In May, 1943, a young red-haired, freckled-faced woman walked into the office of Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper and said she had a story to tell. It involved one of America's most beloved comedians, a secret love affair and, she said, a child that was on the way.
In the weeks that followed, Joan Berry's accusations against Charlie Chaplin--the legendary "Little Tramp" of silent films--would explode into one of Hollywood's biggest scandals. Chaplin would issue statements to the press. Authorities would launch criminal investigations. And the press would have a field day.
The Chaplin case was the stuff of tabloids: a 23-year-old aspiring actress claiming to be pregnant by a 54-year-old titan of film; gunplay and rumors of sex in a Beverly Hills mansion; allegations of "white slavery"; paternity suits, blood tests, criminal charges and people breaking down in tears on the witness stand.
Not unlike the titillating drama now unfolding in New York between Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, the Chaplin-Berry saga nearly 50 years ago captivated America. Both men were powerful, respected filmmakers who had attained a level of stature and popularity few enjoyed in the movie industry, until they became the focus of embarrassing allegations in their private lives that threatened to tarnish their image.
It's too early to tell how this week's disclosures about Allen's romance with Farrow's 21-year-old adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Farrow Previn, and accusations that he may have abused the couple's 7-year-old daughter will affect Allen's career. But sex-related scandals have damaged or threatened to ruin plenty of others throughout Hollywood's history.
Some of the notorious examples:
* Silent screen star Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle had been one of America's favorite actors until he was charged with murder in the 1921 death of model Virginia Rappe. Newspapers speculated that the 266-pound Arbuckle had raped the 25-year-old woman with a bottle during a drunken orgy at the Hotel St. Francis in San Francisco. Arbuckle was tried three times and was finally acquitted, but his acting career faltered.
* Roman Polanski, the director of "Rosemary's Baby" and "Chinatown," fled the United States in 1977 before being sentenced on one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Polanski never returned. Though he has continued to make movies abroad, such as "Tess" and "Frantic," the promise he showed in the early '70s hasn't been fulfilled.
