This costume test for an unfilmed sequence shows Charlie Chaplin as a duke—the way the blind flower girl envisioned her supposedly wealthy benefactor.
This excerpt from the short film THE CHAMPION, directed by Charlie Chaplin in 1915 for the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, shows that some of the Tramp’s fancy footwork in CITY LIGHTS had a clear precedent.
In this footage captured at the Chaplin Studios in 1918, Charlie Chaplin is seen first with British bantamweight boxer Harry Mansell and assistant director Chuck Reisner, and then with American lightweight boxer Benny Leonard, who is introduced by Chaplin’s half brother, Sydney.
