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Nevada's Edna Purviance and Charlie Chaplin
Hollywood's Forgotten Love Story
 Think of Hollywood love stories and certain names come to mind; Bogie and Bacall, Tracy and Hepburn, Liz Taylor and Richard Burton are just a few love matches that have kept Hollywood gossip columnists busy over the years. Long before any of these couples captured the public's imagination there was Charlie Chaplin and Edna Purviance.
They met almost by chance in 1914. She was a young Nevada girl who'd recently left Lovelock, her small hometown, to live in the excitement of San Francisco; he was a handsome British import perched on the threshold of greatness. Armed with a very lucrative Essanay Company contract, Chaplin was in the city looking for a likely lovely to co-star with him in his zany comedies.
The search seemed hopeless. Charlie was ready to give up and go back to Los Angeles when he was introduced to a quiet, shy girl who cashiered at a Market Street drugstore. Blonde and beautiful, she was the epitome of everything the comedian found most appealing. He wasted little time offering her a part in one of his movies.
At last, here was Edna's chance for adventure. She agreed without hesitation and accompanied him back to Los Angeles where a romance quickly ensued. Whether or not she turned out to be a terrible actress, matter little to Chaplin; he was head over heels in love with her. Luckily he had chosen well. Their first picture together was His New Job in 1915. Edna proved to be the perfect co-star for Charlie. They made several other pictures that year including the Chaplin classic, The Tramp
In later years Charlie would claim that Edna had broken his heart first, however she was taken completely by surprise when he married sixteen year old Mildred Harris. Most women would never have forgiven such a betrayal. Edna Purviance was different. She stood by Charlie, forging a friendship with him that would last for the next four decades.
Edna's heart was broken, and she turned to alcohol for solace. Chaplin didn't approve and warned her that drinking was ruinous and unprofessional. She merely laughed at his staunch disapproval and continued to drink.
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