Excerpt: "For almost two decades, Toraichi Kono was Charlie Chaplin’s right-hand man, his personal secretary and confidant. He was also the gatekeeper to one of the most recognized people in the world."
Excerpt: "For more than 17 years, Kono worked with Chaplin, first as his driver, and later as his personal valet. Kono was the man who held the keys to Chaplin’s kingdom. (At the time, Chaplin was the most famous movie star in the world.) He was Chaplin’s closest confidante, his caretaker and according to most accounts, the man Chaplin trusted more than anyone else."
Web site for a documentary film about Kono, being developed by filmmakers Philip W. Chung, Clyde Kusatsu, Tim Lounibos and Nancy W. Yuen, with partial funding from the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program (CCLPEP).
"The Chaplin Society of Japan will host a Chaplin-Kono Conference in Kyoto, Japan, from 25-27 March, 2006. The objective of the conference will be to reassess the relationship of Charlie Chaplin with his secretary, Kono Totaichi. Kono was Chaplin's right-hand man from 1916 to 1934, but little is known about him. However, a great deal of new material has recently come to light which now demystifies many aspects of Kono's life."