Scott Detrow

Jack Warner had just had a meeting with Roosevelt in the Oval Office.

Exactly. And Roosevelt had heard the mutterings about Chaplin making an anti-Hitler satire. And he brought it up to Warner that he certainly hoped Chaplin was going to go ahead and make the film because he thought it would do a lot of good.

Exactly. And Roosevelt had heard the mutterings about Chaplin making an anti-Hitler satire. And he brought it up to Warner that he certainly hoped Chaplin was going to go ahead and make the film because he thought it would do a lot of good.

Exactly. And Roosevelt had heard the mutterings about Chaplin making an anti-Hitler satire. And he brought it up to Warner that he certainly hoped Chaplin was going to go ahead and make the film because he thought it would do a lot of good.

And Warner wrote a letter to Chaplin reporting his conversation with the president and said, if President Roosevelt believes it'll do a lot of good, so do I. I hope you go and make it, Charlie. He didn't offer to help. But he was passing along the story. He didn't really need to pass along the story. Chaplin was totally committed. But nobody wanted that film made.

And Warner wrote a letter to Chaplin reporting his conversation with the president and said, if President Roosevelt believes it'll do a lot of good, so do I. I hope you go and make it, Charlie. He didn't offer to help. But he was passing along the story. He didn't really need to pass along the story. Chaplin was totally committed. But nobody wanted that film made.

And Warner wrote a letter to Chaplin reporting his conversation with the president and said, if President Roosevelt believes it'll do a lot of good, so do I. I hope you go and make it, Charlie. He didn't offer to help. But he was passing along the story. He didn't really need to pass along the story. Chaplin was totally committed. But nobody wanted that film made.

The British Foreign Office didn't want the film made because Neville Chamberlain was the prime minister. And he was attempting to appease Hitler. Unsuccessfully, obviously. The American Congress was totally isolationist. And the industry also. The American film industry thought it was a dangerous film to make. But Chaplin basically ignored everybody.

The British Foreign Office didn't want the film made because Neville Chamberlain was the prime minister. And he was attempting to appease Hitler. Unsuccessfully, obviously. The American Congress was totally isolationist. And the industry also. The American film industry thought it was a dangerous film to make. But Chaplin basically ignored everybody.

The British Foreign Office didn't want the film made because Neville Chamberlain was the prime minister. And he was attempting to appease Hitler. Unsuccessfully, obviously. The American Congress was totally isolationist. And the industry also. The American film industry thought it was a dangerous film to make. But Chaplin basically ignored everybody.

The Nazi representative in Los Angeles was a man named George Gisling. And his job essentially was to strong-arm anybody that wanted to make an anti-Nazi picture by writing a threatening letter or two or three.

The Nazi representative in Los Angeles was a man named George Gisling. And his job essentially was to strong-arm anybody that wanted to make an anti-Nazi picture by writing a threatening letter or two or three.

The Nazi representative in Los Angeles was a man named George Gisling. And his job essentially was to strong-arm anybody that wanted to make an anti-Nazi picture by writing a threatening letter or two or three.

And he wrote a threatening letter to the head of the Motion Picture Association, a man named Joe Breen, inquiring us to Chaplin's plans to make this film about, clearly, manifestly about Hitler. and Breen reported back that he'd asked Chaplin about it, and Chaplin said, well, there's no script, there's no story, there's no nothing.

And he wrote a threatening letter to the head of the Motion Picture Association, a man named Joe Breen, inquiring us to Chaplin's plans to make this film about, clearly, manifestly about Hitler. and Breen reported back that he'd asked Chaplin about it, and Chaplin said, well, there's no script, there's no story, there's no nothing.

And he wrote a threatening letter to the head of the Motion Picture Association, a man named Joe Breen, inquiring us to Chaplin's plans to make this film about, clearly, manifestly about Hitler. and Breen reported back that he'd asked Chaplin about it, and Chaplin said, well, there's no script, there's no story, there's no nothing.

And if indeed Breen did call him about this, Chaplin was lying through his teeth, because three weeks later he started building sets to make the film. So he was going to go ahead and make the film Come Hell or High Water.

And if indeed Breen did call him about this, Chaplin was lying through his teeth, because three weeks later he started building sets to make the film. So he was going to go ahead and make the film Come Hell or High Water.

And if indeed Breen did call him about this, Chaplin was lying through his teeth, because three weeks later he started building sets to make the film. So he was going to go ahead and make the film Come Hell or High Water.

They were obsessed with the idea that Chaplin was Jewish. That's a very good question because at one point there was a book published in Germany by a Jewish consortium that included Chaplin in a roster of famous show business Jews. which was erroneous. He wasn't Jewish. But he never denied the erroneous charge because he felt it would give aid and comfort to anti-Semites.