Would an actual Christian (in the 1920s or today) actually make a "prayer sign" like this in this context?

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The sign that a Catholic or Orthodox Christians makes while blessing (or strengthening) himself is the Sign of the Cross; that is, he touches his forehead with his palm saying: “In the name of the Father", then his left shoulder saying "..and of the Son" and his right shoulder saying "..and of the Holy Spirit".." and finally clasps his palms saying "..Amen". Over a period of time, the sign has shortened in different ways. Chaplin was perhaps too busy protecting himself that he forgot to make the Sign of the Cross and did only the last part, which is a sign of supplication.

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In silent movies, actors had to do things in an exaggerated way in order to communicate the idea to the audience:

  • People made that praying-hands gesture to indicate "thank God".
  • Women put the back of their arms to their foreheads to show that they were about to faint.
  • Gangsters pumped their guns forward each time they fired.
  • Heads were tipped back to indicate swallowing a pill.

But even in modern film and TV, the actors still do this, though far less melodramatically:

  • Remote controls are pumped at the TV to indicate they are being used.
  • Mobile phones are disabled by being snapping in two and thrown out a window.
  • Computer accounts have all-upper-case passwords.
  • Concealed listening devices have a red light, and bombs have a flashing red light.
  • Guns and rifles are repeatedly used to make threatening "chicka" sounds.
  • Bullets make sparks whenever they ricochet off something.
  • Seatbelts are blatantly fastened, but only when the chase scene is about to get even more ridiculous.

These all are movie memes that we see and take for granted without realizing that it doesn't match real life.

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