and I'd like to talk for a few minutes about the work of Charlie Chaplin, who was one of the cinema's greatest comedians.

Born in England, Chaplin immigrated to the United States.

He was a vaudeville comedian who worked on stage,

but he found a home at Keystone originally, making Keystone comedies, and there he honed his craft.

One of his earliest films was a movie called "The Kid Auto Races at Venice,"

and this film had absolutely no plot at all.

It was basically a soapbox derby that was going on at Venice, California,

and Max Sennet said, "just go to the finish line and make a nuisance of yourself, and we'll just build something out of that."

And it's the first evocation of "the tramp" character on screen, whom he would build up over the years.

As time went by, Chaplin became incredibly well paid.

And then he went on to direct a series of feature films in his own studio.

He was one of the few comedians to have a combination of business sense...

He was also a brilliant screenwriter, director and actor.

And by 1925, when he made "The Gold Rush," he had complete creative control over his work.

He also very famously resisted the coming of sound saying:

"the moment that the tramp speaks, all of the mystery and magic will be gone."

So, he made "City Lights" in 1931 with the tramp character.

1936, his satire of modern industrial methods called "Modern Times"... 1936, but still essentially a silent picture,

with just music and sound effects.

It wasn't until 1940, when he made "The Great Dictator," which was his brilliant satire of Adolph Hitler,

that he actually spoke on the screen. He played Adenoid Hinkle, who was a parody of Adolph Hitler.

And he does a fantastic scene where he floats the earth as this globe... my world... this poetic dance with this huge globe. It's just an amazing film.

After that, his career became more problematic for many people.

He directed a brilliant, but very dark comedy, called "Monsieur Verdoux," about a mass murderer who kills a series of wives for money.

"Limelight" in 1952, was about an aging clown.

"A King in New York" in 1957, and then "A Countess in Hong Kong," his final feature in 1967.

Darkening all of this just a shade was the fact that in 1952, he was forced to leave the United States.

On a publicity tour of England, he was refused re-admitance by the FBI, and labeled as a communist.

He settled in England, and then moved to Switzerland.

And it was only in 1972 that he was brought back and given an Academy Award, which he so richly deserved.

CHAPLIN: "Oh, you're wonderful, sweet people. Thank you."

He was also a great composer. He wrote a lot of songs that are pop songs, for example, "Love, Here is my Song,"

which was a huge hit for Petula Clark.

And had a surprisingly rich song book.

So, Charlie Chaplin, a rennaisance man... one of the great comedians of all time,

and someone who's films you should absolutely see at the early possible convenience.

I'm Wheeler Winston Dixon for Frame By Frame.