Charles Chaplin stood in a corner of the movie lot watching Mack Sennett direct a silent film. No one had asked Chaplin to do anything in weeks.

The Count; lobby card; film made for Mutual  Studio, 1916; original scene card; pictures Eric Taylor and Edna Purviance; 11 inches by 14 inches; $464. (photos courtesy of Heritage Auction Galleries)

    “Put on some comedy makeup, we need something funny here.  Anything will do,” Sennett finally blurted out.
   Chaplin headed to a costume room that resembled a thrift store. He picked up some baggy, tattered old pants, oversized shoes, a tight jacket and tie. He put on a derby, added a bamboo cane, pasted on a black trimmed mustache, darkened his eyebrows and headed for the set.      
   “I had no idea of the character when I entered the dressing room. But the moment I was dressed, it made me feel the person he was. By the time I walked onto the stage,” Chaplin said, “the little tramp was fully born.” For Chaplin, the tramp was real, a mixture of two people from his past.

The Champion; poster; film made for Essanay, 1915; one sheet; 27 inches by 41 inches;  $33,460

   The tramp was really funny on film and Sennett knew right away audiences would love the man. Chaplin’s films out sold every other Keystone comedy. After three years he was the most popular comic in silent movies.
   Before Chaplin came to Hollywood he had never been in front of a movie camera. The British vaudeville comedian was in the states touring when he decided to head west in 1913 at the coaxing of Sennett.  
    The movie director had seen Chaplin two years earlier on stage miming and was impressed. He had trouble remembering the comedian’s name but knew he wanted Chaplin for his Keystone Comedies.
   Charlie was the proverbial underdog. He was the kid who faced up to the bully and somehow pulled it off. He was the kid who loses his job, his girl, and somehow with the twirl of a cane--leaves us feeling tomorrow will be a better day.
   “Chaplin movies put a lump in your throat…and then make you cough it up with a laugh,” someone said about him.

A Dog’s Life; poster; film made for First National, 1918; called Chaplin’s first million dollar picture; three sheet, 41 inches by 81 inches;  $17,925

    In his memorable gentleman-tramp costume, the funny-sad little man strutted his way onto the silent screen and into movie history. He perfected his own brand of comedy. In a silent film era of high drama Chaplin was much more than slapstick acrobatic. He was a master of subtlety.   
   He wasn’t an actor who played a variety of roles. He was basically “one” character, a naive and lovable tramp playing many roles. He directed his first film at age 25. In the end Chaplin made 80 films and played the little fellow known as Charlie in all but a few.  
   In a 1995 worldwide survey of film critics, Chaplin was voted the greatest actor in movie history.
   One March 20-22, Heritage Auction Galleries, Dallas, TX, featured a selection of Chaplin posters in its Vintage Movie Posters Auction.
   Nowadays vintage movie posters with their brightly colored and wonderfully printed artwork are really sought after.  The artwork is high quality and the fame of a classic from the silent days like Chaplin makes them all the more desirable.  
   Here are some current values for Chaplin’s vintage posters and lobby and window cards.
 

 – The Count; lobby card; film made for Mutual Studio, 1916; original scene card; pictures Eric Taylor and Edna Purviance; 11 inches by 14 inches;  $464.
 – The Circus; window card; film made for United Artists, 1928; 14 inches by 22 inches;  $837.
 – City Lights; window card; film made for United Artists, 1931; 14 inches by 22 inches;  $2,629.
 – A Dog’s Life; poster; film made for First National, 1918; called Chaplin’s first million dollar picture; three sheet, 41 inches by 81 inches;  $17,925.
 – The Champion; poster; film made for Essanay, 1915; one sheet; 27 inches by 41 inches;  $33,460.