In 1918, the three heavyweights of the screen – Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and Mary Pickford promoted the sales of Liberty Bonds on Wall Street for the war effort.

Douglas Fairbanks lifts Charlie Chaplin for the cameras, while standing on the George Washington monument at the United States Sub Treasury building (now Federal Hall) on Wall Street, New York City, 1918.

On April 6, 1917, the United States entered World War 1, and began selling bonds to raise funds for the war effort. Initially the Bonds sales were quite weak.  Most Americans in the late 1910s had never bought a bond of any kind. So to promote sales the government enlisted celebrities to help, mainly motion picture stars, since New York at that time were filled with them. Hollywood wasn’t quite the center of the film Industry just yet.

So on to the year 1918, on April 9, the New York Tribune headline reads, “20,000 Throng Wall Street to Hear Movie Stars Tell How To Win War.”

The crowds gather to hear Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford talk about Liberty Bonds.

Towards the middle of the lunch hour, Charlie Chaplin took to the megaphone “I have never made a speech before in my life,” he says. “But I believe I can make one now.” After a few words, he goes on to say that if “the army and navy of Uncle Sam,” had the dollars, so that “we can drive that old devil, the Kaiser, out of France.”

Charlie Chaplin takes to the megaphone.
Chaplin says if “the army and navy of Uncle Sam,” had the dollars, so that “we can drive that old devil, the Kaiser, out of France.”

“Fairbanks next bounced into the limelight,” write the New York Tribune. “His leaps and bounds soon must have convinced the skeptics that no optical illusions all camera tricks are responsible for the antics of ‘Doug’ on the screen.” After climbing onto the statue of George Washington, a smiling and exuberant Fairbanks faced the crowd “Hello, everybody,” he said. ‘I used to work down here about ten years ago.” Early in his acting career, Fairbanks worked as a clerk in a wall street office, while between acting jobs. After speaking for several minutes and goofing around with Chaplin, Fairbanks declared “Folks, I’m so hoarse from urging people to buy Liberty bonds that I can hardly speak.” The New Tribune goes on to say that it was difficult to determined “whether Chaplin of Fairbanks got the more enthusiastic reception.” But there was one thing that did get a big reception, and that was when Fairbanks lifted Chaplin onto his shoulders. “The 20,000-odd howled with delight.”

Fairbanks led the crowd in a rendition of “Over There,” the American war anthem written by Broadway impresario George M. Cohan, the previous year. 
“Hello, everybody,” he said. “I used to work down here about ten years ago,” said Fairbanks to the crowd.
Fairbanks lifting Chaplin up over his shoulders to the delight of the 20,000 strong crowd.

Only forty policeman were there to keep control of the crowds. I guess they were busy elsewhere that day. They “suffered as a result of the popularity of the two film actors,” said the New York Tribune. That wasn’t their only problems. Due to the excitement, several woman fainted (I don’t blame them), ambulances were soon called. Thought no one was seriously hurt.

Though it was mainly Fairbanks and Chaplin that did the talking, Mary Pickford made a cameo appearance, she was also on a war bonds tour through America at this time.  The following year, Pickford, and Fairbanks, with whom she was having an affair with, and later married, Chaplin and the film director D.W. Griffith would make history by founding the United Artists Corporation.

“America’s Sweetheart” Mary Pickford takes center stage.

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