The original photo was taken at the Santa Anita Racetrack in 1939, the year before Seabiscuit won in a comeback handicap race at the track. The original Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia, California was opened in 1907. In 1934, it moved to a new location close by at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains. Despite the fact that this reopening happened in the midst of the Great Depression, the horse racing track found financial success in the struggling economy. 

 Over the course of their friendship, they supported each other; Disney even introduced Chaplin to the Waterville Arms Hotel, the County Kerry, Ireland hotel which would become one of Chaplin’s favorites. By the time this picture was taken, Chaplin had already had a very successful career. After a challenging childhood, Chaplin got his acting start in burlesque and pantomime in England. Eventually, he came to America and started his film career. Chaplin first appeared as the Little Tramp character in 1914, when he was 24 but he looked younger, so he sported the mustache to hide his age. The character he created, the Little Tramp, was so popular that 9 out of 10 men attending costume balls that year dressed as the Little Tramp. Vaudeville houses, which were also showing films at that time, hosted lookalike contests to bring in audiences. However, because Chaplin’s costume and appearance were not overly difficult to impersonate, these were not simple lookalike contests; participants were also expected to mimic Chaplin’s walk, cane swing, and upper lip wiggle. Disney was only about 13 at the time that the Little Tramp appeared on film and the lookalike contests began. Disney began entering these contests. In fact, he occasionally made more in prize winnings than he did in his delivery jobs. At one point, Disney wanted to be another Chaplin.  

Disney’s early creation, Mickey Mouse, seemed to draw significantly from Chaplin. According to writer Alva Johnston, it was “the aim of Disney to graft the psychology of Chaplin upon Mickey.” In many of the Mickey Mouse cartoons, Disney includes allusions the Chaplin’s character, The Little Tramp, and to scenes from Chaplin’s films. In American Magazine for March 1931, Disney explained the creation of Mickey Mouse, stating that they wanted “the wistfulness of Chaplin…a little fellow trying to do the best he could.” Chaplin continued to teach Disney in one way or another about character creation, teaching him that the audience has to feel sorry for the character, before they can laugh with the character.    

In 1919, Chaplin had formed United Artists with Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and D.W. Griffith, a venture that would allow them to have complete control over their own works. In 1930, after Mickey Mouse had become a success, Disney and Chaplin met. In 1931, as Chaplin was concerned about the reception of his films as the industry was changing, Chaplin requested that a Mickey Mouse cartoon be played prior to the airing of his features. Chaplin also attended a Writer’s Club dinner in Hollywood, where Disney was the guest of honor. Chaplin sat at Walt’s table and amused Disney by doing his Little Tramp walk. Disney also started working with United Artists, Chaplin’s company, after having a falling out with Columbia. In 1934, while working with United Artists, Disney began work on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. As Disney was working on Snow White, Chaplin gave him advice to slow down the tempo of his films from time to time. Disney had to face multiple naysayers and personal financial risk because he borrowed the money to finance the film’s production. Through it all, Chaplin encouraged Disney to create the film, the first full-length animated Technicolor film, telling him “it’ll be your biggest success.” And it was. Chaplin also attended the premiere of the film, and told the Los Angeles Times that the film was greater than his expectations and that “In Dwarf Dopey, Disney has created one of the greatest comedians of all time.” Chaplin also provided Disney with some important business advice. He told Disney that Disney’s films would last a long time, and that he should not let them undersell Disney’s films and to take control by buying all of his own films to maintain control of them. Drawing on his own experience, he helped Disney navigate the filmmaking business.

Unfortunately, Chaplin was blacklisted and moved with his family to Switzerland, vowing to never return to America. Disney told writer Pete Martin, “He’d start talking politics. He didn’t think anything about it. I think what happened to Charlie is that they got to him. To me, it’s a very sad thing.”