(b Paris, 26 July 1882; d Woodland, CA, 20 May 1956). French theatrical producer. He gained early managerial experience at various Parisian theatres and music halls, including the Folies-Bergère. In 1912 he was appointed joint manager of the Alhambra Theatre, Leicester Square, London, and by 1915 was the managing director, specializing in the presentation of revue. He then produced a series of revues at the Vaudeville Theatre (1916–23) including Some, Cheep, Tabs, Buzz-Buzz, Pot Luck, Snap and Rats. These entertainments defined Charlot’s style as intimate and small-scale, relying on sophisticated material performed by witty personalities with simple, though stylish sets and costumes. He introduced Noël Coward both as a lyricist (Tails Up, 1918) and as a composer (London Calling, 1923). Beatrice Lillie, Gertrude Lawrence and Binnie Hale rose from the ranks of Charlot choruses to stardom. In A to Z at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Jack Buchanan introduced Ivor Novello’s And her mother came too (1921).
Perhaps Charlot’s greatest triumphs were on Broadway, where in 1924 and 1925 he presented editions of Charlot’s London Revue. More used to the lavish spectacles of Florenz Ziegfeld, the Broadway audiences were charmed by the strength of personality of Buchanan, Lillie and Lawrence. As the popularity of revue declined, Charlot, who brought Jerome Kern’s Very Good Eddie to London in 1918, occasionally produced musicals such as Wonder Bar with Elsie Randolph at the Savoy (1930). In 1937 he moved to America and in 1939 became a technical adviser for the Paramount Picture Corporation.
ROBERT HOWIE