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When Charlie Met Joan
The Tragedy of the Chaplin Trials and the Failings of American Law
by Diane Kiesel
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Book Presentation:
Charlie Chaplin, the silent screen’s “Little Tramp,” was beloved by millions of movie fans until he starred in a series of salacious, real-life federal courtroom dramas. The 1944 trial was described by ace New York Daily News reporter Florabel Muir as “the best show in town.” The leading lady was a woman under contract to his studio—red-haired ingénue Joan Barry, Chaplin’s protégée and former mistress. Although he beat the federal criminal trial, Chaplin lost a paternity case and had to pay child support despite blood type evidence that proved he was not the child’s father.
A decade later during the Cold War, the U.S. government used the Barry trials as an excuse to bar the left-leaning, sexually adventurous, British-born comic from the country he had called home for forty years. Not only did these trials have a lasting impact on law; they also raise concerns about the power of celebrity, Cold War politics, the media frenzy surrounding high-profile court proceedings, and the sorry history of the casting couch. When Charlie Met Joan examines these trials from the perspective of both parties, asking whether Chaplin was unfairly persecuted by the government because of his left-leaning political beliefs, or if he should have been held more accountable for his cavalier treatment of Barry and other women in his life.
About the Author:
Diane Kiesel is a retired judge of the New York Supreme Court. Her other books include She Can Bring Us Home: Dr. Dorothy Boulding Ferebee, Civil Rights Pioneer, and Domestic Violence: Law, Policy, and Practice.
Press Reviews:
"Kiesel’s account makes for entertaining and respectfully salacious reading–there is a lot of fooling around in the book–with astute assessments of the political, legal and culture milieus of the era." ― William P. Barrett, New to Las Vegas Published On: 2025-01-10
"Kiesel’s fine-grained character portraits present Chaplin as a charming rake who hammed up his court testimony with fake tears, and Barry as a troubled wannabe starlet taken advantage of by a powerful man. A meticulous retelling of a choice bit of Tinseltown melodrama, this will change how readers see Chaplin." ― Publishers Weekly
"[M]ultiple wrongs don’t make a right, and today’s #MeToo movement would find much to sympathize with in Barry’s situation, as the author points out. Did any of it justify Chaplin being dragged repeatedly into court, smeared, and eventually deported? No. But it more than justifies When Charlie Met Joan, a terrific tale of Old Hollywood and a legal system gone awry." ― Ken Ackerman, Washington Independent Review of Books Published On: 2025-02-28
"Kiesel's book invites a reassessment of the individuals and legal processes in play and provides an opportunity to reflect on how changes in gender politics, science, and the law impact our perceptions."
― Jeremy Conrad, Washington Lawyer
"Not many biographers are able to do such a service for the lives of their subjects, and in this case, provide the justice to Joan Barry’s story that Chaplin, the courts, and her own family were not able to supply." ― Carl Rollyson, The New York Sun Published On: 2025-03-07
"Readers will feel as though they are in the courtroom. Kiesel makes the testimony come alive." ― Laura A. Ward, New York Law Journal
See the publisher website: University of Michigan Press
See the complete filmography of Charlie Chaplin on the website: IMDB ...
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