Welcome to THE WORLD OF CHARLEY CHASE,
the first and only Charley Chase website. Charley Chase was an
incredibly prolific star comedian of the 1920's and 1930's who produced
hundreds of short comedies in both the silent and the sound eras. His
work behind the scenes as a writer/director of his own films and of
countless others has cemented his reputation as one of the principal
architects of early film comedy. Established in 1996, this website is
intended to serve both early cinema aficionados as well as those less
familiar with this comic pioneer. --
Yair Solan.
A closer look at one of Charley Chase's most celebrated silent comedies
"Now That's News!"
Mabel Normand's "Mabel's Blunder" Added to National Film Registry
Every year, twenty-five "culturally, historically or aesthetically" important films are selected for inclusion into the Library of Congress's
National Film Registry. Among 2009's selections, announced last week, is Mabel's Blunder (1914), a silent comedy
starring Mabel Normand that she also wrote and directed. This Keystone comedy features Charley Chase -- then billed under his real name, Charles Parrott -- in an
early role; Chase plays a friend of Mabel's beau (Harry McCoy). Rounding out the cast are Charles Bennett, Eva Nelson, and Al St. John. The film's emphasis on situation comedy, farce, and nuanced characterization (for a Keystone short) would be echoed in some of Chase's own comedies, revealing a connection between Normand's work of the 'teens and Chase's later style that has yet to be fully explored. Here is the Registry's blurb on Mabel's Blunder:
"Mabel Normand, who wrote, directed and starred in 'Mabel's Blunder,' was the most successful of the early silent
screen comediennes. The film tells the tale of a young woman who is secretly engaged to the boss' son. When a new employee
catches the young man's eye, a jealous Mabel dresses up as a chauffeur to spy on them, which leads to a series of mistaken
identities. The film showcases Normand's spontaneous and intuitive playfulness and her ability to be both romantically
appealing and boisterously funny."
Mabel's Blunder, significantly, is the first film starring the pioneering comedienne to be included in the National Film Registry. Chase's Mighty Like a Moose (1926) was added to the Registry in 2007.
For more on Mabel Normand and Mabel's Blunder, visit Marilyn Slater's authoritative Mabel Normand website, Looking for Mabel. Mabel's Blunder, now in the public
domain, can be viewed on YouTube (here is part 1 and
part 2).
Five Charley Chase Comedies on Alpha Video’s "Silent Comedy Classics"
Alpha Video released "Silent Comedy Classics" on November 24th, a hodge-podge of silent comedies featuring a whopping five Charley Chase shorts -- Fluttering Hearts (1927), Mighty Like a Moose (1926), The Caretaker’s Daughter (1925), Be Your Age (1926), and Forgotten Sweeties (1927), all with original musical scores by Don Kinnier. Also included in this collection is John K. Carpenter's Late to Lunch (1987), a silent comedy homage inspired by and dedicated to Charley Chase. The DVD also features The Locket with John Bunny, Charlie Chaplin's Keystone shorts Laughing Gas and The Face on the Barroom Floor (both 1914), Eddie Boland in Prince Pistachio (1921), and Post No Bills (1923) with Paul Parrott. Thrown in as a bonus is Exhibitor's Convention, a newsreel from 1925 in which Tom Mix and Jack Dempsey are featured guests at a convention of the Fox Film Corporation. For more information, see Alpha video's website.
All Day/VCI's Becoming Charley Chase DVD Set
The four-disc DVD collection Becoming Charley Chase was released in July 2009. The All Day Entertainment-produced set -- rescued by distributor VCI Entertainment -- features Chase's early work at Mack Sennett's Keystone Studio, his directorial efforts of the 1910s and '20s, as well as the extant run of his one-reel Jimmy Jump shorts plus a few early two-reelers. Here is a full list of the DVD set's contents; all in all, the set boasts over forty short comedies. The films featured in this collection do not overlap with any previous Charley Chase DVD release. Click here to access All Day's online booklet for Becoming Charley Chase (opens in Adobe). You can order Becoming Charley Chasedirectly from VCI.
Petition to Release Charley Chase's Columbia Comedy Shorts on DVD
Update (as of December 2009):Stan Taffel informs us that the petition has been extended and signatures will continue to be accepted, so be sure to sign this petition if you haven't already.
All
twenty of Charley Chase's films for Columbia Pictures (1937-40) have
been restored and preserved in 35mm prints. Unfortunately, the upcoming
DVD set by Sony Pictures Entertainment has been postponed due to the
current state of the consumer market and (gasp!) a perceived lack of
interest. Stan Taffel has started an online petition to let Sony know
that there is interest in these culturally significant and very
entertaining films.
As
Stan suggests, "send the link to every film fan, club, organization you
think would help... Hal Roach Studio film fans, Sons of the Desert,
film collectors, anyone who wants to see these films finally get their
release onto DVD."
Charley Chase-Directed Three Stooges Comedies on Hulu
Hulu now offers streaming video of over 40 complete and uncut Three Stooges short comedies
from the first two volumes of Sony's Three Stooges Collection (covering
the years 1933-39). This includes all five Three Stooges shorts
directed by Charley Chase, considered to be among the Stooges' best
comedies: Tassels in the Air (1938), Violent is the Word for Curly (1938), Mutts to You (1938), Flat Foot Stooges (1938), and Saved by the Belle (1939). Each Three Stooges short is digitally remastered and presented with limited commercial interruption.
"Kelly The Second" Available for Streaming Online
You can now watch the Hal Roach feature Kelly the Second (1936), in which Charley Chase has a prominent supporting role, on Turner Classic Movies' website.
Click here to watch the film in its entirety on the TCM website.
All of the written articles and essays published on this website are the sole property of the author(s)
and cannot be reproduced, in whole or in part, without their expressed written permission.
"Carlos" Chase in "Una Cana al Aire"
The four-disc DVD collection Becoming Charley Chase was released in July 2009. The All Day Entertainment-produced set -- rescued by distributor VCI Entertainment -- features Chase's early work at Mack Sennett's Keystone Studio, his directorial efforts of the 1910s and '20s, as well as the extant run of his one-reel Jimmy Jump shorts plus a few early two-reelers. 
