A bowler hat and cane that belonged to silent film star
Charlie Chaplin will go under the hammer in Los Angeles
this weekend. REUTERS/Bonham's/Handout
One of Charlie Chaplin's iconic bowler hats and canes,
the staple of Hollywood silent-era comedy, will go under the
hammer in Los Angeles this weekend, auction house Bonhams said.
Chaplin's hat and cane - synonymous with his trademark
"Little Tramp" character in films such as "City Lights" and
"Modern Times" - are expected to fetch between $40,000 and
$60,000 in the November 18 auction.
It is unknown how many of Chaplin's bowlers and canes still
exist, said Lucy Carr, a memorabilia specialist at Bonhams.
The ones up for auction come from a private collection but
have a direct link to Chaplin, Carr said.
The waddling and bumbling Little Tramp character propelled
Chaplin to global fame. The character, which Hollywood legend
says was created by accident on a rainy day at Keystone
Studio, first appeared in 1914's "Kid Auto Races at Venice"
and lastly in 1936's "Modern Times."
Chaplin's hat and cane are the highlights of an auction of
popular culture artifacts including a saxophone that belonged
to jazz pioneer Charlie Parker ($22,000-$26,000) and a
handwritten letter from John Lennon in which The Beatle
sketched himself and wife Yoko Ono nude ($18,000-$22,000).
Other items hitting the block range from an archive of
Marilyn Monroe photographs ($15,000-$20,000), an early
Charles Schulz "Peanuts" comic strip ($10,000-$15,000) and a
wicker chair from Rick's Cafe in "Casablanca"
($5,000-$7,000).
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