In 1936 Charlie Chaplin’s little tramp, had been one of the most internationally loved and recognizable figures in the world for over two decades. In Modern Times, Chaplin sang Léo Daniderff’s comical song “Je cherche après Titine”, marking it as the very first time that the world heard his voice, after 20 years of working in silent pictures. Chaplin’s version, also known as “The Nonsense Song”, was actually sang in gibberish since his character loses his shirt cuff which had the lyrics written down. While his lyrics appear to contain words from French and Italian, they are nonsensical and in no specific language. In fact the post production film dialogue continuity for foreign distribution of the film simply states:
“Note! Very important. Mr Chaplin sings a song in a ‘Bogus’ language (no translation needed)”
Watch below. Enjoy!
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