When Charlie Met Joan: The Tragedy of the Chaplin Trials and the Failings of American Law

This fizzy history from Kiesel (She Can Bring Us Home), a retired New York Supreme Court judge, recaps Charlie Chaplin’s tumultuous affair with Joan Barry, who was a 21-year-old aspiring actor when she met the 52-year-old director in 1941. Smitten by Barry, Chaplin promised to make her a star, put her on salary at his studio, and ushered her into his bed. After pressuring Barry to abort her two pregnancies with him, Chaplin cooled on their relationship, driving Barry to break into Chaplin’s house and threaten to shoot him or herself. (The confrontation probably ended, Kiesel concludes, in sex.) The mess made global headlines and resulted in Chaplin’s trial on charges of transporting Barry across state lines for immoral purposes and a paternity suit over Barry’s newborn daughter. Chaplin was acquitted of the former, but found liable for child support even though a blood-type test proved he wasn’t the father. Kiesel’s fine-grained character portraits present Chaplin as a charming rake who hammed up his court testimony with fake tears, and Barry as a troubled wannabe starlet taken advantage of by a powerful man. A meticulous retelling of a choice bit of Tinseltown melodrama, this will change how readers see Chaplin. Photos. (Feb.)