The World Celebrates the Little Tramp

In London, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo and other world capitals, official ceremonies and informal celebrations commemorate the 100th anniversary today of the birth of the most famous film actor the United States has ever produced. But there are no fireworks along the Potomac. Official Washington has no plans to mark Charlie Chaplin’s birthday.

Unofficially, in Los Angeles today a local organization of film buffs and preservationists--the Silent Society--is throwing a party at Chaplin’s old studio on La Brea Avenue.

In London, the Princess of Wales is sponsoring a gala in Chaplin’s honor, featuring a screening of his masterpiece, “City Lights.” In France, Minister of Culture Jack Lang climaxes a three-day International Chaplin Symposium (47 papers were discussed by scholars from nine different nations) by presenting a posthumous award, which will be accepted by Chaplin’s daughter, film actress Geraldine Chaplin.

And two weeks ago, at the opening ceremonies of a Moscow film festival, Raisa Gorbachev helped launch the festivities by personally sponsoring the first-ever public screening there of Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator.”