Charlie Chaplin vs. America: When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided
- Downloads：9789
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-10-25 14:21:54
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Scott Eyman
- ISBN：1982176350
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Adriana
，
More in-depth and trustworthy than even Chaplin's autobiography， which even his family has admitted on occasion might be his novelized version of events。 It's clear that Eyman spent years and years researching， interviewing， and digging into everything to do with Chaplin's life， his art， his relationships， and the persecution he faced throughout most of it。 I'm perfectly aware that this is only one side of a very complex individual and all that surrounds his actions and what is known and shared， More in-depth and trustworthy than even Chaplin's autobiography， which even his family has admitted on occasion might be his novelized version of events。 It's clear that Eyman spent years and years researching， interviewing， and digging into everything to do with Chaplin's life， his art， his relationships， and the persecution he faced throughout most of it。 I'm perfectly aware that this is only one side of a very complex individual and all that surrounds his actions and what is known and shared， so I'm trying to judge this book with that in mind。 But even if he had been a miscreant， it was never proven in court and he was never convicted。 The persecution of Chaplin mostly on the fact that some individuals with voice and power didn't like him is shameful any way you look at it。 There are clear signs of abuse of power and Chaplin being used as a scapegoat to appease the loud voices。 It's also a very interesting angle from which to approach the radicalization of the ideals and morals of a few and how they can affect how the masses view things。 I don't think it's what Eyman was going for， but it does make for a very interesting read in present times。 Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the excellent read！ 。。。more
Debra Pawlak
，
I was given an advance reading copy （arc） of this book from NetGalley。com and the publisher in return for a fair review。 Charlie Chaplin and The Little Tramp are both icons of cinema history。 A pioneer in the film business， Chaplin helped create the Hollywood we know today。 Born in poverty to a mentally ill mother and absent father， Chaplin and his brother， Syd， often lived on the streets in England as children。 Charlie's rise to fame came in America where he created The Little Tramp--a silent s I was given an advance reading copy （arc） of this book from NetGalley。com and the publisher in return for a fair review。 Charlie Chaplin and The Little Tramp are both icons of cinema history。 A pioneer in the film business， Chaplin helped create the Hollywood we know today。 Born in poverty to a mentally ill mother and absent father， Chaplin and his brother， Syd， often lived on the streets in England as children。 Charlie's rise to fame came in America where he created The Little Tramp--a silent screen character beloved the world over。 Author Scot Eyman focuses on the years after World War II during the Cold War when government officials， who believed they saw Red， decided they no longer wanted him living in America。 He never applied for citizenship feeling it was unnecessary to claim any specific country as his own。 He loved America， made his fortune here， as well as his home。 No specific charges were ever proved against him， but when he left the country in the early 1950s to attend his own movie premiere in London， these same officials banned him from returning。 He spent the rest of his life in exile in Switzerland。 In 1972， he was invited back to Los Angeles to accept an honorary Oscar for his contribution to film。 He was warmly welcomed and graciously accepted the award but did not stay。 Eyman brings a troubling part of Hollywood history front and center。 It was a bit dry， but overall the story of Charlie Chaplin's banishment from U。S。 soil was thoroughly researched and explained。 The injustice done to The Little Tramp was nothing less than a travesty。 。。。more
Scott Nickels
，
I knew little， or nothing， about Charlie Chaplin。 I now know a whole lot about Chaplin and why he is considered a genius。 What I did know， or thought I knew， about Charlie Chaplin， was that he was regarded as a nasty， no good， Communist who also chased women in his spare time。 However， thanks to Scott Eyman’s excellent writing， I was able to gain a great understanding of the real man behind the myth。 Eyman has written a balanced narrative about Chaplin’s life， his work， and so I am thankful for I knew little， or nothing， about Charlie Chaplin。 I now know a whole lot about Chaplin and why he is considered a genius。 What I did know， or thought I knew， about Charlie Chaplin， was that he was regarded as a nasty， no good， Communist who also chased women in his spare time。 However， thanks to Scott Eyman’s excellent writing， I was able to gain a great understanding of the real man behind the myth。 Eyman has written a balanced narrative about Chaplin’s life， his work， and so I am thankful for NetGalley for this opportunity to read about someone I otherwise would never have thought to meet！ 4 stars for “Charlie Chaplin vs。America。” 。。。more
Scott Nickels
，
I knew little， or nothing， about Charlie Chaplin。 I now know a whole lot about Chaplin and why he is considered a genius。 What I did know， or thought I knew， about Charlie Chaplin， was that he was regarded as a nasty， no good， Communist who also chased women in his spare time。 However， thanks to Scott Eyman’s excellent writing， I was able to gain a great understanding of the real man behind the myth。 Eyman has written a balanced narrative about Chaplin’s life， his work， and so I am thankful for I knew little， or nothing， about Charlie Chaplin。 I now know a whole lot about Chaplin and why he is considered a genius。 What I did know， or thought I knew， about Charlie Chaplin， was that he was regarded as a nasty， no good， Communist who also chased women in his spare time。 However， thanks to Scott Eyman’s excellent writing， I was able to gain a great understanding of the real man behind the myth。 Eyman has written a balanced narrative about Chaplin’s life， his work， and so I am thankful for NetGalley for this opportunity to read about someone I otherwise would never have thought to meet！ 4 stars for “Charlie Chaplin vs。America。” 。。。more
Biblio Files （takingadayoff）
，
Scott Eyman， who has written about quite a few Hollywood stars， producers， and studios， zeroes in on a neglected aspect of Charlie Chaplin's life -- the post WWII anti-Communist hysteria that so many got caught up in。 Chaplin was not very political and there is no evidence or reason to believe that he was ever a member of any party， but he never became an American citizen， and for many， that was suspicious enough。 Add to that Chaplin's penchant for young women， a paternity lawsuit， and assorted Scott Eyman， who has written about quite a few Hollywood stars， producers， and studios， zeroes in on a neglected aspect of Charlie Chaplin's life -- the post WWII anti-Communist hysteria that so many got caught up in。 Chaplin was not very political and there is no evidence or reason to believe that he was ever a member of any party， but he never became an American citizen， and for many， that was suspicious enough。 Add to that Chaplin's penchant for young women， a paternity lawsuit， and assorted lies told by the likes of Hedda Hopper and Walter Winchell。 Chaplin fought back， and continued to make movies， but it wore him down until he finally left the country for good。 Fascinating look at pre-war Hollywood， the United Artists studio， and the creative life of a true original。 （Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a digital review copy。） 。。。more
JoAnne McMaster （Any Good Book）
，
I will tell you first that I am consumed by anything Hollywood in the Golden Age。 I don't watch today's films， and probably never will。 The true actors - Humphrey Bogart， James Cagney， Barbara Stanwyck， etc。 and， of course， Chaplin -- have all left us; but their legacies are left behind， in hundreds， if not thousands， of films from the silent era to the 1960's （or such）。I have seen all of these films and own most of them; I am not shy about purchasing a classic film or making a new discovery; th I will tell you first that I am consumed by anything Hollywood in the Golden Age。 I don't watch today's films， and probably never will。 The true actors - Humphrey Bogart， James Cagney， Barbara Stanwyck， etc。 and， of course， Chaplin -- have all left us; but their legacies are left behind， in hundreds， if not thousands， of films from the silent era to the 1960's （or such）。I have seen all of these films and own most of them; I am not shy about purchasing a classic film or making a new discovery; this is part of the charm of them。 I can travel back in time whenever I want。 Luckily， or perhaps a fortunate accident， Turner Classic Movies has recently shown two of Chaplin's classics: The Great Dictator and City Lights。 Another channel， FMC， has also runs several of his silents， so I was able to watch the films （again） while reading this book。 Lengthy， but definitely worth the read。While I have read about Chaplin's troubles， never before have they been laid out in such a way as to make one not only admire him， but feel sorrow for him as well， because of the way our beloved （at least to me） United States treated him -- all because he was not a US citizen， and therefore， he must be a Communist （he was not）。 It was sad to read， because by all accounts， even though he was stingy in monetary matters （due to his upbringing）， he was extremely generous to friends and coworkers。 Charlie Chaplin was an enigma unto himself。 Born into poverty， he and his older brother Sydney developed a lifelong bond with each other， and while Syd had done fairly well， Charlie， due to the fact of his visions regarding film， had done much better。 But it didn't come without a price: His first three marriages failed， and his work was all-consuming。 He would do a hundred takes if it meant a better film。What others may or may not know is that it was Chaplin， director D。W， Griffith， actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks， Sr。 who created Universal Studios。 They developed and made their own films and those of others， becoming extremely wealthy in the process。 This， of course， afforded Charlie the means to make those films he wished; and what films they were。 While some may not be interested in silent films， none can dispute his "Little Tramp" was brilliant。 It was this introduction into his early films that made me watch the others。Charlie was married unhappily three times， and it was not until he met the 17-year-old Oona O'Neill （daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill） that he finally found love。 He married her when she turned eighteen， and the marriage lasted until his death。 But even then he found problems as there were those in Hollywood and even Washington， D。C。 who found him 'unacceptable' when it came to his private life。 I will not go into the story of Joan Berry here， but you can read the entire tale in the book。 I will say， however， that while Charlie may have had strong sexual proclivities， he never once took a minor where they shouldn't be。。 He was not a predator。 In all， he adored Oona and could not have survived without her。Charlie was given a bum rap。 if you will， by this country， all because they were unhappy with the fact that he wouldn't become a citizen （he considered himself a 'citizen of the world'）， and didn't have the same sensibilities of others during the Red Scare -- which I will say， ruined the careers of many actors and others）。 When he retired to Switzerland， he was happy with his life， but longed to make more films， and did succeed in making two more， although they were not well-received by the critics nor the public。 However， Charlie's brilliance could not stay buried forever， and years later he was received with open arms on all fronts。Whatever you think about the puckish Mr。 Chaplin， love or hate him， this biography will open your eyes to the type of person he was。 It is not fawning over him， but tells the true tale of Charlie's life from birth to death， and everything that occurred in between， giving us a definitive tale of both the man and the genius。 It has given me a renewed admiration。 Highly recommended。I thank Simon & Schuster for the advance copy of this book。 However， it did not influence this review in any way。 。。。more
Brendan Dowd （History Nerds United）
，
For once， I have a read a book on a "complicated" actor and didn't hate them by the end of it。 The author of this miracle is Scott Eyman and his book is Charlie Chaplin vs。 America。Eyman takes a look at the life of Chaplin mainly around the time when the U。S。 decided he was a communist and needed to be kept as far away from America as possible。 This is still very much a biography of Chaplin and anyone who only knows the Little Tramp will learn a lot about Charlie Chaplin and his process。 He was For once， I have a read a book on a "complicated" actor and didn't hate them by the end of it。 The author of this miracle is Scott Eyman and his book is Charlie Chaplin vs。 America。Eyman takes a look at the life of Chaplin mainly around the time when the U。S。 decided he was a communist and needed to be kept as far away from America as possible。 This is still very much a biography of Chaplin and anyone who only knows the Little Tramp will learn a lot about Charlie Chaplin and his process。 He was a genius。 He was a perfectionist。 He was also kind of a jerk and could cut people off at a moments notice。 He was warm except when he was cold。 Eyman makes an excellent case that Chaplin was everything in the dictionary expect a communist。 Eyman has written many books on celebrities and he is clearly comfortable in this genre。 He knows when to focus on the little things which make someone tick。 He also knows when to name drop someone to add a little spice to the narrative。 If you gave me 1，000 guesses， I never would have suspected Walter Matthau would show up in this book。 It's a great book and reading it is a breeze。 Pardon me while I go watch The Kid。（This book was provided an advance copy by Netgalley and Simon & Schuster。） 。。。more
J Earl
，
Charlie Chaplin vs。 America: When Art， Sex， and Politics Collided by Scott Eyman is a fascinating look at Chaplin's life and career with an eye toward the things that led to his exile from the US。The part of the book that covers his early years primarily touches on aspects that would， later， contribute to his， as it turns out， self-imposed exile。 The story slows and details become more plentiful when we reach the personal issues， coupled with FBI surveillance and the extensive file， that lead to Charlie Chaplin vs。 America: When Art， Sex， and Politics Collided by Scott Eyman is a fascinating look at Chaplin's life and career with an eye toward the things that led to his exile from the US。The part of the book that covers his early years primarily touches on aspects that would， later， contribute to his， as it turns out， self-imposed exile。 The story slows and details become more plentiful when we reach the personal issues， coupled with FBI surveillance and the extensive file， that lead to his not returning to the US after a trip abroad。 Though I came to the book primarily interested in the latter years of his life， I was happy that Eyman offered the early years as context。 It is in looking at what he did and why that we can begin to have a better idea of the rationale （not necessarily rational， but such was the state of the FBI under Hoover） behind the compiling of the Chaplin file。 Especially considering that most of the file was about his sex life and not political ideas or associations we can appreciate just how corrupt the FBI was。 Details like those are ideal for blackmail and bribery， not so much for proving a security risk to the nation。 But the FBI was Hoover's private little masturbatory depository， and neither he nor the others in power， elected or otherwise， cared how many lives were ruined for their pleasure and their gain。This is a very well researched and presented account of Chaplin's life。 Chaplin is certainly not made out to be a saint， but neither is there anything new that paints him as either a threat to the country or as a particularly evil person。 Unlike Hoover， who was both evil and caused more damage to the country than good。Whether your interest is in Chaplin or in an account of government overreach and how easily the public can be manipulated by those in power （just look at 2016-2020）， this book is an enjoyable and informative read。Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss。 。。。more
Andrew
，
I’ve read and enjoyed all of Eyman’s books and this one is no exception。 An interesting and unusual take on Chaplin’s life（about which so much has already been written） concentration on his exile from the United States brought on by false accusations that he was a communist（ he was far from one） and claims that he had paid for a paramour’s abortion and that he had an unsavory sex life。 All of these accusations were politically motivated。 That is that the politicians making these claims were moti I’ve read and enjoyed all of Eyman’s books and this one is no exception。 An interesting and unusual take on Chaplin’s life（about which so much has already been written） concentration on his exile from the United States brought on by false accusations that he was a communist（ he was far from one） and claims that he had paid for a paramour’s abortion and that he had an unsavory sex life。 All of these accusations were politically motivated。 That is that the politicians making these claims were motivated to do so to satiate their supporters and accrete power。 Sound familiar？ At once a fascinating look at an ever fascinating genius and a cautionary tale-this book is a winner。 Read it！ 。。。more
Blaine DeSantis
，
Scott Eyman is my favorite Hollywood Biographer and so I was super excited to get his new book on Charlie Chaplin。 This book is a very detailed look at a certain portion of his career and what led up to his fall from grace here in America。 We get a small background of his life， which remarkably is similar to that of Charles Dickens and we come to understand a lot of the motivations behind his films， Chaplin was a sexual non-entity when he arrived in the US， but can to enjoy younger women - no， n Scott Eyman is my favorite Hollywood Biographer and so I was super excited to get his new book on Charlie Chaplin。 This book is a very detailed look at a certain portion of his career and what led up to his fall from grace here in America。 We get a small background of his life， which remarkably is similar to that of Charles Dickens and we come to understand a lot of the motivations behind his films， Chaplin was a sexual non-entity when he arrived in the US， but can to enjoy younger women - no， not 12 of 14 year old girls but girls in their late teens or 20"s。 But this proved scandalous to certain people （the FBI and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper）。 And so no matter what Chaplin did he was hounded。 They tried him for violation of the Mann Act when a Hollywood girlfriend came to NY （crossed state lines）， and when that failed they found a rather unstable woman to bring paternity charges against him （the heck that the blood tests proved he wasn't the father）。 Then they attacked him as a Communist without any proof， attacked his making of The Great Dictator， Modern Times and any other movie he made。 Eventually Chaplin gets a re-entry permit for him to travel to Europe to promote his move Limelight， and 2 days after he boards to ship to England he is informed that his permit is effectively revoked and he will be arrested if he returns to the US。。 From hero to pariah in a few short years。 This book is focused on these times and we get a Who's Who of Hollywood celebrities in the book， along with legendary columnists and politicians who are all out to get Chaplin， and a few who remain friendly to him。 For both fans of Chaplin， as well as those who enjoy reading about the yesteryears of Hollywood and the film industry this book is a must and is a worthy addition to Eyman's catalog of works。 It keeps up a good pace and there are many memorable parts about his life that I was unaware of until I read Eyman's book。。 This is a definite "must read" and will be one of my top books for 2023！ 。。。more
Nancy
，
A very fine biography/history of the early film industry， Chaplin's place in it and his subsequent 'troubles' with the U。S。 government which resulted in him not being allowed back into the U。S。 when he left for a vacation to Europe。 This is a sympathetic portrayal， but does not gloss over Chaplin's failures and foibles （his penchant for young girls， his several marriages， doomed love affairs and his stubborn inability to keep his mouth shut when it came to his politics）。 It did not help that he A very fine biography/history of the early film industry， Chaplin's place in it and his subsequent 'troubles' with the U。S。 government which resulted in him not being allowed back into the U。S。 when he left for a vacation to Europe。 This is a sympathetic portrayal， but does not gloss over Chaplin's failures and foibles （his penchant for young girls， his several marriages， doomed love affairs and his stubborn inability to keep his mouth shut when it came to his politics）。 It did not help that he was subject to the whole Senator McCarthy hearing debacle in the 50's but based on the extensive research done by the author， his indiscretions never came near to the level that would characterize him as a Communist or an 'enemy' of the government。 It is a fascinating story which covers a lot of ground （not just Chaplin's life） and an engrossing read。 Highly recommended， esp for film buffs and those interested in the 'Red Scare' era。 Thank you to Byrd's Books for this ARC。 。。。more
Lori
，
I received a kindle copy of "Charlie Chaplin vs。 America。 from Netgalley。 There have been plenty books about Charlie Chaplin including a memoir by Charlie Chaplin。 This book is also a biography of Charlie Chaplin's life。 Also writes about all the movies he has starred in or directed。 This book includes Charlie Chaplin's being a victim of the vicious attacks on men and women in show business in the late 1940s into the 1950s， during the communism scares that bullies like Joseph McCarthy did to inn I received a kindle copy of "Charlie Chaplin vs。 America。 from Netgalley。 There have been plenty books about Charlie Chaplin including a memoir by Charlie Chaplin。 This book is also a biography of Charlie Chaplin's life。 Also writes about all the movies he has starred in or directed。 This book includes Charlie Chaplin's being a victim of the vicious attacks on men and women in show business in the late 1940s into the 1950s， during the communism scares that bullies like Joseph McCarthy did to innocent people who were in show business。 Many of their careers were destroyed by false accusations during this horrible time in history。Charlie Chaplin was one of the victims。 He left the USA in the early 1950s and did not return for 20 years。 This book writes about what this was like for Charlie Chaplin。 It also writes of other parts of his life。 Growing up poor and hungry in England even having to work in work houses as a child。 His failed marriages then the very happy marriage to a woman over 30 years his junior。 the Author Scott Eyman also shares the opinions of other actors and actresses he has worked with。 He keeps this biography fair {I think ] tries not to go into mudslinging。 I liked reading about this talented actor。 Learning a bit more about Charlie Chaplin。 。。。more
Tracie
，