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Chaplin's time traveler


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I don't see a device, to the left of her hand is her mouth, to the right is her thumb, that's the black spots. I think she is just holding her hat maybe, or she might be trying to conceal her face, maybe the filmmakers are using the same extras over and over?

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Looks to me like it is either a guy in drag who probably didn't want his face to be seen because he'd get ridiculed for dressing up as a woman OR a woman who is simply distressed about unable to remember something. Some people do put their hand to their face when trying to remember. Some even run their fingers through their hair. It's just a gesture.

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The silliest thing I've seen in a long time. Even if a time traveller went back in time with a mobile phone, who are they calling and what cell network are they using???

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It is pretty cool looking. When I first saw it, it was very apparent he/she was on a phone.

But, that is very silly, as Emma said, but curious nonetheless.

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It does look like the person is on a cell phone. I know they didnt have walkie talkies back then but how about hand held radios ?

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call it silly or whatever...its interesting when you first look at it, lol

SideNote: No, i don't believe in time travel

Edited by shaka5
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Can we merge this thread with the one I started yesterday on this subject? I put it under Sightings, Reports, etc. under 1920's Mobile Phone User.

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If it was a radio it would still have an antena. Unless it was broken off.

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If you read the video comments on Youtube you'll see it's a Siemens hearing aid that was made in 1924, which is 4 years prior to when the video was recorded. Perfectly reasonable explanation, I can't believe some people would jump to ridiculous conclusions like time travel when there are any number of other, far more plausible explanations.

The only slightly strange thing is that she appears to be talking, but again there are loads of perfectly reasonable explanations for this. Even if she was just a mad woman it'd be more likely. Hell, before speech recognition software on computers plenty of people used to talk or shout at their computers to try and get them to do something. Would you look at them now and say they were time travelers who were able to verbally communicate with electronic devices?

I don't understand the thinking that goes on in some peoples' heads.

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One thing we need to remember is that Fatty Arbuckle was effectively a pariah throughout the studios after his trials (innocent though he was) and was pretty much unemployable for most of the 1920s.

However, many of his fellow actors felt differently (especially Buster Keaton) and contrived to slip him into various productions, just so Arbuckle could get some paying work.

Basically, I think Fatty is making one of his bootleg appearances here, pretending to be a deaf old harridan (with the hearing aid) and thoroughly enjoying being back in front of a camera. I can definitely see a grin there.

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I have had a look at the clip loads of times, i can see what others are saying about it possibly being a hearing aid, but after googling hearing aids, what the person appears to have/hold against their ear seems to be too big for a hearing aid of that era, not sure what it is, facinating nonetheless. :alien:

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That is defiantly a man. Look how big the shoes are. No women would have shoes that big and when the face looks towards the camera it seems like a man and the man mouth is open enough to be speaking very heavily into whatever is in his hand. Also look at the size of the person's hand. it is just as big as their head. That is no women. And look if you were a time traveler from the future wouldnt u disguise yourself and maybe that why the person is so dressed and concealed. One last thing. That person is defiantly clutching something in his hand and is talking to it pretty loud. My guess would say a phone not trying to remember something or trying not to be seen. That is a phone and that is a man. And women back then had class. They weren't dragging their feet when they walk. That person is not normal and just may be a time traveler

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If you read the video comments on Youtube you'll see it's a Siemens hearing aid that was made in 1924, which is 4 years prior to when the video was recorded. Perfectly reasonable explanation, I can't believe some people would jump to ridiculous conclusions like time travel when there are any number of other, far more plausible explanations.

The only slightly strange thing is that she appears to be talking, but again there are loads of perfectly reasonable explanations for this. Even if she was just a mad woman it'd be more likely. Hell, before speech recognition software on computers plenty of people used to talk or shout at their computers to try and get them to do something. Would you look at them now and say they were time travelers who were able to verbally communicate with electronic devices?

I don't understand the thinking that goes on in some peoples' heads.

I agree, we really underestimate the technology of the time. Really unusual to see in a movie, didn't he say it was from the DVD extras? Maybe that's why it didn't make the movie, that "person" (man, woman, who knows?) was just too strange looking for the big screen

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That is defiantly a man. Look how big the shoes are. No women would have shoes that big and when the face looks towards the camera it seems like a man and the man mouth is open enough to be speaking very heavily into whatever is in his hand. Also look at the size of the person's hand. it is just as big as their head. That is no women. And look if you were a time traveler from the future wouldnt u disguise yourself and maybe that why the person is so dressed and concealed. One last thing. That person is defiantly clutching something in his hand and is talking to it pretty loud. My guess would say a phone not trying to remember something or trying not to be seen. That is a phone and that is a man. And women back then had class. They weren't dragging their feet when they walk. That person is not normal and just may be a time traveler

Wait...your saying women can't have big hands and big feet?? :blink: :blink:

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I agree with supervike... case closed!

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oh come on, its a lady with a hand to her ear mumbling to herself. Maybe she's holding a hearing device, maybe a pack of cigarettes, maybe lots of stuff. If you want to prove time-travel, you need something more convincing.

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My link

This link is about a hearing aid that was available in 1924. There were other hearing aids devices that were made before then. This is the most possible explaination.

Edited by Xpeople
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This has to be the most inconclusive thing I've seen in a while. It makes some of the 2012 claims look reasonable. All I saw was something with their hand to their ear. Claiming the person was talking is unreasonable. Could they be coughing? Could they be clearing their throat? Is there something in their hand? Are they covering their ear for warmth? Are they covering their ear because their ear is bandaged?

Look at the person. Are they dressed for a scorching hot day? If it's a cold day do you lay your hand flat across the ear for warmth or do you bend your hand to cover the finger tips as well?

Video guy talks about a thin flat device in the hand. Frankly, it's not clear anything is in the hand. Might be. Can't say for sure.

Talking? Really? I'm not so sure. This is just grasping at straws by someone that wants to find zebras.

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It could definately be a woman, but I wouldn't rule out a man either....

However, here is a good link to that hearing aide that was mentioned. Looks like the culprit.

http://hearing.siemens.com/sg/10-about-us/01-our-history/milestones.jsp?year=1924

:tu: I agree!

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There are two explanations.

One: it's a hearing aid and a crazy person, or talking loudly to someone off-camera

Two: this is a video edit by this guy who is a FILMMAKER

Hmm which is more likely - crazy person, filmmaker gets famous by internet sensation, or time traveler in Chaplin movie...?

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She/he is singing along to a portable radio. I have done some research but can't find any that size and shape to link too. Some are that size but square. some are that shape but longer.

Edit to add. My grandad said he used to make his own small radios (supposedly everyone did, which came in handy durring world war 2 when you got some time away from the action) but they were quite crackly. Don't know if you could make one with good enough quality that you'd want to hold it to your ear.

Edited by Professor Buzzkill
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There are two explanations.

One: it's a hearing aid and a crazy person, or talking loudly to someone off-camera

Two: this is a video edit by this guy who is a FILMMAKER

Hmm which is more likely - crazy person, filmmaker gets famous by internet sensation, or time traveler in Chaplin movie...?

I think that someone is going to have to pick up the circus DVD to see the extras and confirm that clip to be there...

I don't quite know what to make of it. She looks dressed period appropriate, and I don't think it is a man as has been pointed out...just a big butch lady. I know that there were hearing aids at the time; but even the one linked to from Siemens is a small package with a wire earpiece; the rectangular part is held in a pocket, or by the handle and the earpiece goes up to one ear, like a headphone does...

Even assuming it is a hearing aid...why is she carrying on a conversation? I initially thought that perhaps she was going to the show, and wanted to test her hearing aid before getting into the theater...but after looking at her face and the way she is talking, it seems to me that she is far too animated for something like that. She is talking and slightly smiling...which appears to be more of what you would notice in someone carrying on a conversation.

Of course this is not a "cell phone" as there is no cell towers(AT&T was still working with the last "T"(telegraph) in their name at that time...). Could she just be a crazy person having an animated conversation by herself whilst wearing a hearing aid? Maybe. Again, why is she hold the device as if it were a rectangle and not as if it were a round piece on the end of a wire as we see in the Seimens device?

I am not sure. I haven't seen anything that absolutely debunks the clip...I tried to do a search for hearing aids of the period, to see if it were possible that there are other types that have rectangular earpieces, but no such luck. They were still big on using ear trumpets then...

Not sure what to make of it; it is one of the better mysteries I have seen in a while...

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