This failed Charlie Chaplin project did not die in vain. It germinated in the tramp's head for 33 years, and was put over to great effect in the feature-length talkie, LIMELIGHT, in 1952. In fact, a flea circus routine is shown in its entirety during the heyday of London's funniest Vaudeville type, Calvero, during a flashback, and later partially reprized for LIMELIGHT's grand finale. Obviously, it is easier to pantomime dancing buns, as Chaplin's tramp character did for the girls at his cabin in Gold Rush, than it is to pull off a flea circus sans sound. But Chaplin as Calvero in LIMELIGHT recalls Red Skeleton at his best with the perfect timing of his flea circus routine, which augments the expected slapstick with a surprising ribald opening "dialog" with Calvero's pair of fleas. Someone famous probably said failure sometimes is more interesting than success, but in the case of Charlie Chaplin flea circuses, this simply is not true. Therefore, invest some time in watching LIMELIGHT, to which I gave a rating of 9 out of a possible 10. Thought not a silent, LIMELIGHT is as poignant as anything done by the mute tramp.
Review of The Professor
