Charlie Chaplin vs. America

Published: Oct. 3, 2023, 11 a.m.

b"Charlie Chaplin was the most famous movie star in the world, especially at his height in the 1920s, when the silent film star won the hearts of audience around the globe. But in the aftermath of World War II, Charlie Chaplin was criticized for being politically socialist and internationalist in outlook. He had never become a US citizen, something that would be held against him as xenophobia set in when the Red Scare took hold. As soon as he left the U.S. to promote a new picture, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover persuaded the State Department to revoke Chaplin's visa (a move of doubtful legality).

Politics aside, Chaplin had another problem: his l interest in young women. He had been married four times, had had numerous affairs, and was publicly involved in at least three paternity suits. His inappropriate sexual proclivity became another reason for those who opposed his ideas to condemn him.

Today\\u2019s guest is Scott Eyman, author of \\u201cCharlie Chaplin vs. America.\\u201d We discuss historically pivotal moment of Hollywood\\u2019s rise and a prescient narrative with modern implications: that of cancel culture, artistic freedom, censorship, and the all-important question of whether we should be separating art from the artist."