Smile When the Raindrops Fall: The Story of Charley ChaseAt the age of ten, Charley Chase was singing and dancing on the street corners of Baltimore. Charley eventually became a local vaudeville attraction, but Baltimore could not contain the ambitious young man. After a brief, but memorable, stint in New York, Chase finally landed in Los Angeles in 1912. His timely arrival coincided with the birth of the film industry, and Charley Chase became a major force in the shaping of motion picture comedy. A human dynamo, Charley's talent and creativity seemed inexhaustible. As a writer/director/actor, Charley started out at Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios. Working with Fatty Arbuckle and Charlie Chaplin, Chase quickly became one of Sennett's top directors. Later, at other studios, he directed, then starred in his own series of funny and inventive two-reelers. Behind the scenes, Charley Chase was instrumental in shaping the careers of both Laurel & Hardy and The Three Stooges. Chase's personal life paralleled his film work. At first he was energetic and optimistic—as was the infant film industry itself. As the movie grew up, Charley got older too. Chase's career, marred by family problems and alcoholism, mirrored the decline of the short film. Includes photographs and a detailed filmography. |
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Page viii
... film historians and fellow researchers have been kind enough to share their knowledge and insights with us . Thanks ... Film Library , Film Preservation Associates , the George East- man House , the Museum of Modern Art ( New York City ) ...
... film historians and fellow researchers have been kind enough to share their knowledge and insights with us . Thanks ... Film Library , Film Preservation Associates , the George East- man House , the Museum of Modern Art ( New York City ) ...
Page 19
... film companies , and producers flocked to Los Angeles as word spread about the consistently good weather on the West Coast . As train and car travel became faster and easier , Los Angeles was flooded with fledgling film companies — and ...
... film companies , and producers flocked to Los Angeles as word spread about the consistently good weather on the West Coast . As train and car travel became faster and easier , Los Angeles was flooded with fledgling film companies — and ...
Page 23
... films . Film comedy had started to grab a large share of the entertainment audience by 1912. Producers and directors were hungry for performers with comedic backgrounds . Many vaude- villians who were out of work shortly before were ...
... films . Film comedy had started to grab a large share of the entertainment audience by 1912. Producers and directors were hungry for performers with comedic backgrounds . Many vaude- villians who were out of work shortly before were ...
Page 24
... film stocks , movies were still shot entirely outdoors . Interiors were faked on outdoor stages , and the production units were entirely at the mercy of the weather . The spring rains in 1913 were unremitting , and the Christie Company ...
... film stocks , movies were still shot entirely outdoors . Interiors were faked on outdoor stages , and the production units were entirely at the mercy of the weather . The spring rains in 1913 were unremitting , and the Christie Company ...
Page 26
... film trickery that made the impossible a reality . Due to Sennett's contractual commitments for releases far in advance of production , it was essential that films be shot quickly , as weather permitted . This formed a backlog of ...
... film trickery that made the impossible a reality . Due to Sennett's contractual commitments for releases far in advance of production , it was essential that films be shot quickly , as weather permitted . This formed a backlog of ...
Contents
Its a Lovely Day for Something | 135 |
Sons of the Desert | 143 |
On the Wrong Trek | 153 |
Have you ever seen anything so Beautiful | 159 |
Columbia | 163 |
A Firehouse Mouse | 169 |
On the Hill | 179 |
Epilogue | 185 |
57 | |
Fancy Pants and Droopy Drawers | 67 |
Jimmy Jump and Leo the Lawyer | 73 |
OneTake Charley | 81 |
An Occupational Hazard | 93 |
The Talkers and a Severe Cold | 105 |
Gangway Charley | 117 |
Rough Seas | 129 |
A Note about the Films | 187 |
Charley Chase Filmography | 191 |
Sony Credits | 239 |
Bibliography | 243 |
Index | 247 |
About the Authors | 255 |
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Common terms and phrases
actors Angeles Anita Garvin Art Lloyd Arthur Seid BeBe Billy Gilbert Billy West Bud Jamison Chaplin Charles Parrott Charley Chase Charley's Charlie Hall Chase and Hugh Chase comedies Chase series Chester Conklin Columbia comedian Del Lord Dialogue by H. M. director Edgar Kennedy Edited by Richard Edited by William Elmer Raguse Elwood Ullman feature Filmed circa funny gags girls H. M. Walker Hal Roach Harold Lloyd Harry Bernard Harry Bowen Henderson Hollywood Hugh McCollum James Finlayson James Parrott Jimmy Parrott Jimmy's Keystone Leo McCarey Leo Willis Love Marvin Hatley movie Music Nick Cogley Noah Young NOTE Oliver Hardy one-reelers Paul Parrott performed Photographed by Art play Polly produced ranch Recording Engineer reels Richard Currier Richard Jones Roach lot Roach Studios scene Snub Pollard Song Stan Laurel star Stooges Story and screenplay Supervised by F theater Thelma Todd Titles by H. M. two-reelers vaudeville William Terhune