ABSTRACT
Of all the comedians whom Mack Sennett discovered for the screen, none became more famous than Charles Chaplin, the little clown with the curly hair, the baggy trousers, the bowler hat, the small moustache, the cane, and the decrepit outsize boots. There are more fools in the world than Chaplin has portrayed. In Mumming Birds Chaplin learned many of the tricks which he later introduced on the screen. In America the film established Chaplin as a leading comedian. City Lights probably represents the highest achievements of the silent film, which by 1928 had reached perfection as a method of telling a story without speech. It is likely that future generations will think of Chaplin as a master clown, and not as a humanitarian. For while there are many preachers in the world, all teaching their own creeds and beliefs, in thousands of languages, there are very few really great clowns.
