Episode Details

Charlie Chaplin's life was fundamentally shaped by his early years in the Lambeth Workhouse, where receiving a single orange for Christmas became a haunting symbol of his poverty. His father died young of alcoholism, and his mother, Hannah Hill, struggled with profound mental instability and syphilis, leaving Chaplin and his brother Sydney to rely on the "tender mercies" of Victorian institutions. Despite his mother's illness, Chaplin idolized her and viewed his entire successful adulthood as an escape from the humiliations of his youth. His brother Sydney eventually introduced him to the theater through Fred Carno, marking the end of their poverty as Chaplin's comedic genius began to emerge. Guest: Scott Eyman. (1/8)
1900 LA