Churchill Series - July 20, 2006

(One of a series of weekday posts on the life of Winston S. Churchill.)

I’m in haste today so just a few items from the old reliable/ unreliable top of my head, but what I say here you can put in the “Reliable” column.

Did you know Churchill spent a few weeks in 1929 in and around Hollywood? William Randolph Hearst and Louis B. Mayer hosted a lunch for him.

He was an overnight guest a Hearst’s famous home, San Simeon.

While he detested Socialism he became friends with many people who were Socialists or had Leftist leanings. Charlie Chaplin was one. He and Churchill seriously considered making a movie together on the young Napoleon’s life. Churchill would write the script for Chaplain. I don’t know if they ever talked about a director, but I bet we can all guess who Churchill had in mind.

Come back tomorrow. We’ll see Churchill in California and euphoric. His stocks are rising rapidly and he’s putting new money into the market. It’s September, 1929. Don’t stocks only go up?