Charlie Chaplin’s famous “lucky leather boots” were an iconic part of his Tramp costume.
The baggy trousers, tight jacket, bowler hat and cane defined his character. The boots became legendary not only for their comic use but represented hardship, resilience and humor through adversity.
In the 1925 film The Gold Rush, Chaplin ate one of these boots in a scene where his character faces starvation — a moment often cited as one of the most famous in silent film history. The prop used in the scene was made of licorice so Chaplin could safely chew and swallow it during multiple takes. They filmed upward of 60 takes and Chaplin was hospitalized for a short time due to a sugar overdose. In history, people truly have eaten their leather shoes to survive.