During late 1930 and a good part of 1931, Hal Roach had an idea to try out his comedians in longer short subjects -- a "three reel policy". On the whole, this new method failed and by 1932 was virtually abandoned. The two reel format was perfect for both the Laurel and Hardy and Charley Chase series and most of the three reelers made by both sets of comedians were padded out by some unnecessary material. There were several successful three reelers made by Chase and High C's may be considered to be one of the few.
High C's has a story that is quite simple for a three reeler. Charley goes to France to fight in World War One and would rather sing with his quartet (the Ranch Boys) than fight. At the same time, Charley meets a lovely young French girl, Antoinette (played by the wonderful Thelma Todd), and they both fall in love with each other. Some funny gags can be found in this short, notably in the on-going conflict between Private Chase and his commanding officer, the Second Lieutenant (played by soon-to-be Pip From Pittsburgh co-star Carlton Griffin). The most important aspect of this short, however, is the music. Four songs are performed in this film: My Pretty Quadroon, Down by the Old Mill Stream, Where, Oh, Where Has My Little Dog Gone? (in German), and Eleven More Months and Ten More Days.
The film is evenly entertaining throughout; there is not one scene that would be considered the highlight of this short. A few scenes do come to mind, though. The initial meeting of Charley and Antoinette is quite a delight with Charley introducing himself as Charles Augustus Chase. Antoinette then proceeds to say, "then I'll call you Gus." Charley quickly replies to Antoinette, "if you call me Gus, I'll call you Tony!" Coy giggles are exchanged and Charley remarks excitedly, "I'm going to like this war!" Another fun scene is right in the beginning of the film, when Charley arrives. A few trucks go by full of soldiers to drop off in France, and Charley arrives in the last truck, the only person in it! He then meets his commanding officer and they immediately start off on the wrong foot. Charley is forced to button up his coat despite the warm weather. Charley is also forced to salute his commanding officer, something he doesn't quite enjoy doing. Charley then asks his commanding officer, "do I know you from Baltimore?", a reference to Chase's own hometown.
Besides the usual comic escapades in war, the songs are a delight. They can serve as a sort of "enjoyable padding" which saves this short (and its sequel, Rough Seas) from being another over-padded three reeler. The last song, Eleven More Months and Ten More Days is quite funny and is a good wrap-up to this very enjoyable film.
Charley's character in High C's is a bit different than some of his other personas. He is best described as a "wise guy", but is a bit more sympathetic than that term suggests. He may be purposely annoying Carlton Griffin, but he still is sensitive enough to engage in a nice conversation with Thelma Todd. His character does not wish to fight in the war at all. In fact, Charley and his pals tell their German prisoners that Germany has won the war just to sing with one prisoner who has a great tenor voice.
Overall, High C's is a pleasant Chase entry with lots of music and entertainment, making it one of the most breezily delightful Charley Chase comedies of the sound era. Beautiful Thelma Todd and uptight Carlton Griffin both add to the fun, as do the Ranch Boys, who along with Chase, supply the film's musical harmony. A few other Chase comedies have been made in a similar vein, such as First In War and Arabian Tights, but this film is still the best, being an adroit blend of music and gags, with both being high-quality. A sequel was made (Rough Seas), so it seems as if this film had been quite successful at the time. That's no surprise considering the entertainment value of High C's.
"High C's" (1930) Directed by James Parrott (or J.W. Horne). With Charley Chase, Thelma Todd, Carlton Griffin, The Ranch Boys. Produced by Hal Roach. Production number C35, shot from September 18-24, 1930. Retakes shot on October 1, 1930. Released on December 9, 1930.
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