Charlie Chaplain's "The Kid"

The Kid (1921)
Written and directed by Charlie Chaplin
Music composed by Chaplin
Starring: Charlie Chaplin as "the Tramp" Jackie Coogan as "the Kid"
Also starring: Edna Purviance, Chuck Reisner, and Lita Grey

Like the "Kid" in the film, Charlie Chaplin was a penniless orphan as a young child and used to dance on street corners in London with his brother for spare change. At age eight, he joined a child dance troupe and began taking child roles in London plays. When he was twenty-three, Chaplin toured the U.S. with a stage troupe and was discovered by producer/director Mack Sennet, who had him star in 35 short films within one year (1914) for his production company Keystone. By the end of the year, Chaplin was a wealthy man and an established presence in the filmmaking world. Through his initial 35 films, Chaplin evolved the character of the "Tramp," an "invincible vagabond, [a] resilient little fellow with an eye for beauty and a ...