Let’s remember when Seattle held a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest, on this day in 1916 (April 22)
One thing I’ve learned from writing this daily series is that Seattle theater owners of yesteryear love a good publicity stunt. Charlie Chaplin was the most ubiquitous movie star of the time, and he had an iconic look, so look-alike contests were all the rage back then. Reportedly, a young Bob Hope once won a Chaplin look-alike contest in Cleveland, and, according to legend, Chaplin himself place horribly in another.
HistoryLink says of the one in Seattle:
On April 22, 1916, a large Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest is held at the Bon Marché park (later Westlake Park) in downtown Seattle. The event is organized by local movie exhibitor John Hamrick (1876–1956), who had recently secured the film Charlie Chaplin’s Burlesque on Carmen (Essanay, 1916) for his Rex Theatre. The contest draws some 300 participants and ties up part of the downtown area for several hours.
…
Once the procession fully arrived at the Bon Marché park, John Hamrick presided over the contest from a grandstand constructed for the occasion. Organizers went through the crowd and hand-selected several of the boys for a public demonstration, which helped the judges finalize their decisions. It was here that Eddie Moats, the red-headed Chaplin, made his mark on the gathered crowd, though perhaps not in the way he imagined. Plucked from the gaggle of boys for a solo performance, and before a large crowd of onlookers in the park, Moats proceeded to do his best Chaplin walk — only to have his baggy pants slip down around his ankles. Moats’ public “apology” in the Seattle Star provided a humorous framework for the paper’s coverage of the event (“Young Chaplin Makes Apology”).
One wonders if the accident (assuming it really was an accident) helped or hindered Moats — he claimed second place overall, and became the new owner of a $25 watch. First place went to 13-year-old Felix Smith of 2010 Western Avenue, and third place went to 21-year-old James Backis, who gave his residence as the Washington Hotel. Urban Hart, age 8, and George Nelson, age 14, were named runners-up and won season’s passes for two to the Rex (“Young Chaplin Makes Apology”). Felix Smith was subsequently engaged by the Rex to appear in costume at screenings throughout the week following his contest victory.
The winner reportedly won $75, and a lifetime of people telling him, “You know who you look like?”
Read the whole thing:
