The green canvas director’s chair back used by Chaplin while making the last film he directed, the 1967 comedy A Countess from Hong Kong starring Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren. The piece measures 21.75 x 8 and is stenciled in black ink, “Mr. C. Chaplin…” A notation on the reverse reads, “Used on Countess From Hong-Kong, Pinewood.” In fine condition. This exact director’s chair back can be seen in a still taken on the set during production, showing the ten-year-old Melanie Griffith reading a book about Chaplin’s films; Griffith’s mother, Tippi Hedren, played Martha Mears in the film, the wife of Marlon Brando’s character Ogden Mears. The film was shot entirely at Pinewood Studios outside London, beginning on January 25, 1966. It was both the last film Chaplin directed and his final acting appearance, playing an ‘old steward’ in a cameo role. Artifacts from this film are exceedingly rare, and as this chair back is associated with some of the greatest Hollywood names of all time—personally used by Chaplin while making a film starring Brando and Loren—it is a truly spectacular cinematic piece.
