THE OREGON! -SUNDAY -JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, SEgTEMBl
1920.
HIS
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And Here Mrs. Chaplin; Suing
for Divorce, Tells the Sad
Experiences Which
Convinced Her That
the Great Motion
Picture Comic
Star Is. Only
"One Half of One Per
- Cent as a Husband"
Charlie Chaplin in a Care-Free, Gay Scene and Be
having- Just the Way He Did Not, HU Wife
Says, So Far as She Was Concerned.
r0 recent case of broken romance and
once fond hearts estranged baa cre
ated auch Interest as the suit for .
dlTorce by Mrs. Charlie Chaplin against
her husband, the world famous funny man
of the motion pictures. The charges
brought by Tsirn. Chaplin are "mental cru
elty" and failure of her husband to provide
for her.
Among the millions whom Charlie Chap
lin has made laugh there have probably
been many who hare thought how care
free and amusing the lot of the woman
-who was his wife. No woman, it would
seem, could erer have the blues or be
anything but cheerful wlth so mirth
provoking a companion. Yet strangely
enough there are no sadder,; more pessi
mistic ipeople than the professional humor
ists, who seem to use' up all their store of
cheer In their output And, according to
Mrs. Chaplin, CJbarlle Chaplin was no ex
ception. Here she tells what she alleges
is the real Inside story of her life with the
funniest man on earth so far as the
camera is concerned.
Mr. Chaplin has denied all that Mrs.
Chaplin charges in her suit, and has ex
pressed himself as being much surprised
at her decision to force the Issue. He will.
It is said, bring counter suit against her on
grievances of his own, and Incidentally aV
leges that, despite her charge of penury,
he spent over $60,000 in about eighteen
months in housekeeping expenses, al
though during that time Mrs. Chaplin her
self was earning $1,000 a week.
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By Mrs. Charlie Chaplin
(In an interview)
AM quite ready to admit that ny anar
rlage to Charlie Chaplin was a mistake.
It was a mistake on his part, because
he Is a genius, and geniuses should not
marry. He would better be free and re
main free, for he will make any woman he
marries miserable, I know.
We have been married for three years.
For two of those years we lived under the
same root, more or less. That Is, it greet
ing a husband after long disappearances
might be said to be living under the same
root -with him.
If lying awake, weeping and wondering
where your husband launtil 4 or 5 o'clock
In the morning can really be called living.
If wrangling over every bill that comes
In can be called living.
If living on the scale of-an Income of
$260 a week, when your husband earns
$13,000 a week, can be called living.
If having your wardrobe censored and a
standard of two or three dresses and one
hat established may be considered an ex
istence. If being told to keep your head down
so that no man will see your face Is living.
If hearing that meat and potatoes and
pudding are enough for a meal and that
ice cream and salads are silly and useless
really stands for proper living.
If being constantly accused of flirting by
a man who Is causelessly Jealous 4s living.
All this and more I endured and for
twelve months.- That is the reason I hesi
tate to say that we lived under the same
roof. It wasn't living. It was perdition
roofed.
It has been said that a comedian Is only
funny In public. I believe It. In fact, I
know it. Charlie Chaplin, who has made
millions laugh, only caused me tears.
Bo it was better that we should separate.
Better that there be a divorce. I have
seen him since my suit for divorce began.
We met In the office of my lawyer in Los
Angeles.
When we parted he said: "Mildred, yon
are right. I should never have married.
I know It now. You probably will marry
soon. If you do I hope you will be happy,
I shall never marry again." And we
looked at each other sadly a funny man
and his wife. '
4 That the public may not be misled by
strange, false rumors I will tell for once
and Anally,, unless I tell It In court, the
story of the funny man who could only
' make his wife cry.
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Mr. Chaplin and I met at the home of
my aunt at the beach near Los Angeles.
I was staying with my aunt. Mr. Chaplin
and others were calling. At once he be
came attentive. We used to go for long
walks on the beach. He talked about his
life. He told' me he was very lonely. He
said he needed a home and someone to
care tor him. Older and wiser persons say
that kind of talk is a prelude to a proposal.
It was In this case. We "went together."
as country folks say, for fourmonths. We
were married. We went to live In a big.
lonely house on a high hill, Laughlln Hill,
in Los Angeles.
At once began the woes of a funny man's
wife the reign of mental cruelty of which
I complained when I brought my suit for
divorce. Although I was married, the
youth had not gone out of me with my ac
ceptance of the wedding ring. I am not
frivolous, but I am young. I like to dance
and to be with people.
Mr. Chaplin didn't. He would never
dance except to keep me from dancing
with other men. He didnt like people
at least, not people who love to laugh and
sing and dance because they are glad they
are alive. He brought men home to. din
ner, r
But such men! Old, grave and intel
lectual men! They were fifty years old
or more. They talked of things I could
not possibly understand. I was seventeen.
What could I 'know of philosophy, or oi
Voltaire or Rousseau or Kant?
He liked to think he was a Socialist,
though be' didn't live like one. He wasn't
willing to divide his money with anyone,
Mrs. Charlie Chaplin, Who Is Suing
for Divorce on the Grounds of
''Mental Cruelty" and Failure to
Support and Two Pictures of
Charlie With His Famous Hat,
Little Moustache and Ridiculous
Shoes.
not even with his wife, as was invariably
Impressed upon me on bill day.
He thought my bills for dresses out
rageous. He said: "You are married. You
don't need expensive dresses. You have
captured me. I am yours."
I used to reply: "But my dear, I want
pretty clothes to keep you. Marriage
ought to be a winning over and over of the
lord of our hearts."
He did not even listen. 1 had lost him
again. ,1 was always losing his attention.
He is the most preoccupied man on earth.
For this there Is a good reason, I confess.
He Invents his own characters and writes
his sketches and acts in them. That is the
work of two r three men. Instead of stay
ing at home with me, in our big, lonely
house on the hill, he left me cowering with
fear, as a child cowers In the dark, afraid
of nameless things, while he went forth to
walk the streets at night
He walked, as I have said, until 4 or 6
in the morning. 'He was looking for types,
he was seeking characters and materials
for his comedies. He Beemed to forget I
was In the world. I was not in his world
of thought
He used to leave home and , visit our
friends. He would be gone for days and
weeks. He stayed with friends at Berk
ley Hills for two months. That was when
I sued for divorce. During these absences
there would not be a' word from him. Then
he would come back and resume the old
gloomy life. ' .
One thing that bored me was that he
wanted to read deep books. Some time I
shall grow into an understanding of them,
but I haven't yet reached that stature. He
would read those books to me by the hour
and would insist that I read them. Yet
sometimes I found that Charlie fooled me.
When I really read the books I read them.
I delved Into them.
' And when I would talk to him about the
plots and characters Z found he had only
a surface knowledge of them! My lord
was guilty of skimming a book. There are
literary poseurs. And yet Mr. Chaplin is
ambitious. He wants . to leave off the
funny little walk and the baggy trousers
(C) 19SO. feteraattoMl Testa Serrtee. Ia.
and; queer little
moustache. Like all
comedians, he wants
to be serious He
longs to play trage
dies. He used to re
hearse tragic parts
to me.
Fancy Charlie
Chaplin as Hamlet!
If the incongruity
struck me and 1
laughed he flew Into
a fury and called me
the essence of silli
ness. That essence
of silliness is a
euphemism. You .
wouldn't print what
he called me.
Although his life and thoughts were so
far from mine, yet he was madly Jealous.
His life had not been sheltered as mine
wasi In those days while he was growing
up In Europe he had not known the best
women. He was surprised when I did not
drink nor smoke cigarettes. He thought
It a prudifh pose. And he could not be
lieve that the men whom I had known be
fore I knew him werp not my suitors.
And it was impossible for him to believe
that the men with whom I signed contracts
or worked In the studios I regarded mere
ly as cogs In the business wheel or pro
fessional associates.
While paying court to me and after our
marriage he would say to me while we
were in restaurants or were driving:
"Keep your head Sown. X don't want any
man to see your face." Or he would say:
Don't look at a man. He will think you
want him." He had lived abroad too long
a junderstand our open-eyed American
candor. He even let Jealousy enter his
owii studio. He watched me aanc w
ran employe of his and said:
fellow In the morning.
the hos
pital when our baby came he took a room
next to mine. He came in to see me and
bent his head over me and cried. He left
me a note saying: "You are the dearest
littje mother in the world." Even the
nurses said his thoughts of me were beau
tiful. But our baby died threedays after
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Mrs. Chaplin on the Bank of the Lake at the Chaplin Horns)
in Los Angeles. j
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It wa born. His feeling toward me not Sirica as the public thinks, but who
seemed to change. He grew more indlf- is worth at least a mUllo".?
ferent to me. He went awsy coUectlng f"I want to bftj free frorrf' $uch dominion
material His room at the hospital was as hla; I want liberty to do my trOrk and
Til Are that
empty.' He did not even 'call, to take me
from the hospital to our home. .
I 'insisted on moving lowa from the big
lonely bouse on the hill because I was
afraid. We moved down to Oxford street
Because he left me alone so much I went
back to work in the studios. And he was
like a madman. We did -not talk much to
each other toward the last We had little
Yt there would be recurrences of great to say, because we could not agree upon
tenderness, wnue I was m m jm ur ub;i. "..r
bohemian. 'i' - . ' , " ' .'i; --. ,
I like to make life as beautiful as I can.
I believe in spending money to make it so.
Yet when I told him that we could not be
happy together and talked of a separation
he offered me $25,000. This man, who Is
have an uncensbred home."
'. t don't want to be made to cry any mors'
by a funny man not eten an Americas
husband, who Is the only one hundred per
cent kind. , . j ; : ' ' ; ' ;
American men, are one hundred per cent
husbands because they are good friends
and comrades. Mr. Chaplla is a genius.
. He has been called the funniest man on
earth. As a public entertainer he is above
. par. . As a husband be is one-half of one
per cent ' - ... -
HJs ambition la like that ot Doug and
Mary. He wants to have five million dol
lars and travel. I shall be content with a
modest living and a home. It is better
that our ways parted and at a great dis
tance..' '' )' -: M
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