Happy New Year in Charlie's London!

Chaplin Library Update coming

Dominique's Chaplin Library and Database collection will have some new Chaplin books added soon. Including Jane Chaplin's new book.

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January 2, 2009 - Chaplin Library and Database has been updated with the Latest books in Dominique's collection. It includes Jane Chaplin's new book, "17 Minutes Avec Mon Père" (17 Minutes with my Father).

Published in France by Florent Massot Editeur.

Charlie Chaplin in January

January will have two USA broadcasters showing Charlie Chaplin in January. First, TCM will have a few days of Chaplin films during the first days of the new year. Here is a link to the film listings.

And PBS will follow with Charlie Chaplin featured in their series 'Make 'Em Laugh' with Chaplin in part one called 'The Knockabouts'. Check your local schedules for times and dates.

Grand View Openings

Grand View will be open on Christmas day, as the cemetery plans to be open for 14 dates in the first half of 2009. Plus, all the rain has helped the park a great deal.

"The recent rainstorms turned the dry cemetery grounds into a lush, green park, Der-Parseghian said. “The weather has really helped out,” she said. “It looks better now.”

At a Sept. 18 hearing, Mohr granted several openings for this year, including Christmas Day, and next year, including Jan. 1 and 6.

Volunteers, including Ayers, Der-Parseghian, her family and staff, have manned the visitation hours during the limited openings." - Glendale News, December 22, 2008

More of the article from the Glendale News.

Richard Attenborough recovering from fall

Fame director, Richard Attenborough, is recovering from a fall in his home Thursday. Attenborough is the director of the movie "Chaplin".

Jacob Burns Film Center 'Chaplin Shorts'

December 30, 2008

Charlie Chaplin Mutual Short FilmsPleasantville, New York
The Jacob Burns Center

Charlie Chaplin Mutual film shorts will be shown with live piano music by Ben Model and silent film historian Bruce Lawton. Tickets available at this link. History about the theatre.

Special Charlie Chaplin painting to help Lucai Foundation

Attention to our fans in the Netherlands and the rest of the world
Dutch artist
Alex van den Heuvel
has donated this special painting called
"Charles Chaplin and the Kid
Expecting a Big Bang of Love"
for the Lucai Foundation in Uden, Netherlands

The Lucai Foundation, in Uden, Netherlands, is raising money to build a holiday resort near Uden, Netherlands for children with life threatening illnesses. The resort will be for children and families, during this trying time.

This one of a kind painting is 60cm x 90cm (24 inches by 36 inches).

So if you like to become the owner, you can contact Arnoud van Velzen, founder of the foundation, at this link for more information. (Note: The site is in Dutch. This link may help. Thanks to the Lucai Foundation for informing us on this.)

Star Trek's 'Nurse Chapel' Majel B. Roddenberry has died

While I wasn't a fan of Star Trek when it first came out in the 1960s, I became a fan while showing 'snowy over the air' reruns in the 1970s. And one of the ladies on the ship was Nurse Christine Chapel.

While she had an interest in Mr. Spock during her space adventures, she was Dr. McCoy's trusted nurse, as well as the voice of the Enterprise, during her long relationship with the show. She was in the very first pilot (test of the show).

She was also the wife of the creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry.

Born in Columbus, Ohio in 1932, Majel has died at her home in Bel-Air, California at the age of 76. She was fighting leukemia. She has one surviving son.

She was working again as the computer voice for the new Star Trek movie. She will be missed by fans of the show. More from the LA Times >

Postage going up, again, in 2009

I was talking to the postmaster in town and the buzz is Postage will be going up, again, in 2009 on packages. (Don't know about stamps, yet.) The local postmaster didn't know by how much, so I will have to see what the increases are and adjust. Still have books at the current rate, for a little while longer.

The official post office website has this statement on shipping price changes coming January 18th, 2009.

Update: May 2009 increases. Starting May 11, first class stamps will increase to 44 cents.

Charlie Chaplin dolls

There always seems to be interest in collecting Charlie Chaplin dolls. I have seen some very nice ones that would be great in a collection. I only own one, myself. It is not a very expensive doll, as the prices range widely. It is a licensed doll by Bubbles.

I know I overpaid for my, after seeing the price ranges on it, but it was great fun getting at the time.

If you are thinking of getting a Chaplin doll for Christmas, or anytime for that matter, do check around. Some are well priced. But there are times, it is the fun of getting that counts and it can help a shop owner, as my purchase did, stay in business.

Bit and Pieces...

We hope the Christmas Season is going well for all our readers. Special thanks all the fans who have sent in cards and well wishes.

Well, I got the tree up tonight, ready to decorate Thursday, for our quiet little holiday at home. No plans on the schedule, just staying at home watching a few movies over the holidays. Oh, I may try to do some drawing, work on building an airplane model (something I wanted to try of my favorite airplane from the 1920s) and hoping all the snowstorms continue to hold up until Christmas day. A white Christmas would be nice.

Since it is a very quiet affair here, still thinking of doing a few hour event on Christmas eve and day. Only a few hours, and no announcements, just for our fans who happen by.

Other bits... enjoying Meridian FM, which ended it's live broadcast today. Because of work, I didn't hear much of the last day today, but unlike before, Meridian will be continuing to broadcast music 24 hours a day online well into 2009.

Live weekend and evening programs (London Time) return early next year, as they work toward being a full time station. If you live in their broadcast area, do support them. I do wish I had a station like it locally, but at least I have them online to enjoy.

Oh, yes, the Purviance book. With a load of business work to do over the Christmas holiday too, I hope to get back into the book early next year. Work slowed down on Purviance while I had to get new reading glasses (my old ones failed this summer). But getting new reading glasses turned into a five month ordeal and loads of money (poor lens being the main problem).

But last Friday, I finally received a new pair of reading glasses that will work. I am still not totally settled on the eyeglass issue (still stuck with my old computer reading glasses - they work, but not great).

This use to be so simple, but finding a good eye doctor is not as easy as it once was. But at least I have new reading glasses after five months that will work, so I can get back to more productive work on the book.

And speaking of books, we like to thank all the fans who purchased books this month. We still have just a few left at the old price, but not for much longer. While somethings are going down in price, printing a book has not. So only a few left, and up $10 per book, after the 1st (or sooner).

So, not much news, but hope the holiday season is going smoothly for you... Thanks for stopping by. And again, I may have a little something if you happen by Christmas eve and day...

Grand View Cemetery 2009 Opening Dates

The City of Glendale has just listed the dates Grand View Cemetery will be open in 2009. All openings are on Sunday (with some on holidays), from 12 noon to 4PM. Also, Grand View will be open over the Christmas holidays. Learn more at the Glendale City site. more>

Pola Negri Film has been found

A lost Pola Negri film has been found at the Centro Sperimentale Film Archives in Rome. This Italian copy of the film is said to be in good condition. There is a bit more about it at this link. More news on it will be released soon.

Fans will remember Negri relationship with Chaplin during the time of 'A Woman of Paris'. The couple made headlines as being engaged at one time.

Film Star Van Johnson has died

Film and television star, Van Johnson, has died at the age of 92. He is remembered for many works, including "Brigadoon" with Gene Kelly and "In the Good Old Summertime" with July Garland. Here is more information from the Los Angeles Times.

A Brief History of the Silent Screen, by Larry Telles

A Brief History of the Silent Screen:

And the World at that Time
by Larry Telles

Here is a new silent film book I stumbled upon on the web this week you maybe interested in. The foreword is by Diana Serra Cary and it comes with a DVD with nearly 2 hours worth of silent film clips.

More at this link as well as an interview.

Cineforum Closing

The Cineforum in Toronto, Canada, will be celebrating Christmas Day 2008, with a full day of Charlie Chaplin films. Christmas Day begins with a festival of Charlie Chaplin shorts, followed by: The Kid, The Gold Rush, The Circus and City Lights.

Collection of pictures of the theatre at this link.

The Cineforum has been part of the scene in Toronto since 1968, created by Reg Hartt. But it will not be part of the scene much longer, as the current theatre will be closing soon, as the home it is currently housed in is up for sale.

If you live in or near the Toronto area, and don't have big plans already for the Christmas Day holiday, certainly do visit and help say good-bye to a longtime tradition in Toronto.

There is more at this link. Also, they are selling some of their 16mm film collection. Check their schedule for other December showings.

Charlie's London Bridge in Arizona -Part 2

Lake Havasu City and the London Bridge Special 1972
Location Photos by Linda Wada

Saturday I was cleaning in the attic where my office is, and going into the crawl space to sort out things. While doing so I found my photos I took in 1972 of London Bridge.

Unknown to us, a major network television crew was there filming on the bridge. (Reading more, appears the crew may have been from the UK, as it was apparently an UK production.)


We walked onto the bridge and saw Tom Jones and Jennifer O'Neill taping a segment for the program The London Bridge Special. I didn't have a great camera, only a Kodak Instantmatic, but here are the shots I have from that day on Feburary 18, 1972.
We just drove in from Las Vegas earlier that morning, after seeing a dinner show at the Sahara Hotel on the strip, so to walk into another performance for television being filmed was surprising. Being it was February (my parents took me out of school for a week to take the trip down) there were not a lot of tourist around.

All the photos above, taken by Linda Wada, February 18, 1972

And for those who may not believe it, I found some clips and information about the London Bridge Special on the web. The program apparently is available on DVD.

Image from the special

Now the web clip is just as fuzzy as my photos (so not a good example), but looking closely at Tom and Jennifer's clothes, they are exactly like they were wearing at the time I saw them on the bridge. You can see the double decker bus and a bit of the village in the clip too.

Now the Carpenters are the main feature in the clip, but I didn't see the Carpenters at the bridge.

I actually can't remember seeing this bridge special on TV when it was released that spring, but, interestingly, just over a month later, I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin, as he made his first trip back to America in 20 years, in April in 1972. Part of the Oscar special award.

Link to Charlie's London Bridge in Arizona Part One.

Note: Pictured is the original London Bridge, which was purchased by American businessman Robert McCulloch for about $2.5 million and shipped piece by piece to Arizona. It puts new meaning behind a famous children's nursery rhyme call "London Bridge is Falling Down".

The interesting note about the bridge purchase, it has been said, the buyer thought he was purchasing the fame Tower Bridge in London, confusing the two, since the Tower is the most famous of the two. A new London Bridge was built across the Thames River in London.

Charlie's London Bridge in Arizona

In the winter of 1972, I was with my parents on a trip to Arizona. We drove over to Lake Havasu City, Arizona (a man made lake and resort along the Colorado River). I will show the other picture I have later of the town they built around the fame London Bridge.

And yes, this is the real London Bridge that Charlie Chaplin once knew in the city of London. The bridge was bought by Robert P. McCulloch and hauled piece by piece to Arizona. It became the center piece for the town of Lake Havasu.

1970 - During the building. Picture - L.Wada Collection

Apparently London didn't want this bridge anymore (wanted to replace it with a new one), and put it up for sale. I really like to see things kept where they are originally. But the only thing I can say about the project, the bridge was saved and now visited as one of the top attractions in Arizona, just not London.

(I do recall Charlie making a comment about this at the time.)

Part two of the London Bridge visit soon!

Warning to Facebook Users

Facebook is being 'hit' by a virus that all users should be aware of. Here is the latest from Computerworld.
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Worm spreads on Facebook, hijacks users' clicks
Social network cleaning up mess, but worm still on the loose, says researcher Gregg Keizer

December 5, 2008 (Computerworld) Facebook is resetting some user passwords and scrubbing the service of malicious links in an attempt to eradicate a fast-spreading worm that redirects infected machines to a little-known search site, the company and security researchers said today.

The "Koobface" worm, which has been circulating through the popular social-networking service since at least Wednesday, continues to be a problem, said Craig Schmugar, a threat researcher with McAfee Inc.

"We're not seeing increases in propagation," he acknowledged today, but noted that cleanup was a tough chore for Facebook. "It's a bit of a cat and mouse game for them," he said. "There are certainly millions of links on Facebook. How do you know which are the bad ones, which are the good ones? That's not without problems."

Wednesday, Schmugar was one of the first security researchers to notice Koobface's spread and notify Facebook.

Earlier in the week, Facebook users began reporting receiving spam messages such as "You look just awesome in this new movie" or "You look so amazing funny on our new video" that tried to dupe them into clicking on a link. If they did, they were taken to one of several compromised sites, said Schmugar, that then displayed a fake error message claiming that Adobe System Inc.'s Flash was out of date, and prompted them to download an update.

The "update" was nothing of the kind, but instead was an executable file that installed the Koobface worm, which in turn installed a background proxy server that redirected all Web traffic. According to Schmugar, the proxy servers listens on TCP port 9090, particularly for search requests to the major search engines, including Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft's Live Search.

"Search terms are directed to find-www.net," Schmugar said, "[which] enables ad hijacking and click fraud." The hackers are making money by redirecting users' searches to their own results, collecting cash from the ensuing clicks.

When Computerworld entered "thomas jefferson" as a search string at find-www.net, for example, the top result was a pitch for a free antivirus scanner. That scanner was, in fact, bogus and simply the first step in a so-called "scareware" scam that relies on sufficiently spooking users with phony warnings that they pay for fake security software.

Today, Facebook said it was dealing with the worm. "We're working quickly to update our security systems to minimize any further impact, including resetting passwords on infected accounts, removing the spam messages, and coordinating with third parties to remove redirects to malicious content elsewhere on the Web," said spokesman Barry Schnitt in an e-mail.

He urged users to avoid links that "seem strange," and suggested that they arm themselves with up-to-date antivirus software. "The messages for this issue all have a title that is poorly spelled about seeing a video of someone, the text of the message has 1-3 words in all caps and then a spammy link," said Schnitt.

Koobface is a variant of one that hit MySpace, another well-known social networking service, last August, said McAfee's Schmugar. The earlier version targeted both MySpace and Facebook, he added, but the newest ignores the former and focuses on the latter. There are more than two dozen variants of the worm in circulation.

Facebook has posted a short message on its security page acknowledging the worm's attack. The notice urged users whose accounts had already been compromised to scan their PCs for malware and then reset their passwords.
___________

Also, always remember to NEVER update your software (Flash, Video Players, etc.) except at the official site of that software. Above report from ComputerWorld.

'Aviators in Early Hollywood' special Web site

Aviators in Early Hollywood
AUTOGRAPHED by Shawna KellySpecial website with:
Reviews, Interview, Links and Events for the book!

LIFE Fine Art Framed Photograph Prints

Special gift for your Charlie and/or Edna fan?

Remember LIFE magazine? Life has created an online gallery called The LIFE Collection at Life.com. It contains photos all professionally printed, matted and framed for sale, all from their photo archive.

They have a large selection of over 10 million images, including Charlie Chaplin. A few are with Edna, but the range is wide, including a few with Lucille Ball dressed at Chaplin. (Remember that on the Lucy Show?) Link below to check it out.

Here is the link to the Charlie Chaplin Gallery.

Metropolis "LIVE MUSIC" by Stanford Lively Arts

December 6, 2008

Stanford Lively Arts presents
Fritz Lang's Metropolis
by the Santa Rosa Symphony
Score by Martin Matalon - more>

Slapstick 2009 - Bristol, England

Bristol, England

January 22-25, 2009

Slapstick 2009

"Slapstick returns for its fifth year bringing laughter to Bristol at the time of the year when we need it most. This year’s festival is packed with some of the world’s funniest silent comedies, brought to life by an unprecedented line-up of special guests.

Paul returns as the inimitable host of Slapstick’s Comedy Gala at Colston Hall, presenting Buster Keaton’s Our Hospitality accompanied live by the finest ensemble of silent film musicians in Europe, The Prima Vista Social Club.

This year, alongside long-standing Slapstick venues Watershed and Arnolfini, Bristol Old Vic hosts some of the festival’s highlights welcoming an array of very special guests including beloved national treasure Eric Sykes and The Goodies in conversation with Phill Jupitus." - from Slapstick 2009

Introducing some our readers to UK shows
As fans in the UK know, Paul Merton is seen or heard on several programs in the UK. Here is a link to the UK program 'Just a Minute' (UK quiz and entertainment show) which Paul Merton is one of the guest. (program 37 minutes - site is popular, so does stall at times).

Update: Hope some of our readers got to enjoy the program this year. Watch for more dates for Paul Merton on this Silent Clowns tour in the UK in 2009.

UPDATE MARCH 27TH - List of date and links for Silent Clowns 2009 Spring Tour

Report on POD from Lightning Source

"...trade books that you think will sell thousands quickly, you are better off with offset. But the vast majority of books will sell only a couple hundred a year. You might also be a publisher who only uses print on demand to produce your books and it may not be worth it going to offset even for longer runs. (POD) As a result, many books will see the light of day that would otherwise never have seen the light of day in the old model." - David Taylor. Lightning Source

Earlier this year I was reporting on the changes at Amazon, with their BookSurge.

Here is an interview with David Taylor, president of Lightning Source about the future of the book industry. And some interesting changes that could make POD books even more like traditional books.

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Lightning Source President David Taylor Talks about the Book Industry
By: Cary Sherburne

December 1st, 2008 -- In June, the Ingram Content Companies announced a new organizational structure called Ingram Lightning Group to provide better coordination among the Ingram businesses that serve publishers, librarians, booksellers and other creators and consumers of printed content throughout the industry.

The new entity brings Lightning Source Inc. together with the companies now comprising the Ingram Book Group. As part of the move, David Taylor, who was Lightning's Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Managing Director of Lightning Source UK, became President of Lightning Source within the new Ingram Lightning Group structure. WhatTheyThink spoke with Taylor recently.


WTT: David, what were some of the reasons behind the organizational change that was announced in June? And what is your role in the new organization?


DT: There were a number of reasons. We took a good look at all of the various business models we had within the Ingram Book Group—book wholesaling, fee-based book distribution and library supply being the three primary business models. We also looked at the way in which the print-on-demand model can impact those business models going forward. Because we were running these companies separately, the decision-making process was not as seamless as it could be, so we brought them together as the Ingram Lightning Group with Skip Prichard as President and CEO. I am responsible for Lightning Source globally, both the UK and U.S. operations, three production facilities in all.


WTT: It has been some time since we have spoken with Lightning Source. Perhaps you could bring us up to date on the production composition of those three facilities.


DT: Among the three plants, we have 20 Oce 9200 printers for black & white printing of book blocks. We use a total of 14 HP Indigo digital color presses, for covers and the interiors of the color books,, including 3050's, 5500's and 3250's. We also have Lasermax Roll Systems pre/post unwinders and stackers, and use Duplo perfect binders and Horauf 3-knife trimmers. We have 15 manufacturing lines in Tennessee, five in Pennsylvania and four in the UK.


WTT: What kind of volumes do those lines produce?


DT: We print over 1.3 million books per month across the U.S. and the UK. Our average run length remains at about 1.8. Our whole business is geared up to do single-copy book production, and the vast majority of what we do is single-copy or small quantities.


WTT: What is your background, prior to joining Lightning Source?


DT: I have been in the book trade since 1983. My background is in book selling and library supply. I started in Blackwell's Book Shop in Oxford, England and worked on the shop floor, spending about a dozen years at Blackwell's in lots of different roles. When I left in 1999, I was running Blackwell's library supply business.

WTT: From the bookseller's perspective, then, what are the key benefits of the print-on-demand model to the supply chain?


DT: One thing that drives booksellers nuts is to have someone standing in a book shop requesting a specific book, and you can't get it because it is out of print, out of stock, in the reprinting process or needs to be shipped from another country and will take weeks. That amounts to a lost sale and a disappointed customer. The key thing that print-on-demand has done for the book trade is keeping books alive and making sure they can be ordered quickly. It holds out the promise that every book that has ever been published could be purchased. That is a particularly exciting prospect for anyone selling books. The potential is enormous. I first saw print-on-demand technology for books about ten years ago, and it was such an obvious thing for publishers to do. As the technology has gotten better and the quality of digitally manufactured books has improved, more books are brought within its potential grasp.


WTT: What are some of the drivers incenting publishers to get on board with this new model?


DT: One of the key trends we see with publishers is the desire to have less inventory sitting in warehouses. They have a lot of money tied up in physical books and the infrastructure required to house them and offer them to the market. Print-on-demand allows a publisher to completely reverse the way in which books are published and distributed. In the traditional model, publishers have to guess how many books to print, and they always get it wrong. They will either print too many and are left with a lot of inventory that might sit there for many years, which is expensive and a waste of resources. Or they will print too few and run out, being faced with the difficult decision about whether to reprint, let it go out of print, or give it an out-of-stock status and hope that half-life will build enough orders to justify reprinting the book.


Print on demand reverses that model. With print on demand, you sell the book first and then print it. It is pretty fundamental. It reduces risk considerably. As a result, many books will see the light of day that would otherwise never have seen the light of day in the old model. I have been around more book warehouses than I care to remember. You often see piles of books with dust on them. The major trend is to change the business model from speculative, to selling first and then printing. The only way you can do that is with a print-on-demand model.


WTT: We have reported in the past that there is something like 40% waste in the traditional book supply chain.


DT: That's right, and it is crazy, from an environmental and business point of view. Wasting energy producing and moving books around the world, warehousing them, and then wasting even more by pulping them and putting them in the landfill. It is a crazy system. Print on demand offers solutions to negate a lot of that waste.


WTT: With today's technology, can you quantify a break point when it makes sense to move from offset to digital or vice versa?


DT: There is no simple answer. It really depends on a series of things, including the type of book, the value of the book in terms of its selling price, and whether the publisher already has an existing infrastructure in place. For trade books that you think will sell thousands quickly, you are better off with offset. But the vast majority of books will sell only a couple hundred a year. You might also be a publisher who only uses print on demand to produce your books and it may not be worth it going to offset even for longer runs. As a general rule, though, if a book will sell 2,000 copies in a year, and the book type fits the print-on-demand model, you would be better off putting it in an on-demand program, printing an initial digital short run to fulfill the initial burst of orders, and then afterwards move into the on-demand model instead of hoping you will sell all the books you printed offset. This allows you to manage the demand in a much less risky fashion. If you need 2,000 books all at once, you can get a better unit cost with offset. But I would probe to see whether you actually need all 2,000 at once. A low unit cost doesn't stay low if you throw away half the books you print.


WTT: Lightning Source is still using offline or near-line finishing rather than inline. Do you have any idea when that model might change? At drupa, we saw some pretty interesting inline finishing solutions for short runs of books.


DT: The main benefit of inline binding is productivity. Currently, hardback books are made by hand in a labor intensive process. The equipment that is being used is very basic binding equipment that hasn't changed that much in 50 years. Anything you can do to actually bring that inline is going to have significant benefits in productivity. It will also have the benefit of improving the specifications for hardback books. If you automate, you can get tighter on specifications and better quality. We have been scouring the world for equipment that can meet our requirements for moving inline, and there is some indication that some will be coming on the market soon. That will potentially raise the economic order quantity for digitally manufactured books.


WTT: It has been some time since Amazon announced BookSurge. What impact, if any, has that had on your business?


DT: In both the U.S. and the UK, we send many thousands of books to Amazon on a daily basis. We have a good relationship with them, and they continue to be a good customer for us. We have 650,000 titles in our print-on-demand library, and the vast majority is available to order from Amazon. They continue to work with us, because they want to be able to provide the largest number of titles they can.


WTT: Is Lightning Source looking to inkjet for the future?


DT: Inkjet does hold out significant attractions for publishers, people who want to buy books and book manufacturers like us. Eventually, inkjet will offer a better quality book, additional cost benefits, and the potential to take the on-demand model to a new level. We are keeping a very close watch on the timetables being presented to us by the major manufacturers.


WTT: Do you think this means there will be more color in the book blocks?


DT: I think there will be an increase in color, but by what percentage, I couldn't say. It will certainly give publishers more flexibility in terms of inserting color pages into digitally printed books, something that is not easy to do today. This will allow the print-on-demand model to cover more titles than it is currently able to.


WTT: What about e-books? What's the latest there?


DT: Our view is that e-books have a place in the publishing industry, and it is a segment that is growing. We have about 250,000 e-books in our library, managed by our sister company, Ingram Digital. They will never replace the physical book, but they offer the ability to make information available in a better, more functional way. The delicious irony about all of the digital technology entering the book market is that instead of reducing the number of physical books available, that number is increasing. More titles are available, and they can stay in print longer.


WTT: Any final thoughts you would like to share before we close?


DT: We see this as a bit of a perfect storm. Three things have come together to change the publishing industry. First is the print-on-demand model, the ability to manufacture a single copy of a book, only printing when you get an order; that is now a well-established model. The second is the Internet book selling model. People can find obscure books quickly, order and get them quickly. The third one is the Long Tail concept, increased demand for obscure titles. Those three together are fueling an explosion of books printed with this technology.

Trader Joe's Silent Movie Mondays 2009

January and June 2009
The Paramont Theatre
Seattle, Washington
Trader Joe's Silent Movie Mondays

Starting in January. Check The Paramont Theatre schedule for more details on program schedules and ticket prices (also, they have a PDF of the current season). Currently Trader Joe's programs listed for January and June 2009.

Update: January 19, 2010 - Check out Trade Joe's Silent Mondays 2010 schedule, starting in March. Includes three Charlie Chaplin short films. selected by customers.

List of new books for your Chaplin fans

Below are four new Chaplin books out this fall that might fill that Christmas list. I have entered all these books shown below into the Chaplin/Silent Film book and music guide at Edna's.

Chaplin: A Life - By Stephen M. Weissman (more)


Charlie Chaplin's South London - by Dr. Alan F. Parkinson
Update Dec. 1st: You can order directly from Dr. Parkinson at Amazon UK.
Check the Used book section under AF Parkinson.
He does send outside the UK.


The Comedy of Charlie Chaplin - by Dan Kamin


Chaplin at Essanay - by James L. Neibaur

I have not seen any of these books above, but look to be an interesting group to choose from.

Also, here are a couple books about the silent film era which have Chaplin and Purviance included in them. (These two books I do have and have enjoyed!)




Aviators in Early Hollywood - by Shawna Kelly











Silent Lives - by Lon Davis







Here is a new one I found on the web about silent films.





A Brief History of The Silent Screen and the World at that Time
By Larry Telles

Aurélia's Oratorio

Charlie Chaplin's granddaughter, Aurélia Thierrée's in

Aurélia's Oratorio
Harvard Square
Cambridge, Massachusetts
with shows starting Nov. 28th and into January 3, 2009

"In "Oratorio," which is directed, designed, and choreographed by her mother, the slender and lovely Thierrée showcases her illusionist skills. The piece begins with a simple dresser on a bare stage. As gypsy jazz music swells, her limbs appear and reappear through the drawers in stupefying combinations as she smokes a cigarette and drinks a glass of wine, challenging the audience's notions of logic." - Boston.com

December 5, 2008 - Follow-up review from the Boston.com.

December 10, 2008
Jame Thierrée wins French Theatre prize. more>
"Swiss acrobat and actor James Thierree, Charlie Chaplin's 34-year-old grandson, has scooped another French theatre prize, the jury said Wednesday.

The 5,000-euro (6,400-US dollar) Theatre Pleasure prize, awarded by the country's playwrights' guild, will be handed to Thierree, a performer of many facets who is also mime artist, dancer, director and musician, at a ceremony January 19.

The son of acrobats Victoria Chaplin and Jean-Baptiste Thierree, the Swiss artist has made a name for himself as one of the world's most creative performers, staging shows that bring together theatre, magic, music and circus arts." - AFP

Update: I don't know how much longer this video news report will be on the web, but a peek at her performance from WBZTV Boston and AOL News.

Edna dies at 115 years old...

Edna Parker, said to be the world's oldest woman, died at the age of 115.

Edna Parker was born April 20, 1893, making her over two years older than Edna Purviance, who was born in Oct. 21, 1895.

Chaplin was still a young child, in London, when Parker was born in Indiana, and she lived through the silent age, talkies, video, and now the digital age, along with a huge list of changes over her lifetime.

Her husband died in 1939, and she lived alone at her farmhouse until the age of 100. She never drank or tried tobacco, the article says, but she stayed active her whole life and said to have a mild temperament.

It doesn't mention what she died of, but maybe time just finally caught up with her. Know your friends and family will miss you Edna...

Paul Merton's Silent Clown dates for 2009

Paul Merton plans to take his Silent Clowns tour on the road in 2009, starting in April at the Grand Opera House in York, and continuing at the:

• Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham

• De Montfort Hall in Leicester

• Buxton Opera House in Buxton

• Horsecross in Perth

• Cheltenham Town Hall in Cheltenham

and more, continuing into May 2009.

UPDATE MARCH 27TH - Here is a link to dates and links to locations for April, May and July shows.

Check this listing at ents24 for Mr. Merton schedule of the Silent Clowns tour and others planned events for 2009.

Happy 8th Anniversary!

Happy Eighth Anniversary, as Edna's .org starts eight years on the web. Each year we have continued to grow, as we have already broken a new record earlier this fall for visitors in one year. So we like to thank all our past visitors over the years, as well as the new visitors coming by.

I usually like to celebrate by launching something on this day on Edna's site, so today is no exception. I have a couple of projects in the works, but decided to launch an on going project, that is still in the making.

I have been working on updating the massive Charlie Chaplin Library, which is created from the collection of Dominique Dugros. A couple of years ago Garen Ewing lent his help by creating a basic database to make searching the library easier. The last two years, Dominique and I have been adding nearly 600 books into the database.

The increasing size of the collection is the main reason to switch to a database system, but the project is on going, because Dominique's collection is ever changing. He doesn't even know for sure what he will run across as his collection grows. So not wanting to lock into something that wouldn't fit future books he may find (like e-books, which Dominique started collecting only recently), the database may change as time goes along and grow to fit the collection.

While I will be updating the library with the latest books, other changes may come slowly overtime, but instead of leaving it hidden away, decided to release the database now.

Before using, here is a link to a 'how to use' tips list to introduce you to the database.

Here is the Chaplin Library home page link to where you will find new links to the database.

And here is the link to the main database home page.

Again, this is only a beginning and hope you find it helpful in searching for books in the library. Special thanks to Dominique and Garen for all their help.

Enjoy and thank you for stopping by on the start of the eighth year!

'Make 'Em Laugh' DVD

Rhino announces the January 13th release of the DVD collection of "Make 'Em Laugh - The Funny Business of America" before the broadcast of the series on PBS starting January 14th, 2009.

Here is a link to a bit more about the series and book.

Update: Chaplin appeared on the January 21th program. If you are really interested in Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton, who also appeared on the same program, you should seek out the Unknown Chaplin series and Buster Keaton A Hard Act to Follow. The best series created on both. The Hard Act to Follow is a hard one to find, but a great one to have.

January 27, 2009 - The last of the six hour series will be this week. Check your local PBS listings.

A story Russ Garcia would like everyone to forget...

But being Charlie Chaplin fans, a good one to read, if you haven't... "The Case of the Misplaced Oscar" for the music of Limelight. More at Jazz Wax> There are more links about the story on their site.

In short, Russ Garcia worked on the music for Limelight, but somehow never got an Oscar the night they were given in the spring of 1973. See Jazz Wax site for more.

Fan takes a chance on The Sea Gull

After having a person a few months ago complaining about the cost of The Sea Gull, it was very nice to read this letter back from a recent Edna fan who decided to take a chance on getting the book.

Dear Linda,
I wanted you to know that I received today (Friday, November 21st) my copy of "The Sea Gull." WOW! I mean . . . WOW! How impressive! Although I have only flipped through the pages, it appears to be far better than I was expecting. I'm really excited to read it and take my time gazing at the photos.

I've been frustrated trying to find something/anything on Edna Purviance. This woman was Charlie Chaplin's leading lady for SO many films, and while it is understandable that there are a gazillion books, documentaries, etc., on Chaplin, it is INCREDIBLE to me that I could find NOTHING on Edna on Amazon.com.

And then while desperately searching google.com I came across your website and saw "The Sea Gull," and thought I'd take a chance on it. Even though I've not yet read the book in its entirety, I am confident that my gamble paid off: this looks like a really, really quality book.

Thank you! And having a personalized, signed copy makes it immeasurably more special to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you! - D.K.

We again send a special thanks to everyone who have sent their thoughts back to us this year. You can read more comments here.

Just a little reminder, the book price is going up, unfortunately, due to increase cost in printing, shipping, packaging, Internet fees, etc. (printing being the biggest increase).

You can still get a book at the $39.95 price (plus shipping) until December 31 or before we run out of the current stock. (New cover price will be $49 per book.)

We had a nice string of sales lately, but still have some left, if interested. Just don't go into debt getting a book, but if you really like one and can afford it, we still have some in stock at the current price. Thanks for visiting...

Also, just to restate something I said last month. I am still thinking of another book giveaway in the future. The new price increase has dampened that a bit, but rethinking on when to do one. I will cover that more on the anniversary of The Sea Gull book launch on January 13th, 2009.

Marion Davies and Hollywood film series

November 21 - 29th, 2008

William Hearst, Marion Davies and Hollywood
Film Series
Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The Unseen Alistair Cooke on PBS

Get PBS? Check your PBS listing for "The Unseen Alistair Cooke" for the week of November 23rd. These rare 8mm films, shot by Cooke, will be featured in this special program about his early travels.

For Charlie Chaplin fans, a rare film clip with Chaplin is said to be shown. It most likely has to do with this post we featured in 2007, about Cooke's 15 minute film footage of Chaplin, that premiered in Italy.

"...the film he shot of it himself, as he traveled around - including footage of Charlie Chaplin, car hops, Texas cattle and Lauren Bacall..." - LA Times

Learn more at this PBS link...

Update: Short Review of '...Unseen Alistair Cooke' from the San Francisco Gate.

Update November 23, 2008 - Watched the program this evening. Really interesting footage of Chaplin and Paulette Goddard. Also, really enjoyed the early scenes of traveling across America.

German Helmet given to Charlie Chaplin

Just doing some 'web surfing' and ran across these items listed at Christie's in London. The Helmet was most interesting, as it was given to Chaplin during the time of The Liberty Bond tour Charlie Chaplin did during WWI. It says on the back:

"Presented To CHARLES CHAPLIN By The U.S. GOVERNMENT
In Appreciation Of His Valuable SERVICES In The Liberty Loan Campaign 1918"

The cane and bowler was said to be a gift to the owner of the Henley Private Museum in Auckland, New Zealand. The information said:

"Late in 1938 or early 1939 I wrote to Charlie Chaplin requesting one of his canes and a bowler hat to add to my collection. The bowler hat arrived in a box, the cane was not wrapped but had a label attached addressed to me. Both arrived in 1939..."

You can learn more about these (and other items) at these links: helmet and cane.

Note: For fans who may not know, Liberty Bonds were sold to help fund World War I. Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and other stars of the day, all did countrywide tours to raise money. As for Edna Purviance, she worked with the America Red Cross in helping raise money. One way was the many dances held by the Red Cross. Some were even held at the apartment building Edna lived in during the time, as a dance floor was part of the full top floor of her building and used for events. More about this will be in the book currently named Purviance.

November 28th, 2008 - Update from Christie's: A Hermes handbag once owned by Oona is now up for auction. more>

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November 20, 2008 - Meridian FM back on air
If you visit often the last few years, you know I have been listening to Meridian FM each time they come back on air. Well, it is back on air today through December 17th. If you live in their area, do become a supporter, as they are trying to get their broadcasting license to operate year around.

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Edna's Eighth Year begins November 25th
ALSO, November 25th, 2008 is the start of Edna's .org 8th year on the web, so I have a special launch planned.
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USA Dollar is stronger
With the US dollar going up in value, it has made it better for customers buying items from the UK and Europe. This summer the exchange was well over $2 to buy one pound, but today, it is closer to $1.50. Of course, the markets have been changing fast, with the pound even lower today, against the dollar, but it does make it better for those overseas purchases.
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Thank-you for the nice string of The Sea Gull sales
Many thanks to all of you who have purchased The Sea Gull lately. We have been sending to Asia, Europe, UK and USA locations. We still have some in stock at the $39.95 price, but when the stock runs out, or it is January 2, 2009, the price will be going up to $49 to cover all the new cost in printing, shipping and packaging. It is either raise the price or stop selling the book. So even though the markets are dropping, the cost of production is not, so just how it is. But if you want it at its lowest price, now is a good time to buy.
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Still watch your TV over air in the US?
Don't forget to use your $40 government card to use toward your converter box, if you still get your TV over air. In February, all television signals will be by digital only, so you will need the update. The $40 card expires very SOON! So don't delay.
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Follow-up on The DFC
I have written about other interest on the blog many times, so this a follow up for our UK readers. I have posted about the DFC a few months ago. If you are interested in seeing this children's comic book, it will be available for one week only (Nov. 26th-Dec. 2) at your local Tesco store. (DFC is by subscription only by the web, but they are test marketing for a special time.)

Tesco DFC offer for Christmas
Special DFC limited-time offer for Tesco customers: £9.99 for a one month (four issues) subscription.

'Tesco' in the USA November 27th follow-up: I have been learning that some people outside the UK don't know what a Tesco is. Tesco is an UK supermarket. It comes in different sizes from mega stores to Express. Interesting, Tesco has been working on expanding their grocery business in the USA for many years.

Today, Tesco has a series of small (Trader Joe's size) food stores called Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets. Fresh & Easy actually has a store near the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, close to The Chaplin Studio. The chain has expanded to several California locations in the Los Angeles area and elsewhere in California, as well into Las Vegas, Nevada and Phoenix, Arizona.

Note: Trader Joe's is having their Silent Movie Mondays again in 2009 in Seattle. More at this link.
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THE DFC - Gift Subscription (available from Amazon UK)
The DFC gift subscription is now available from Amazon UK. The one month subscription at £12.00, includes free delivery in the UK with Super Saver delivery. Check it out>
(It does mention about destinations outside the UK. Just see their link for details.)

Update: Sad news about The DFC. The comic publication has been put up for sale by Random House. If not sold by March 27, 2009, the comic will stop publication at issue #43.

'Charlie Chaplin's South London' by Alan F. Parkinson

November 17, 2008 - Brand new Charlie Chaplin book was launched today in London at the St. John's school on Larcom Street, Walworth (a stone throw from East Lane).


Charlie Chaplin's South London, by Alan F. Parkinson, is about Charlie's upbringing and looks at education, religion, work and leisure pursuits during the time of Chaplin's youth. Many schools were involved with the project, with work they produced featured in the book.


As reported by Chaplin fan, Jack McInroy:
"Alan Parkinson is a senior lecturer in history and education at London South Bank University. He specializes in political Irish history and has written books on the troubles in Northern Ireland as well as coordinating the Charlie Chaplin's south London primary school project."

Mr. Parkinson signing books at the event today.

McInroy also shares with us some photos from the event, which included at the event Chaplin's youngest son Christopher Chaplin and Kate Guyonvarch of the Association Chaplin.


Jack also got to play his favorite role today as Charlie Chaplin (top left), as he does often in London, like this performance at the Unicorn Theatre in Southwark (near London Bridge) this summer. We send our special thanks to Jack for sharing this special book launch event with us.

As for where to get this book? The book is not quite available to the public, yet. It is listed with Amazon USA and Amazon UK, but not currently available on those sites. More details as they come. You can contact us for more contact information for the book. Special thanks to Jack for the information on this event.

December 1, 2008 - You can order directly from Dr. Parkinson at Amazon UK. Check the Used book section under AF Parkinson. He does send outside the UK. (Note: USA sellers have this priced at a high cost.)

UPDATE: I don't know when (or if) available at these links but bookmarking them for you:
Amazon France
Amazon Japan

UPDATE NOVEMBER 18TH!!!
I have received word from author Alan Parkinson about his new book. The book will be available sometime during the week of November 23rd, but he included this information to share with our readers:

'Charlie Chaplin's South London', by Dr Alan F Parkinson [LSBU]
tells the story of south London's most famous citizen's childhood. In doing so it looks at work, leisure, educational and religious aspects of late Victorian life and is a must-read not only for Chaplin fans but also for those interested in the social history of London.

For our UK readers:
The hardback book is priced at £15 [plus £2 postage] and can be obtained from:

Dr. A. Parkinson
Education
FAHS
London South Bank University
London SE10AA
UK

[cheques payable to A. Parkinson]
If you like to contact about purchasing a copy, please contact us through our Edna's sites for contact information.

SPECIAL RELATED FILM: Mr. Parkinson also mentioned a special screening of a related documentary film will be shown in the near future in the UK.

Pete Newell, once kid actor, has died

Said to be once considered to play with Charlie Chaplin in The Kid, basketball coach, Pete Newell has died at the age of 93.

""Mr. Newell was born Aug. 3, 1915, in Vancouver, British Columbia. He grew up in Los Angeles, where through his mother's persistence he became a child actor before he reached kindergarten age, appearing in several "Our Gang" movie comedies and being strongly considered for a plum part opposite Charlie Chaplin in "The Kid" in 1920.

But Jackie Coogan got the role, which didn't bother Mr. Newell at all. "I hated acting," he said. "All I wanted to do was to be home playing ball."" - San Francisco Gate

Lovelock Review-Miner newspaper Update

Update for our Lovelock, Nevada readers and followers of Edna's hometown.

The Lovelock Review-Miner (Edna's hometown newspaper) has had a change in ownership. The Nevada Rancher once owned the Lovelock paper, but Nevada Rancher creator and original owner, Gwen Carter, passed away. The Nevada Rancher publishing was purchased by Winnemucca Publishing. They now own the Lovelock Review-Miner, as well, as The Humboldt Sun.

Since the change, the Lovelock Review-Miner has not been online, as before, with articles from the local paper. Not knowing if they will return online, they do have a contact page for the paper.