The Churchill Series – July 26, 2006

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

Folks, I promised to mention today Churchill’s description of his visit to the Grand Canyon in September, 1929. I’m traveling now and didn’t pack the book that has that account.

I’m sorry. I’ll get it done next week.

Meanwhile, a little “this and that” from a letter Churchill wrote Clementine at the time as he and his brother Jack, and their sons, Randolph and Johnny, completed the California part of their trip and prepared to journey by train across America to New York:

We made great friends with Charlie Chaplin. You could not help liking him. The boys were fascinated by him. He is a marvelous comedian – bolshy in politics – delightful in conversation.

He acted his new film for us in a wonderful way. It is to be his great attempt to prove that the silent drama or pantomime is superior to the new talkies. Certainly if pathos & wit stil count for anything it ought to win an easy victory. …

We went on Sunday in a yacht to Catalina Island….We had only one hour there. People go for weeks & months without catching a swordfish – so they all said it was quite useless my going out in the fishing boat which had been provided. However, I went out & of course I caught a monster in 20 minutes.

The swordfish weighed 188 pounds. In Speaking for Themselves: The Personal Letters of Winston and Clementine Churchill, which their daughter, Lady Mary Soames, edited, there’s a wonderful photo (photo after p. 228, letter p. 347) of Churchill on the dock, rod and reel in hand, with the fish hoisted up beside him. The fish looks to be about 11 ft. long, swordtip to tail.

And Churchill! He's dressed in “Sunday best.” Suit, vest, shirt and tie. He’s wearing his watch chain. His shoes are shined. He looks like he’s dressed for Parliament.

Imagine the pantomime Chaplin could have done of “Winston and the fish.”