| - |
Spotlight
feature:
Keeping the
MAGIC
of
CHAPLIN
Alive...
 |
|
Jack
Slessor as "Charlie Chaplin"
at the 2009 Seniors' and Elders' Day celebration.
|
Charles
Spencer Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin) was born in Walwort, London,
England on April 16 in 1889. He had a career in entertainment
spanning over 75 years, nearly until his death at the age
of 88. He passed away on Christmas Day in 1977. Charles started
out as a child actor on stages in the United Kingdom and it
wasn’t long before he became world renowned. He was a
comedic actor, film director, filmmaker, script writer, as
well as a composer and musician. He became one of the most
famous actors and creative personalities of the silent-film
era and thereafter. You probably remember him best in silent
movies as the ‘Little Tramp.’ Chaplin is credited
for bringing the gift of laughter and relief during times
when the world needed it most - through World War I, the Great
Depression and the rise of Hitler.
Winnipeg’s
own Jack Slessor is carrying on the legacy of Charlie Chaplin,
not letting us forget that value of laughter.
Jack made
his debut as the Little Tramp at Garden City Shopping Centre
25 years ago, on October 5, 1984. Since then, he has made
appearances, not just here in Winnipeg, but internationally.
Recently, Charlie Chaplin (Jack) appeared at the Seniors’
and Elders’ Day celebration on October 1st for the second
year.
How
did Jack Slessor come to be the Little Tramp, you ask?
Well,
here is what he said:
“As
for how I got started... well, I suppose it was the fall of
1984... I was at the U. of W. studying theatre courses. I
think I had just finished taking a mime course–Reg Skene
taught the theoretical portion and his son Rick taught the
hands on (no pun intended) practical portion.
I was
putting myself through school by performing various roles
at special events with Brian Twerdun of Idea Productions.
I guess it was around the middle of September that Brian asked
me one day if I had ever thought about performing as a Chaplin
look-a-like. Brian had done theme events in L.A. and they
had Hollywood type characters like Charlie, Betty Boop, Keystone
Kops, etc., so he wanted to get his own troupe of local characters
together and offer their services as part of his theme parties.
I had
been doing stand-up comedy since high school so I was pretty
quick on my feet with an idea and my imagination, and I always
loved Chaplin's movies, though I wasn't as familiar with them
as I have become over the years. I was currently learning
mime techniques which I thought would allow me to do a better
job of nailing the little tramp character so I said, "Sure,
when did you have in mind?". Naturally, I figured he
would say, "Oh, in a few months." But he said, "Well,
I can book you in a couple of weeks if you think you can be
ready by then. I love a challenge so I said, "Sure".
I remember
it was a Saturday and I immediately went out to a pawn shop
on Main Street by City Hall in Winnipeg and found a pair of
wonderful ole work boots that were big enough for me to fit
a pair of my own size 7 sneakers inside. I still use them
25 years later, though of course they have been resoled several
times. The rest of the costume, I picked up at a second hand
store on Ellice Street, the same day. Needless to say, I spent
lots of time over the next couple of weeks watching Chaplin's
movies and mimicking the Little Tramp's moves in front of
a mirror. My first performance as the Little Tramp look-a-like
was on October 5th, 1984 at Garden City Shopping Centre. Over
the years I would continue to perform Charlie and other assorted
roles, master of ceremonies for Santa’s arrival, etc.,
for the shopping centre and ironically enough, in 1995 I joined
Garden City Shopping Centre as their Marketing Director. Now,
here is a spooky flashback... in high school, back in 1975,
some of my buddies from theatre class gave me a book on Chaplin,
but at the time I never imagined ever performing as the Little
Tramp.
From the
start I have always carried a camera when I performed and
when I came across someone with whom there was that special
"chemistry"... "the magic"... which created
lots of laughs... someone who was a great sport and obviously
enjoying interacting with me, then I would pull out my camera
(mind you this was way before digital cameras) and get someone
else to take our picture. Then I would write a small note
on the back of one of my business cards, with the little tramp
jumping off the film negative role with a rose in hand, and
ask them if I could send them a complimentary copy. Over the
years my wife, Sabrina, who I was dating back in 1984, has
teased me that I should have shares in Kodak for all of the
money I invested in their product. But, now I have thousands
of pictures, each one a memory of a wonderful moment when
I shared some laughs with folks, to help keep the magic of
Chaplin alive with those who grew up with his films, and introduced
his antics to the next generation and brought a little joy
to hundreds of special events. I have performed in Canada,
USA, China and London, England for thousands of people of
all ages in just about every conceivable type of event. A
few years ago, someone asked me what type of event I hadn't
performed at. The list is very long and varied. From street
festivals and trade shows to fundraisers and walk-a-thons
for so many worthwhile organizations, the Little Tramp has
tipped his bowler, swung his cane, kissed the ladies' hands
and smiled for the camera. From familiar annual events to
very special and unique events like the fundraiser for the
victims of 911, the Little Tramp has made an appearance. And
the best part is that during these events I have had the good
fortune to meet and work with hundreds of talented performers
and musicians too.
As I flip
through one of my portfolios I see pictures of Charlie at
Expo ‘86, where I "talked" my way onto the
lot of the British Pavilion, with Lennox Lewis after he had
just won his Gold Medal at the 1988 Olympics, with Vanna White
of "Wheel of Fortune" when she came to Winnipeg,
with the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders at the Variety Club Tele-thon
and my godson Mattais with his fellow Beaver pack members
when I performed for them over 20 years ago. And what is especially
funny about looking at that picture is that just last month
I had the pleasure of being at Mattais's wedding on the west
coast... my how time flies. And no, for this occasion the
bowler, boots and cane were left at home and the closest I
got to performing was when I said a few words as the "Godfather"
and of course had to mimic Marlon Brando from the movie The
Godfather. I see a picture of the Little Tramp in Tiananmen
Square in 2000, and leading the MS Super Cities Walk in 2002,
with Laurel and Hardy at the Grand Opening of the Expanded
Pantages Playhouse in 1993... With WSO's Bramwell Tovey and
CBC's Peter Jordan for the WSO's City Lights in 1990, and
The Gold Rush in 1995... In Picadilly Circus in London, England,
with my big brother Norm in 2005. I even got a reply from
Sir Richard Attenborogh's office when I sent my photos for
consideration when I heard he was going to direct the Chaplin
film which came out in 1992. How I got his contact information
and a reply is a funny story in itself and just one of hundreds
from over the years. Above my computer in the den I am looking
at a picture of me and my mom who passed away in 2003. It
was taken back in 1986 when I performed for Park Manor Personal
Care Home in Transcona where she worked. She used to make
me laugh when she would smile and say "You're such a
comical fellow Jackie." It doesn't get any better than
that.
Over the
years I had so many requests for a "stage" performance
by the Little Tramp that I created a routine called "Little
Tramp In Training' which I rehearsed and showcased for the
first time during the Winnipeg Winter Cities show at the Concert
Hall in 1996 with our eldest daughter Ayla in the role of
my young assistant. Since then, I have expanded this routine
to a "workshop" titled "The Use of Mime in
The Silent Film Era"... a hands-on workshop which I have
performed for seniors centres, boy scouts, girl guides and
many other organizations.
Lots of
laughs, lots of great memories, and of course, meeting lots
of wonderful folks... that's what makes suiting up as the
Little Tramp still so much fun and worthwhile. I think the
smiles on the faces of the people at October 1st Seniors’
and Elders’ Day said it all. I'm a very lucky fellow.
Not only because I am married to the most amazing woman in
the world and we have two lovely daughters, Ayla & Chloe,
wonderful family and friends, but on top of that I stumbled
into a role that has allowed me to be a part of many, very
special moments.”
(Read
more in the Oct. 30/09
issue of Senior Scope)
|
|
William J. Thomas
I
Am Not Aging.
I’m Accumulating Longevity Status
Aging
is okay, given the alternative. But adding years should not
mean subtracting words. I’m sure I’m not the only
man who has this problem and please, don’t get ahead
of me here.
She: “Ah,
Dave called and he wants us to . . . .”
At this
point the way, way overused rolodex in my brain starts spinning
like the back wheels of a light pickup truck in a field of
fresh goose poop.
From a
dead stop at A, my cerebral scanner hits top speed at C and
over runs D by a full letter. Extraneous. Exhaustive, backing
up now . . . beep, beep, beep . . . . Egregious, Expletive
deleted, Egads—here we go again.
Me: “Okay,
Dave my nephew, Dave your brother, Dave Barnard, Doctor Dave,
Dave No Relation Thomas, Super Dave, Die Hard Bill’s
Fan Dave, Dave Patterson, Dave Miller, Dave Nicholson, Dave
Sathmary, Dave Barlow or Dave my former brother-in-law?”
She: “Oh,
sorry, did I say Dave? I meant Dan.”
Oh, boy.
I hit the brain button. The rolodex surges ahead to Excruciating.
Backing up . . . beep, beep, beep . . . to Dan.
Me: “Okay,
Dan my current brother-in-law, Dan Sunday, Dan Patterson,
Dan Kozar, Dan Augustine, Dan The Man, Dan Dee Dan Dan the
guy from Dragnet, Dan Rather or Dan Fogelberg?” (Sorry,
my rolodex hasn’t been updated in months.)
She: “Anyway,
Dan wants us to go and see a movie at that theatre. You know
the one.”
Me: “Niagara
Square, North Park, Seaway Mall, Pen Centre 6, Carleton, Cumberland,
Amherst 3, Maple Ridge 8, Superplex 12 or The Elmwood 16 also
known as the Adam Sandler Museum?”
She: “We’ve
never been to the Superplex! Anyway it’s the movie about
the war.”
I smell
rubber burning as my mental directory races through the alphabet
all the way to Y, Yikes, stops, pulls back one letter to X
for a quick X-ray that shows some damaged cells and a few
overworked fissures. For no apparent reason my rolodex, overwrought
and no doubt delirious, stops at Xerox, drops its pants, jumps
up on the machine and makes a photocopy of its own bum.
Me: “The
war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Darfur, East
Timor, Tibet, Kurdistan, Burma, Columbia, Gaza Strip, Kashmir,
Waziristan, Nigeria or Dick Cheney’s shorts?”
She: “It’s
the diamond war in that country
in Africa.”
Driving
at breakneck speed, backwards to Noise where it hears a squeaky
sound when it hits the brakes. It then proceeds cautiously
to K-Mart where it gets a cheap lube job and while waiting,
buys a couple of K-Tel Sounds Of The Sixties CD’s for
the return trip to A.
Me: “Africa,North
Africa, West Africa, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Angola,
Zambia, Namibia, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea . . . ?”
Due to
recent flooding, my rolodex gets mired up to its axles in
G. Too far to walk all the way to T for a to a tow truck,
it begins to hitchhike when a bunch of Herdsmen walk across
the border from Burkina Faso and push it out of the muck.
I start
again.
Me: “Angola,
Cameroon, Botswana, Rhodesia. Rhodesia!?! Hey, there’s
Ian Smith in a burka!”
She: “I
think it’s set in the diamond mines of Sierra Leone and
it stars that actor you really like.”
A warning
light appears on the dashboard of my scanner.
Me: “Chris
Cooper, Gary Sinise, Toby McQuire, Ryan Gossling, Tom Wilkinson,
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Dan Cheadle, Ralph Fiennes, Colm Meaney,
Colm Feore, Eric Bana, Daniel Day-Lewis, Chris Wilton, Philippe
Noiret, Terrence Howard, Nick Nolte when he’s sober?”
She: “No.
Leonardo DiCaprio.”
Me: “I
don’t like Leonardo DiCaprio.”
She: “Whatever.
Anyway, they want to go to that restaurant first.”
My rolodex
runs out of gas trying to get from A for Actors to R for Restaurants
before they stop serving. Fortunately at P it’s able
to coast into a Petro-Canada station.
Me: “Lucy’s,
Sugars II, San Marco, On the Waterfront, J.C.’s, Casa
Mia, Mama Mia’s, Casa D’Ora, Noir 27, Yukiguni’s,
Chiado, McLaughlins, EastDell Estates, The Rex, Hoovers’
Marina?”
She: “No,
not like a formal restaurant, just a pub like that place beside
the canal.”
My rolodex,
which is now over-heating, losing power and running on two
flat tires boards a laker at Lock 3 for a trip up the Welland
Canal. For some reason they make it wear a life jacket.
Me: “The
Galley, Lotus Garden, Walter’s Neptune, The Smokin’
Budda, Harbour Inn, Deed’s Place, The Bridge Pub, The
Dainer, The Galley?”
She: “No.
You know. The Canalside Pub.”
Me: “Wait.
Wait. Wait. The name of the pub beside the canal you were
trying to come up with was . . . The Canalside Pub?!!!”
She: “Yeah,
that’s it. It’s right beside that shop.”
I can’t
go there. A late-breaking bulletin flashing across my brain
claims my mental rolodex jumped ship near the train bridge
in Dain City. Witnesses said it just stripped down naked and
went straight off the bow clutching the anchor with both arms.
Me: “I
can’t go.”
She: “Why
not?”
Me: “I
have to go lie down on the . . . .”
She: “On
the bed?”
Me: “On
the highway.”
She: “On
the shoulder?”
Me: “The
centre line.”
Unlike
oil, we are not running out of words. People who don’t
use enough words are like drivers who refuse to use their
blinker because they believe it drains the battery. It doesn’t.
I swear. Remember: as we shrink, our vocabularies need not.
_______________________________________
William Thomas is the author of nine books of humour including
Margaret and Me about his wee Irish mother. www.williamthomas.ca
(Read
more in the Oct. 30/09
issue of Senior Scope)
|
