I’ll be writing more about Georgia Hale’s Biography/Autobiography, “Charlie Chaplin: Intimate Close-Ups” in future posts. I cherish this particular book a great deal. Not only are Georgia Hale and Charlie Chaplin two of my personal favorites, it’s very difficult to get my hands on Georgia Hale information, photographs, or collectibles. Her career (while dazzling) was very, very brief and there simply isn’t a lot out there.
Needless to say, this book is a very prized possession. It’s a wonder I don’t keep it under lock and key!
For those who may not know, Georgia Hale loved Charlie Chaplin a great deal. She spent most of her adult life loving him. They never married and the extent of his affections for Georgia can only be guessed at. He seemed to have a great deal of affection for her, on one hand, but on the other hand? Wedding rings… to other women.
As I often say on this Old Hollywood blog, I am not here to judge, nor would I ever attempt to. There had to be something strong and very real in their relationship or Georgia simply wouldn’t have loved him as strongly as she did. This much I’m certain of.
You know, unlike Georgia, a lot is written about Charlie Chaplin. Sadly, it isn’t all favorable. However, within one quote in her book, Georgia has (in my opinion) tied all the pieces of his complex and beguiling personality together…. as, really, only she could.
I can’t possibly even BEGIN to tell you how much I love this quote about Charlie Chaplin by Georgia Hale: “If Charles Chaplin carried within him many contradictions, was tender-hearted, cruel, sensitive, child-like, a poseur, all of these qualities were part of his creative spirit.”
When I first read this quote, it struck me that this type of approach could be taken with many of our favorite Old Hollywood actors and actresses. So many of these wonderful stars behaved and even thought along some pretty original and inexplicable lines. Yet… the qualities we can’t often get our heads around are, as Georgia so eloquently said, part of their creative spirit.
Georgia Hale and Charlie Chaplin in The Gold Rush