DVD Review: Charley Chase – The Hal Roach Talkies Volume One
Most mainstream DVD releases are corporate affairs, capitalizing on what is popular in our immediate culture. Others have a sense of history, offering long established classics.
But the DVDs that are most impressive are those that venture down bypaths that few have bothered to explore. They are put together through the hard work of people who love the films and believe their accessibility matters enough to put in the hours of time and trouble to result in an available DVD set that the rest of us can enjoy. Such is the case with this wonderful set of Charley Chase sound shorts.
Covering the period from 1930-1931 and including 17 two-reel comedies, this two disc DVD set from Kit Parker Films has been made available by Sprocket Vault. The very best pre-print materials available have been used, and a host of welcome special features have been included. For a set such as this, some special attention is deserved.
I wrote the book The Charley Chase Talkies several years ago, and am familiar with the films on this set. I always hoped they’d enjoy DVD release, but was never quite sure it would happen. Now that it has, I am going to make use of my frame of reference and offer a capsule review of each short on the set, after which I’ll point out the special features.
THE REAL McCOY
Released February 1, 1930. Also featuring Thelma Todd, Edgar Kennedy, Charlie Hall, Nelson McDowell, Sam Lufkin.
This one opens with Charley speeding along through a rural area with officer Edgar Kennedy in pursuit. Charley is distracted by pretty Thelma Todd on the side of the road, plows through a sign warning that the bridge is out, and plunges into a lake. Lots of funny moments with city slicker Charley stranded among hillbilly stereotypes and trying to fit in. A highlight in many of Chase’s sound films is his ability to perform musical numbers that he obviously couldn’t do in silents. In this one he sings the old country song “Naomi Wise” while engaging in square dance. Chase seemed to like rural comedy, and would revisit it again a few times, including “One of the Smiths,” which also appears in this set.
WHISPERING WHOOPEE
Released March 8, 1930. Also featuring Thelma Todd, Anita Garvin, Kay Deslys, Dolores Brinkman, Eddie Dunn, Del Henderson, Carl Stockdale, Tenen Holtz, Eddie Dillon.
Charley hires four party girls to entertain clients in hopes of selling a piece of property to some businessmen. The men expected are people whom Charley had dealt with in the past, so he knew what usually worked. Unfortunately, a different group of men show up, much stuffier members of the firm who exhibit a dour no-nonsense approach to the business deal. So, the party girls have to pretend to be society ladies in order to effectively pull this deal off. However, the suggestion to play “post office” results in some bootleg liquor being served, and soon these stuffy businessmen are dancing to jazz over the radio, tossing vases into the air to watch them crash onto the ground, and engaging in a seltzer-water fight. This is one of the funniest shorts in the set, and features the song “Smile When The Raindrops Fall,” which would become Charley’s theme song.
ALL TEED UP
Released April 19, 1930. Also featuring Thelma Todd, Del Henderson, Edgar Kennedy, Teren Holtz, Carl Stockdale, Nelson McDowell, Harry Bowen.
Charley meets Thelma, the daughter of a country club president, and is invited to play golf at that club. The problem is, he doesn’t know how to play. This premise is enough to offer a wonderful comedy short where Charley unwittingly achieves success while doing all the wrong things. This was Chase’s fifth film with Thelma, and he wanted to form an actual screen partnership with her. That didn’t happen, although they would appear together again.
FIFTY MILLION HUSBANDS
Released May 24, 1930. Also featuring Ruth Hiatt, Tiny Sandford, Christine Maple, Edgar Kennedy, Charlie Hall, Eddie Dillon, Harry Bowen
Charley is about to be married when a man knocks on his apartment door and states that his wife left him and they once lived in this same apartment. Charley invites him in and he starts rearranging furniture (“we had the chair over here,” etc). A bit later, the man’s estranged wife comes over. Complications ensue, and get pretty bizarre, from Charley playing the piano to accompany the couple’s argument, to gags about attempted suicide. Everything is so off-kilter, it comes off as outrageously hilarious.
FAST WORK
Released June 28, 1930. Also starring June Marlowe, Del Henderson, Charles K. French, Broderick O’Farrell, Pat Harmon, Baldwin Cooke, William Gillespie, Gus Kerner, Clara Guiol, Dorothy Granger
Charley Chase’s consistent streak of hilarious sound comedies continues with this effort where he wants to marry pretty June Marlowe, but cannot until he gets her father’s approval. He mistakes an escaped lunatic for the father and makes an effort to please him, despite how bizarre his behavior gets. The “why can’t men dance together” scene is especially funny.
GIRL SHOCK
Released August 23, 1930. Also starring Carmen Guerrero, Edgar Kennedy, Jerry Mandy, Catherine Courtney, Elinor Vanderveer, Baldwin Cooke, Jack Hill, Cesar Varoni.
This one has Charley freaking out whenever he comes into contact with a woman. He is part of an arranged marriage, but before he can marry, he must overcome this problem. A doctor tries to cure him by giving him another shock to make his current phobia go away. Filled with a lot of clever comedy, and another of Chase’s best from this period.
DOLLAR DIZZY
Released October 4, 1930. Also starring Thelma Todd, Edgar Kennedy, James Finlayson, Dorothy Granger, Dorothy Dix, Ida Schumacher, Ann Lewis, Lorema Carr, Charlie Hall, Dick Granger, Ted Strobach.
Charley as a man of average means, who receives a phone call indicating he has inherited two million dollars from the passing of a rich uncle in Australia. The curator of the estate advises Charley to go away to a resort and avoid the possibility of gold diggers after his money. He does so, but it appears there are more such pitfalls within that environment than if he had stayed home and gone on with his life. Once again Thelma Todd holds her own opposite Chase, presenting herself as a comedienne of equal talent. “Dollar Dizzy” was Charley Chase's first three-reeler, but not his last.
LOOSER THAN LOOSE
Released November 21, 1930. Also starring Thelma Todd, Dorothy Granger, Del Henderson, Wilfred Lucas, Eddie Dunn, Gordon Douglas
Charley is asked by his boss to entertain an important client (Del Henderson) by hiring a couple of escorts for a night on the town. Charley's fiancee (Thelma Todd) is not pleased with this setup, and insists on going as one of the "girls." The boss decides that he likes Thelma better than he does the girl he's paired with (Dorothy Granger) and insists they swap. Not wanting to offend, Charley must go along with it. Once the couples are swapped, Charley and Thelma try making the other jealous by warming up to their new mates, while shooting angry looks over their shoulders.
HIGH C's
Released December 27, 1930. Also starring Thelma Todd, Carlton Griffin, Oscar Smith, Harry Schultz, Baldwin Cooke Marvin Hatley, Lucien Prival, Jimmy Adams, The Ranch Boys.
Charley is a happy-go-lucky draftee who is trying to have some lighthearted fun in wartime France, refusing to take his surroundings seriously. He is the bane of his no-nonsense lieutenant. Charley is forever sneaking away from his responsibilities in order to perform songs with The Ranch Boys, who, although also soldiers, always seem to have time to engage in their barbershop harmonies. It is during one of these excursions that he notices pretty Antoinette (Thelma Todd). Songs include My Pretty Quadroon, Down by the Old Mill Stream, and Du Du Liebst Mir in Herzen (Where oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone in German). More proof that Charley could effectively handle the three reel format with a highly entertaining short.
THUNDERING TENORS
Released February 7, 1931. Also starring Elizabeth Forrester, Dorothy Grangers, Lena Malena, Eddie Dillon, Del Henderson, Sidney Bracy
Charley is a radio performer who is invited to sing at a society gathering by a young woman who is smitten with his work. While she is pleased to meet him ("I thought you'd be a little fella, not a big he-man"), her upper class family believes this commoner's presence may embarrass them in front of their snooty society friends. Charley appears to be generally oblivious to how these people perceive him, or that his manner is any different than theirs. Charley gets a fish bone stuck in his throat at dinner, causing him to speak in a squeaky falsetto. Thundering Tenors is more than just an amusing two-reel comedy. In the context of the Charley Chase talkie filmography, it is something of a milestone in its incorporating a myriad of previous ideas along with the new ones, and takes full advantage of sound.
THE PIP FROM PITTSBURGH
Released March 21, 1931. Also starring Thelma Todd, Dorothy Granger, Kay Deslys, Carlton Griffin, Frank Holliday, Charles Dorety, Marvin Hatley.
Charley's roommate is unable to take his girl out unless he finds a date for her visiting friend. Charley is recruited, but does not want to go, because the last blind date, a girl from Pittsburgh, was a loser. When he discovers this date also hails from that city, he is adamant about not going, sarcastically referring to the previous blind date as "the pip from Pittsburgh." When his roommate commits him to attending, Charley speaks rudely to his impending date on the phone. He comes up with a ruse to offend his date by wearing friend's rumpled old suit, showing up unshaven, and eating garlic ahead of time. Meanwhile, he lends his snazzy new suit to his roommate. When he sees that his blind date is stunningly attractive (Thelma Todd), he tries to undo all of this damage.
Charley Chase's best film up to this point, a perfect blend of situational comedy and slapstick gags. Thelma Todd turns in perhaps her best performance in a Charley Chase comedy.
ROUGH SEAS
Released April 25, 1931. Also starring Thelma Todd, Carleton Griffin, Frank Brownlee, Harry Bernard, Charlie Hall, Jerry Mandy, Baldwin Cooke, Marvin Hatley, Jimmy Adams, Frank Gage, The Ranch Boys
A direct sequel to the three-reeler High C's, which had been released three films previous to this, Rough Seas, a comedy of equal length, begins just after the war has ended. Charley and the Ranch Boys are celebrating American Armistice and prepare to return home to America by ship. Charley not only stows away Antoinette (Thelma Todd) he also sneaks a pet monkey on board, much to the chagrin of the Lieutenant (Carlton Griffin). The antics of Napoleon, the monkey, are cute, including when he messes with the controls and puts the ship in reverse, causing the soldiers to fall onto the deck. Chase's bass voice while singing the standard “Asleep in the Deep’ is perhaps the most enjoyable musical interlude .
ONE OF THE SMITHS
Released May 23, 1931. Also starring Peggy Howard, James Finlayson, Louise Carver, Leo Willis, Harry Bowen, Eddie Baker, Harry Bernard, Jimmy Adams, Dick Gilbert.
For his final three-reeler, Charley Chase offers another amusing effort in which he investigates rural comedy in the same manner as The Real McCoy (1930). In One of the Smiths, city slicker Charley must travel to hillbilly country to find out why people in the area keep ordering instruments, always horns, without paying for them. He travels there with their latest order, a sousaphone-sized tuba, and is instructed that he must either get the money owed or return with the instruments. Charley’s last, and perhaps best, three-reeler.
THE PANIC IS ON
Released August 15, 1931. Also starring Virginia Whiting, Howard Truesdale, Billy Gilbert, Charlie Hall, Margaret Mann, Leo Willis, Harry Bernard, Baldwin Cooke, Jerry Mandy.
Charley, an out of work victim of the Depression, living in a cheap rooming house, is interested in marrying a wealthy woman. Her father, however, is concerned that Charley's interest may stem from the fact that her family has money, so he refuses to even meet her intended until he has at least $50,000. This film further displayed how Charley Chase had now found a most comfortable niche in sound two reel comedies and was interested in exploring ideas that were topical, challenging, and intelligent.
SKIP THE MALOO
Released September 9, 1931. Also starring Jacqueline Wells (Julie Bishop), Gale Henry, Del Henderson, Harry Bernard, Eddie Dunn, Fern Emmett, Jerry Mandy, Leo Willis, Charlie Hall, Elinor Vanderveer.
Charley is a Duke, arriving on ship to attend a society party. Del Henderson is fed up with his wife and daughter's interest in royalty, insisting such a status is not worthy of their blathering fandom. Charley arrives, and Del mistakes him for a commoner, asking him to impersonate the Duke to teach his wife and daughter a lesson. Charley is amused by the ruse, and agrees to impersonate himself and perhaps have some fun with the situation.
WHAT A BOZO
Released November 7, 1931. Also starring Gay Seabrook, Elizabeth Forrester, Jerry Mandy, Charlie Hall, Sydney Jarvis, Harry Bowen, Baldwin Cooke, Elinor Vanderveer, Bill Elliot. Jack Baxley.
Charley is a bandleader who is smitten with a society woman (Elizabeth Forrester). She thinks nothing of him, but she likes his band. When she asks him to appear at a gathering she is holding, he interprets it as an invitation, while she is merely hiring his band to perform. Meanwhile, a dancer at the club (Gay Seabrook) is constantly goading and annoying Charley for her own amusement. “What a Bozo” follows the musical review format and there are several comedy highlights.
THE HASTY MARRIAGE
Released December 19, 1931. Also starring Gay Seabrook, James Finlayson, Lillian Elliot, Eddie Dunn, Billy Gilbert, Lyle Tayo, Harry Bernard, Harry Bowen, George Billings.
Kitty (Gay Seabrook) likes Charley. Her father, Pop (James Finlayson or Fin), a streetcar operator likes him too, in fact they are bowling buddies. Her mother (Lillian Elliot) finds him a bit too shiftless and carefree ("he hasn't had a job in six months"), preferring Eddie (Eddie Dunn), whom father dislikes because he is a "spotter," one who reports on the behavior of streetcar operators ("if there is anyting worse than a spotter, it is a spotter that plays the saxaphone!"). Charley goes in to get a job with the same company, but is told that due to the Depression, they are only hiring married men. Hence, the title. Charley hastily marries Gay, but returns to discover they are now only taking married men with children. “The Hasty Marriage” has more slapstick than many of Chase's sound films. What makes it most effective is how the slapstick is an organic part of the narrative, how it stems completely from the situations, which are steeped in the various conflicts among the ensemble cast. There is even at least one incident of sound being cleverly used to punctuate a gag, as a girl's scream is dubbed for Charley's reaction to the torch burning his backside. Everything in The Hasty Marriage works, and Chase's screen character shows a clever combination of determined, defeated, and defiant. These factors blend nicely and exhibit Chase's firmness in developing an effective personal for talking pictures. From this point, Chase would pretty much maintain this type of character for all subsequent sound shorts produced by Hal Roach.
There isn’t a ringer in the bunch, every one of these shorts is amusing and entertaining. Along with these wonderful two-reelers, this set also features commentary by comedy film historian Richard Roberts, an alternate Spanish version of “The Pip From Pittsburgh” (offering a fascinating comparison/contrast), and a posters and stills gallery.
Once again, a release of this sort is truly a labor of love, with Kit Parker and Richard Roberts working very hard to offer this fine selection of films from the finest available materials. The success of releases like this will ensure further volumes being released, so “Charley Chase at Hal Roach: The Talkies Volume One” is a true must-have for anyone and everyone. You will not be disappointed.
The DVD set is available here.