In the 1918 photo below, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks draw tens of thousands to Wall Street and the foot of the United States Sub Treasury building (i.e. today’s Federal Hall) to drum up support for World War I war bonds (or, more precisely, Liberty Bonds). 
To promote sales, the government began enlisting celebrities from several fields of entertainment, most notably motion pictures.
Read more: boweryboyshistory.com/2014/04/charli…
For those who are asking how long it took: enough hours to drive me absolutely insane
People weren’t used to hearing their movie stars speak in 1918. “I never made a speech before in my life,” Chaplin proclaimed through a megaphone that noon, standing in front of the statue of George Washington. “But I believe I can make one now.”
Then and now:
;)
Close-up
