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The Little Tramp's Continuing Longevity, Post-1977

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The Little Tramp's Continuing Longevity, Post-1977 E PILOGUE: THE LITTLE TRAMP’S CONTINUING LONGEVITY, POST-1977 If it is still not clear from the preceding chapters that several factions of Americans came together post-1947 to force a re-assessment and even- tual re-invigoration of Charlie Chaplin and his Little Tramp persona in American culture, then the outpouring of love and admiration heaped upon him at his death must solidify this fact. Film critic Andrew Sarris noted in the Village Voice that “we can still say that Charles Chaplin was arguably the single most important artist produced by the cinema, cer- tainly its most extraordinary performer and probably still its most univer- sal icon.” 1 Alden Whitman’s New York Times obituary claimed that “no motion picture actor so captured and enthralled the world as did Charles Spencer Chaplin, a London ragamuffi n who became an immortal artist for his deft and effective humanization of man’s tragicomic confl icts with fate.” 2 And, fi lm critic Stanley Kauffmann wrote in The New Republic : Yes, the Tramp is not a deathless image. Yes, he made us laugh and cry and presumably always will. But, out of the Chaplin moments, put just two together and think of them, and you understand why talking about the Little Fellow is not enough. Think of the moment in The Rink when, with his torso almost motionless, his roller-skated feet move so quickly under him as he tries to keep his balance that his legs almost become a solid blur like the spinning spokes of a wheel. Then think of the last scene in City Lights when the formerly blind girl realizes that this little hobo was her savior, and then the camera goes to his face. The fi rst moment is physical virtuosity past the reach of most who devote their lives to absolutely nothing else. The second moment is to speak quietly, great acting. […] No, the Tramp, image © The Author(s) 2016 231 L.S. Haven, Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp in America, 1947–77, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-40478-3 232 EPILOGUE: THE LITTLE TRAMP’S CONTINUING LONGEVITY, POST-1977 of genius though he is, is only a kind of middle ground, a medium for even greater genius. 3 By the date of Chaplin’s death at his home in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland on Christmas day, 1977, he had achieved a place in the pantheon of fi lm greats that has largely remained intact since that date. However, Chaplin and his persona have not escaped all scrutiny and cri- tique since that time. There will always be those individuals and groups that refer to his work as “overly sentimental,” his camera work as “prehistoric” 4 or who still hope to diminish him by bringing up past grievances about his politics or public behavior—even his legendary penuriousness. There will always be those who wish to compare him to Buster Keaton or even Harold Lloyd. Yet, due to the iconic nature of his Little Tramp persona, Chaplin’s status today is strongly set in place as “the king of comedy.” Since 1977, Chaplin has inspired books, documentaries, a biopic, con- ferences and meetings, a musical and, more recently, an online presence, in the form of tumblrs, blogs, Facebook pages and other digital efforts that are effective both in spreading the word and keeping the Chaplin name and image alive, thereby allowing his work to reach new generations. In this chapter, I will provide a short overview of a select group of these efforts in order to better describe the trajectory of Chaplin and his persona in more recent times and on into the future. One of the fi rst signifi cant events postmortem was the re-release of Chaplin’s 1923 fi lm, his fi rst for United Artists and one in which he does not star, Woman of Paris. Leonard Maltin, according to one source, had succeeded in obtaining the fi lm from Chaplin for a premiere screening at MOMA in January 1977, but it was not released to theaters until more than a year later and four months after Chaplin’s passing. Jack Kroll attended the screening and reported the fi lm to be “a master metaphor” for Chaplin himself and his obsession with fallen or semifallen women: “Chaplin makes male chauvinism into art: Marie and her two gal friends are all commodities, but they are commodities as characters.” 5 Kroll’s impressions were echoed by Penelope Gilliatt of the New Yorker , who wrote that it “is a fi lm with a sense of comedy which is debonair and ele- gant and bitterly close to the bone.” 6 Janet Maslin, in the New York Times , noted “the wisdom of A Woman of Paris , which was fi rst released in 1923 but often feels as if it were made just yesterday, really does seem bound- less; so do the affection and generosity with which Mr. Chaplin presents his characters.” 7 Out of circulation for some 50 years, A Woman of Paris EPILOGUE: THE LITTLE TRAMP’S CONTINUING LONGEVITY, POST-1977 233 did its work reinforcing Chaplin’s fi lmmaking skill well outside the realm of the Little Tramp persona, especially among fi lm critics and scholars. Perhaps there’s no greater indication of Chaplin’s re-ascension to the “King of Comedy” throne in the hearts of average Americans, how- ever, than the overwhelming success of IBM’s personal computer cam- paign with the Little Tramp as mascot/“spokesperson,” beginning in August 1981. 8 After approving an ad campaign that utilized the Little Tramp character put forth by advertising company Lord, Geller, Federico, Einstein, IBM licensed the image through the Chaplin estate’s Bubbles, Inc., in a one-year agreement renewable each fall. 9 The logic behind this decision? As Marguerite Zientara argues: “Perhaps no symbol other than the lovable, affable Everyman of Charlie Chaplin could have succeeded in making notoriously cold and impersonal IBM appear friendly.” 10 P. David McGovern, advertising director at IBM’s PC division, seems to support this point: “We wanted to make sure that people understood that we’re trying to help solve the confusion and uncertainty about computers. We showed that our product is approachable and friendly.” 11 Also important was the theory of Robert Wells, of Lord, Geller that “if he can do it, you can do it.” 12 , 13 After more than 30 Chaplin imitators auditioned for the role in both Los Angeles and New York, street artist and mime Billy Scudder 14 was engaged to play the Little Tramp character in the television commercials— the only medium the campaign initially required. Scudder explained that he just tried to act “the way Charlie would do things. The essence of the character is in the vulnerability. IBM is such a big, powerful company. By using Charlie, the element of fear disappears.” 15 The fi rst commercial with Scudder was so overwhelmingly successful that the campaign moved into print by the end of the year. In one report, “The campaign was such a success that IBM PC’s practically fl ew out of dealer stores. In the fi rst year of the IBM PC, it went from a zero mar- ket share to 28% and grew from there.” 16 Lord, Geller chose fi ve distinct themes for the television spots, in both 30- and 60-second versions and approximately 30 different versions of the print ads, 17 all arranged around the theme “Keeping up with Modern Times.” Many references to actual Chaplin fi lms were made in the ads, especially to the fi lms City Lights, Modern Times and The Kid . As one reporter noted, “the commercials are elaborate Madison Avenue extravaganzas.” 18 Two ads typical of the television campaign are known by the names “The Bakery” and “The Hats.” The 30-second “The Bakery” 234 EPILOGUE: THE LITTLE TRAMP’S CONTINUING LONGEVITY, POST-1977 shows the Little Tramp working at placing cakes coming to him on a conveyor belt into boxes. The conveyor speeds up and the cakes increase in size creating chaos. In the next scene, the Little Tramp is shown in an offi ce setting, reading a manual and working on an IBM PC. He puts his feet up on the desk, a signal that order has been restored. The fi nal scene of the commercial shows the Little Tramp back in the bakery, receiving a kiss from a female customer to whom he gives a cake with a rose on it. Not only has order been restored, but Charlie gets the girl as well. In “Hats” the Little Tramp’s abode is a mess due to his unruly collection of hats, the result of his current business endeavor, the “Hat of the Month Club.” He then answers the door to the mailman, who gives him a fl yer advertising the IBM PC. In the next scene, Charlie is shown working on the computer and order appears to be restored, because now he has a group of employ- ees shipping hats. The mailman delivers a large stack of orders for more such merchandise. In this commercial, the girl is replaced by a fl uffy white dog wearing a sort of fl apper’s feathered headpiece. Charlie gives the dog a few pats in the scene’s fi nal moments. Print ads included headlines such as the award-winning “How to Test Drive the IBM Personal Computer” and “Keeping up with Modern Times,” but also a series of “How To’s”—“How to Practice What You Teach,” “How to Balance the Books,” and “How to Put the Big Board on a Small Screen.” While the heyday of this ad campaign was 1981–1984, before Apple IIc’s became the better product, IBM kept exclusive rights to the Little Tramp character until 1987.
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