The 14 Best Google Doodle’s Of All Time – SlashGear

Over several decades, Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed, and starred in more than 80 movies including “The Great Dictator” and “City Lights.” Through his signature style, slapstick humor, and charm, Chaplin captivated audiences and drove people to laughter and tears all without needing to utter a single word.

Being the world’s leading man didn’t protect him from the Red Scare. According to History Daily, his movies “Modern Times” and “The Dictator” caught the attention of J. Edgard Hoover, then director of the F.B.I., who thought Chaplin was beginning to sound too much like a communist. Those concerns, and others like them, eventually lead to the McCarthy era and the communist witch hunts. On September 18, 1952, Chaplin left the country to promote a movie, with the full intention of returning. However, the Attorney General announced that he would be denied entry if he attempted to return. He came back to the United States only one time, 20 years after his exile, to accept an award at the Oscars.

There’s no way to make up for what was done to Chaplin, but Google made a symbolic gesture on April 16, 2011, what would have been Chaplin’s 122^nd birthday. Visitors were presented with a short silent film featuring a Chaplin lookalike who attempts to draw a doodle of his own while falling victim to classic Chaplin hijinks.