Charlie Chaplins Own Story

"Being the faithful recital of a romantic career, beginning with early recollections of boyhood in London and closing with the signing of his latest motion-picture contract."

There are 33 chapters in this amazing personal memoir and it was published in 1916. No illustrations are included in this Kindle version.

Some chapter samples are listed below:

CHAPTER I

In which I relate my experiences up to the age of five; and describe the occasion of my first public appearance on any stage.

CHAPTER III

In which I join the clog dancers; fail to get the cream tarts; and incur the wrath of Mr. Hawkins.

CHAPTER V

In which I have an adventure with a cow; become a lawless filcher of brandysnaps; and confound an honest farmer.

CHAPTER VII

In which I see my father for the last time; learn that real tragedy is silent; and go out into the world to make my own way.

CHAPTER X

In which Sidney comes home to find father dead, mother too ill to recognize him and me half starved and in rags.

CHAPTER XI

In which I vainly make the rounds of the theatrical agents; almost go to sea; and at last get the chance for which I have long been yearning.

CHAPTER XIII

In which I encounter the difficulties of a make-up box; make my first appearance in drama; and learn the emptiness of success with no one to share it.

CHAPTER XIV

In which I taste the flavor of success; get unexpected word from my mother; and face new responsibilities.

CHAPTER XV

In which I understand why other people fall; burn my bridges behind me; and receive a momentous telegram.

CHAPTER XVI

In which I journey to London; meet and speak with a wax-works figure; and make my first appearance in a great theater.

CHAPTER XVII

In which I play with a celebrated actor; dare to look at the royal box; pay a penalty for my awful crime; gain favor with the public; and receive a summons from another famous star.

CHAPTER XIX

In which my fondest hopes are shattered by cold reality; I learn the part played by luck on the Strand; and receive an unexpected appeal for help.

CHAPTER XX

In which I try to drown my troubles in liquor and find them worse than before; try to make a living by hard work and meet small success.

CHAPTER XXI

In which I encounter the inexorable rules of a London hospital, causing much consternation; fight a battle with pride.

CHAPTER XXII

In which I attempt to be serious and am funny instead; seize the opportunity to get a raise in pay; and again consider coming to America.

CHAPTER XXIII

In which I startle a promoter; dream a great triumph in the land of skyscrapers and buffalo; and wait long for a message from America!

CHAPTER XXIV

In which I discover many strange things in that strange land, America; visit San Francisco for the first time; and meet an astounding reception in the offices of a cinematograph company.

CHAPTER XXV

In which I find that the incredible has happened; burn my bridges behind me and penetrate for the first time the mysterious regions behind the moving-picture film.

CHAPTER XXVI

In which I see a near-tragedy which is a comedy on the films ; meet my fellow actors, the red and blue rats; and prepare to fall through a trap-door with a pie.

CHAPTER XXVII

In which, much against my will, I eat three chery pies; see myself for the first time on a moving-picture screen and discover that I am a hopeless failure on the films.

CHAPTER XXVIII

In which I introduce an innovation in motion-picture production; appropriate an amusing mustache; and wager eighty dollars on three hours' work.

CHAPTER XXX

In which I see myself as others see me; learn many surprising things about myself from divers sources; and see a bright future ahead.

CHAPTER XXXIII

In which I realize my wildest dreams of fortune; ponder on the comedy tricks of life and conclude without reaching any conclusion.