Hollywood Under Surveillance: The Growing Threat of Propaganda

Charlie Chaplin’s personal life sparks legal woes. Hedda Hopper, known as the queen of Hollywood gossip, was Chaplin’s nemesis, and she deemed him "un-American.” Joan Barry was just 22 years old when she arrived in Hollywood with dreams of stardom. She soon met Chaplin and the pair became romantically entwined. When the relationship went sour, Chaplin’s enemies – including J Edgar Hoover and columnist and radio star Hopper – saw an opportunity. Chaplin soon landed in court facing charges under the White-Slave Traffic Act.

Archive: The Hedda Hopper Show, 3 December 1940 J. Edgar Hoover, Battle of the United States, Army-Navy Screen Magazine, 1940 Pearl Harbor newsflash, WOR Radio 1941 The Great Dictator, Charlie Chaplin, United Artists, 1940