The following six lots are from the collection of the late Wheeler Dryden -- half-brother to Charles and Sydney Chaplin
Wheeler Dryden (1892-1957) was the illegitimate son of English Music Hall star George Dryden Wheeler (stage name -- Leo Dryden) and Hannah Chaplin (stage name -- Lily Harley). He was born on August 31st, 1892 however his father's liason with the mother he shared with Charlie and Sydney Chaplin did not survive very long, as Leo Dryden snatched his son away when he was only six months old. Wheeler was reared by his father away from Sydney and Charlie and went to India in 1912 with his father's Variety company. He remained in the Far East touring with various theatrical companies and became principal comedian of the Charles Howitt and A.Phillips Dramatic and Comedy Repertoire Company.
It wasn't until 1915 that Wheeler Dryden learnt from his father of his connection with Charlie and Sydney Chaplin. [Sydney Chaplin's father was Sydney Hawke who didn't marry Hannah Chaplin, their son took the name Chaplin]. In 1917 Wheeler Dryden wrote to Edna Purviance, leading lady with Charlie Chaplin's film company, to ask her to intercede with Charlie and Sydney on his behalf. He had written to both his half-brothers on a number of occasions after learning of their connection, telling them all about himself and explaining why he had not been in contact before -- but he had failed to receive any acknowledgement from them.
In his letter to Edna Purviance, Wheeler Dryden assured her that his motives for contacting Charlie and Sydney Chaplin were not mercenary and that he only wanted their ...FRIENDSHIP and brotherly interest in [his] work... It would appear that Edna Purviance responded to his appeal and Charlie and Sydney did finally recognise their long lost half-brother. In the mid 1920s he visited Hollywood and was reunited with his mother after thirty years. In the late 1920s Sydney Chaplin thought highly enough of Wheeler to propose to take him on as assistant in his abortive British production venture. In 1939 Dryden joined Chaplin's permanent studio staff as assistant director on The Great Dictator and remained at the studio until Chaplin's departure from the U.S.A. in 1952. Chaplin first made his relationship public with Dryden via the studio, when he cast him in the role of a doctor in the 1952 film Limelight, Dryden was also credited as assistant producer on this film.
Wheeler Dryden acted as manager of the Charlie Chaplin studio after the death of Alfred Reeves in 1946. Dryden was devoted to Charlie Chaplin ...On the set he would follow Chaplin at a respectful distance, warding off the importunate, seeing that Chaplin's meditations were not disturbed, bringing him dates and fruit, always ready with anything he needed. Sometimes he might attempt a helpful suggestion, and bore it patiently if Chaplin's dismissal of it was brusque... Dryden suffered considerably when Charlie Chaplin ran into trouble with the U.S. governement and was banned from returning to America following his departure from the country for the world premiere of Limelight in London in 1952 ...He felt that he had been abandoned when first Charlie and then Sydney left California...his last days were troubled by paranoid fears of persecution by the F.B.I....
Wheeler Dryden
Details
Wheeler Dryden
A collection of personal correspondence, press cuttings, photographs and documents including: a quantity of letters written to Dryden in India, circa 1913-1916; approximately sixty publicity postcards of Dryden, two signed by subject, a number featuring Dryden in various roles with the Howitt Phillip Company and the Gray Seal company circa 1918-1920, programmes featuring Dryden, photographs of Dryden's colleagues in various productions; a number of letters from Dryden's fiancee Shirley Woolman, various dates 1927-1929; a quantity of personal and business correspondence received by Dryden circa 1930s-1940s; a copy of a magazine article [n.d. but 1928] referring to Hannah Chaplin's relationship with her son Charlie; a number of file copies of typescript letters written by Dryden circa 1930s-1940s including two typescript letters, signed, to Sydney and Gypsy [Chaplin], the former January 24th, 1946, referring to Monsieur Verdoux, telling them ...C was down at the Studio a day or two ago...He read us several portions of his script...I really think that if it "plays" as well as it "reads" it will be a great success..it contains much subtle satire...a good sprinking (sic) of the ususal Chaplin philosophy concerning the State, the Church, and Life in general...balanced by the truly hilarious comedy... and asking for Sydney's help in procuring a role ...I do wish he'd give me the chance to play the part of the chemist ...It isn't a big part, but it is "showy" and I think I have the necessary pedantic, proffessor-ish enunciation for the role....Could you suggest me for the part when you next see or 'phone C?... 1p. signed; several of Dryden's translations of letters written to Chaplin in foreign languages, a file copy of a letter to Dryden's cousin Ada [n.d. but 1951] telling her of his roles as the doctor and a Pantaloon in the film Limelight; and related material (a lot)
A collection of personal correspondence, press cuttings, photographs and documents including: a quantity of letters written to Dryden in India, circa 1913-1916; approximately sixty publicity postcards of Dryden, two signed by subject, a number featuring Dryden in various roles with the Howitt Phillip Company and the Gray Seal company circa 1918-1920, programmes featuring Dryden, photographs of Dryden's colleagues in various productions; a number of letters from Dryden's fiancee Shirley Woolman, various dates 1927-1929; a quantity of personal and business correspondence received by Dryden circa 1930s-1940s; a copy of a magazine article [n.d. but 1928] referring to Hannah Chaplin's relationship with her son Charlie; a number of file copies of typescript letters written by Dryden circa 1930s-1940s including two typescript letters, signed, to Sydney and Gypsy [Chaplin], the former January 24th, 1946, referring to Monsieur Verdoux, telling them ...C was down at the Studio a day or two ago...He read us several portions of his script...I really think that if it "plays" as well as it "reads" it will be a great success..it contains much subtle satire...a good sprinking (sic) of the ususal Chaplin philosophy concerning the State, the Church, and Life in general...balanced by the truly hilarious comedy... and asking for Sydney's help in procuring a role ...I do wish he'd give me the chance to play the part of the chemist ...It isn't a big part, but it is "showy" and I think I have the necessary pedantic, proffessor-ish enunciation for the role....Could you suggest me for the part when you next see or 'phone C?... 1p. signed; several of Dryden's translations of letters written to Chaplin in foreign languages, a file copy of a letter to Dryden's cousin Ada [n.d. but 1951] telling her of his roles as the doctor and a Pantaloon in the film Limelight; and related material (a lot)
Literature
ROBINSON, David Chaplin His Life & Art, London: Collins, 1985, pp. 15, 114-5, 216-9, 272, 396, 493, 505-6, 558, 565, 580-1, 607.