Listen & Learn: Charlie Chaplin

Learn about the world-famous silent-film actor

Pre-listening vocabulary

• comedian: someone whose job is to make people laugh
• vaudeville: a type of stage show in the 1800s and 1900s that contained a mix of music and comedy
• silent film: a film that contains no dialogue
• alter ego: a character that a person often plays
• parody: to imitate someone in a comedic way
• communist: someone who believes in government or community ownership of property
• ban: to stop someone from entering a place

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:42 — 2.3MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | More

Gapfill exercise

Charlie Chaplin was an English comedian and . He was born in 1889 in London. Both of his parents were music hall performers, and he began acting on the stage when he was very young. He later moved to the United States to star in vaudeville shows. In 1914, he began acting for a silent-film , where he invented his alter ego, “The Tramp.” His persona quickly became world famous. He began writing and directing his own silent films, playing The Tramp in many of them. Chaplin’s first film, The Great Dictator, parodied Hitler in the early days of World War II. In the 1940s and 1950s, Chaplin began to talk more about his political opinions. The US feared he was a communist and banned him from the . He was only invited back to accept an Academy Award in 1972, five years before his death.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. Chaplin moved to the US to star in
   a. vaudeville shows
   b. silent films
   c. radio shows
   
2. Chaplin’s first sound film was
   a. The Kid
   b. The Immigrant
   c. The Great Dictator
   
3. The US government accused Chaplin of being
   a. a fascist
   b. an anarchist
   c. a communist

Discussion/essay questions

1. Do you think comedy is an important tool for social change? Why or why not?

Transcript

Charlie Chaplin was an English comedian and actor. He was born in 1889 in London. Both of his parents were music hall performers, and he began acting on the stage when he was very young. He later moved to the United States to star in vaudeville shows. In 1914, he began acting for a silent-film company, where he invented his alter ego, “The Tramp.” His persona quickly became world famous. He began writing and directing his own silent films, playing The Tramp in many of them. Chaplin’s first sound film, The Great Dictator, parodied Hitler in the early days of World War II. In the 1940s and 1950s, Chaplin began to talk more about his political opinions. The US government feared he was a communist and banned him from the country. He was only invited back to accept an Academy Award in 1972, five years before his death.

Answers to comprehension questions

1a 2c 3c