Edmonds Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

About 10 years ago, an Irish film buff slipped down a rabbit hole of randomness, discovering a mystery in a DVD extra from a century-old film. It was a Charlie Chaplin movie, and this was some sort of promotional short, with footage of the premiere.

In a brief scene, pedestrians walk by a theater showing the Chaplin film. What appears to be a middle-aged woman crosses from right to left, onscreen for perhaps two seconds. She’s obviously talking to someone somewhere, as her mouth is moving in an animated way, and her left hand is holding a rectangular object pressed up against her ear.

Thu...