Do I Look Like Me? (Updated 04/27/06)
Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest and came in second…
UPDATE: Yaakov Kirschen of DryBones blog (a great read, by the way) raised a question in his comment as to the mythiness of the look-alike contest claim. Yaak is right to question since this does sound so very much like an urban legend. I usually verify such things before writing about them. My failure here was in not quoting sources of validation … hence this little update, to clear my besmirched name.
Wikipedia verifies the claim. Snopes, the well known debunker of urban legends and myths, also validates the claim, but with much more information, including this: “Chaplin did indeed fare poorly in a Chaplin look-alike contest … the competition took place in a San Francisco theater. His final standing is not recorded, although it was noted that he ‘failed even to make the finals’.”
Interestingly, the winner of one such contest was a struggling young actor who would become known to the world as Bob Hope.
I remain just one thing, and one thing only — and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician.
— Charlie Chaplin
Chaplin died in 1977 without the realization that in a few years, clowns would be occupying many elected positions, even the highest office of the land.
10 Comments so far
Isn’t that the truth. Thanks Winston.
Clarence Darrow remarked during the Coolidge administration: “When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I’m beginning to believe it.”
Yes Bill Clinton was a horny old clown wasn’t he ? LOL
the clown we have for president now is like the clowns from outer space kinda clown…not funny…but very scary…
hey winston…how they hangin’?
any proof of chrlie’s coming in second in a look-alike contest?
smells like another delightful myth to me.
Dry Bones
Israel’s Political Comic Strip Since 1973
Hilary Clinton,Nancy Pelosi,Barbara Boxer,Molly Ivins and Laura Bush. Now how’s that for a beauty contest?
Paul, the last time I saw those names suggested for a beauty contest, it was accompanied by the ugliest pictures of the democrats against the most beautiful of the republicans. Anybody can take a bad picture (well maybe not Angelina Jolie just yet).
As for clowns, bush looks more like Howdy Doody to me, acts like a clown though, but maybe is a puppet…
Oh lordy….
Winston,
Where have I been all this time? Your site is wonderful. I’ll be back to read the archives.
lucyd
Eveyone is commenting on this offering, while I am still pondering the “Mistakes and art” from yesterday.