In September of 1952, Charlie Chaplin, his wife Oona, and his four young children traveled to England for the promotion of Chaplin’s latest film, Limelight. The trip was meant to be just six months, but two days in some news came via Telegram: the U.S. Attorney General had issued an order banning Chaplin from returning to America. The Red Scare was in full swing in the States, and the influential Chaplin, an alleged Communist sympathizer, was a big target for the F.B.I. Despite having lived in the United States for 38 years, in just two days the 63-year-old star was effectively exiled from his adopted home. In a new podcast developed by CBC Podcasts and BBC World Service, Chaplin’s granddaughter, Oona Chaplin (Game of Thrones), tells the story of her grandfather’s unprecedented ousting from Hollywood, and how nationwide paranoia devastated the lives and careers of others across the industry. —Paulina Prosnitz
The Arts Intel Report
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
Hollywood Exiles
Chaplin celebrates his 77th birthday in London with a young Melanie Griffith, Sophia Loren, and a giant cake in 1966.