Charlie Chaplin vs. America cover art

Charlie Chaplin vs. America

When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Charlie Chaplin vs. America

By: Scott Eyman
Narrated by: Phil Thron
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

The “shocking” (The Wall Street Journal), must-read story of Charlie Chaplin’s years of exile from the United States during the postwar Red Scare, and how it ruined his film career, from bestselling biographer Scott Eyman.

Bestselling Hollywood biographer and film historian Scott Eyman tells the story of Charlie Chaplin’s fall from grace. In the aftermath of World War II, Chaplin was criticized for being politically liberal and internationalist in outlook. He had never become a US citizen, something that would be held against him as xenophobia set in when the postwar Red Scare took hold.

Politics aside, Chaplin had another problem: his sexual interest in young women. He had been married three times and had had numerous affairs. In the 1940s, he was the subject of a paternity suit, which he lost, despite blood tests that proved he was not the father. His sexuality became a convenient way for those who opposed his politics to condemn him. Refused permission to return to the US after a trip abroad, he settled in Switzerland and made his last two films in London.

In Charlie Chaplin vs. America, Scott Eyman explores the life and times of the movie genius who brought us such masterpieces as City Lights and Modern Times. “One of the finest surveys of the man and the artist ever written” (Leonard Maltin) this book is “a sobering account of cancel culture in action.” (The Economist).
Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV History & Criticism Entertainment Celebrity

Listeners also enjoyed...

Jane Fonda: The Actress in Her Time cover art
Myrna Loy cover art
The Sun and Her Stars cover art
The Way They Were cover art
Michael Curtiz cover art
Rajesh Khanna cover art
The Brothers Mankiewicz cover art
Woody cover art
20th Century-Fox cover art
Cary Grant cover art
Trumbo cover art
Buster Keaton cover art
Director's Cut cover art
Goldwyn cover art
The Hustons cover art
The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock cover art

Critic reviews

"Scott Eyman, literary critic for the PALM BEACH POST, offers a biography of Hollywood icon Charlie Chaplin. The British actor bridged the transition from silent to talking films and started his own studio. Deep-voiced Phil Thron provides a workmanlike narration. While the audiobook is a biography overall, it focuses on the politics and personal circumstances that caused Chaplin’s somewhat self-imposed exile from the U.S. Background information is shared about Chaplin’s films CITY LIGHTS, MODERN TIMES, MONSIEUR VERDOUX, and, during his exile, the poorly received COUNTESS OF HONG KONG. While Tron’s performance is unadorned, his anchorman style clearly recounts the turbulent times surrounding the genius that was Chaplin and his alter ego, The Little Tramp."
All stars
Most relevant
An amazing and in-depth look at Chaplin’s political beliefs and how it impacted America’s relationship with the man and his little tramp character. Highly recommended if you want to learn more about Chaplin and what made him tick.

Relationship between America and Chaplin

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.