It seems apropos to begin the New Year with advice from Charlie Chaplin about living a long life. He lived a long life, 88 years and died on Christmas Day of 1977. There will be several additional articles regarding his film career.

At first glance, many people viewed Chaplin as just a comedian. He was good for a laugh. The tragedy of that is that many missed his message. He said of his early life, “I was hardly aware of a crisis because we lived in a continual crisis; and, being a boy, I dismissed our troubles with gracious forgetfulness.”

This is the backstory to living a long life. I want to resurrect Chaplin for the crisis and chaos we will face in the New Year. There wasn’t anything funny about his early life. He lived with his mother after his father left the family. His father never helped support his family; he merely abandoned them. Due to the near-total lack of money, Chaplin wound up at the age of seven at the Lambeth Workhouse. When he was ten, his mother wound up in a mental institution. Since his father was the only family member, Chaplin was forced to stay with his abusive alcoholic father. When his father soon died, Chaplin had to take care of his mother until she died.

During the tragic life of Chaplin’s mother, he quit school in his early teens. Strangely, the one shining light in his life was acting. He began acting in his mid-teens. By 1910, Chaplin was the lead character, solidifying his desire and acting ability.

Chaplin toured America with a British vaudeville group. Several years later, he returned to the States and began acting in silent films for $150/week. Chaplin soon developed the character of the Tramp.

Chaplin’s personification of the Tramp

It wasn’t long before Chaplin directed his first film in 1914. This is a short scene in Caught in the Rain, where Chaplin plays the Tramp.

It wasn’t long before he left the New York film company for one in Chicago. Soon after, he went to Mutual Films, which became RKO Pictures. By then, his contract was $670,000/year. However, by 1918, he had his own studio.

In 1920, he released The Kid, which dealt with poverty and a child growing up in a similar situation he did. Chaplin felt that The Gold Rush was his greatest achievement. It cost nearly a million dollars to make and grossed in the States $5 million. Chaplin produced 81 films during his life.

Reflecting upon his long and often troubled life, especially his early years, he came up with his four suggestions for a long life.

1. Nothing is forever in this world, not even our problems.
2. I love walking in the rain because no one can see my tears.
3. The most lost day in life is the day we don’t laugh.
4. Six best doctors in the world…the sun, rest, exercise, diet, self-respect, friends. Stick to them at all stages of your life and enjoy a healthy life…”

The first three suggestions obviously reflected his early years of poverty, with both parents having wrenching problems. Chaplin’s final recommendation is his six best doctor’s ideas for longevity. He understood that employing them was critical not only for a long life span but for meaning and happiness.

As we begin a New Year, it is filled with lurking problems that we face personally and as a nation. Charlie Chaplin can be a role model for each of us. He didn’t have an easy life, but he survived and accomplished a great deal.