The great clown appeared at the beginning of the century in Fred Karno's celebrated 'Mumming Birds' show in the North East. In South Shields, the show was put on at Thornton's Theatre of Varieties (later the Moss Empire) in King Street. A pleasant and plausible story has it that Charlie adopted his funny walk, oversized suit, bowler hat and swinging cane from a well-known South Shields eccentric called King Street Charlie. Others have said that he adapted the costume of the Northern comedian Billy Reeve. Chaplin seems to have stayed in theatrical lodgings in Baring Street, and possibly also on Stanhope Road.