something in the dark-eyed man.  Patient, feeling there was more to Charlie than the others could ever see, he gave the man one last chance to prove his worth.  He wanted, above all, for Chaplin to appear in a silent film entitled Kid Auto Races at Venice.

Perhaps nervous, anxious, and wondering if he'd ever make it on the brutal film set, Chaplin raided the Keystone closets to create a now-famous look that we all associate with him.  His desperate attempt to find just the right costume was a success and his essence on-screen became magical.  The character he developed became his alter ego, loved by his audience, and everlasting despite the advancement of time.

Today, in 1914, the endearing character  known as The Little Tramp made his first appearance on the silver screen.

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