Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus welcome retired New York Supreme Court judge and author Diane Kiesel to explore the scandalous romance between film icon Charlie Chaplin and young aspiring actress Joan Barry. The explosive courtroom drama that followed—set against Chaplin’s famously chaotic personal life—reveals much about fame, justice, and power in America.

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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Introductions
3:06 - Charlie Chaplin: The Man Behind the Tramp
6:30 - The Juicy Hollywood Story: Chaplin’s Relationships
7:36 - The Legal Journey: How a Judge Writes a Biography
10:25 - Joan Barry: The Woman Behind the Scandal
13:44 - Charlie Chaplin’s Romantic History
20:54 - The Complicated Relationship: Victim or Victimizer?
24:15 - The FBI Investigation: Politics and Scandal
27:23 - The Complicated Relationship: Victim or Victimizer? PT.2
34:11 - The Media Circus of the Chaplin Trial
39:59 - The Role of the Judge and Legal Maneuvering
45:51 - Joan’s Paternity Lawsuit and It’s Implications
54:38 - The Aftermath: Chaplin's Career and Joan's Struggles
1:06:05 - Final Thoughts

EPISODE LINKS:
Diane Kiesel – https://www.dianekiesel.com
When Charlie Met Joan – https://press.umich.edu/Books/W/When-Charlie-Met-Joan2
Mary Louise Gribble (“Joan Barry”) – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150198409/mary_louise-baker
2026 Prose Award in Biography – https://publishers.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-PROSE-Awards-Finalists-and-Category-Winners-1.pdf
Keystone Comedy – https://www.britannica.com/topic/Keystone-Kops
Mack Sennett – https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mack-Sennett
The Little Tramp – https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/jan/27/charlie-chaplin-tramp-birth-hero
The Great Dictator – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032553/
Modern Times – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027977/?ref_=fn_t_1
Paulette Goddard – https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paulette-Goddard
J. Paul Getty – https://www.britannica.com/money/J-Paul-Getty
Tim Durant – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0243885/
The Gold Rush – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015864/?ref_=fn_t_1
Oona O'Neill – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0152253/
The Mann Act – https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/mann_act
Hedda Hopper – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0394407/
Fatty Arbuckle scandal – https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/11/fatty-arbuckle-and-the-birth-of-the-celebrity-scandal
Jerry Giesler – https://www.nytimes.com/1962/01/02/archives/jerry-giesler-75-lawyer-is-dead-he-won-fame-for-defending-hollywood.html
James Francis Thaddeus O'Connor – https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/oconnor-james-francis-thaddeus
Charles H. Carr – https://www.fjc.gov/node/1378866
Samuel Marx – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0555674/
Joseph Scott – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Scott_(attorney)
Monsieur Verdoux – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039631/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_4_nm_0_in_0_q_Monsieur%20Vodou%20

PODCAST INFO:
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