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 7
... song - and - dance routine . Charley added his Yiddish and Irish impressions , often mimicking the audience . Passersby threw pennies and nickels , which the trio divided at the end of the day . Vaudeville was in its heyday at the turn ...
... song - and - dance routine . Charley added his Yiddish and Irish impressions , often mimicking the audience . Passersby threw pennies and nickels , which the trio divided at the end of the day . Vaudeville was in its heyday at the turn ...
Page 9
... songs were projected on a screen . A pianist would provide the ac- companiment . Theaters needed someone to lead the crowds in these sing - alongs , someone who could sing louder than the crowds and keep the song moving . Charley ...
... songs were projected on a screen . A pianist would provide the ac- companiment . Theaters needed someone to lead the crowds in these sing - alongs , someone who could sing louder than the crowds and keep the song moving . Charley ...
Page 10
... song . One by one he was able to master the piano , harmonica , banjo , saxophone , guitar , and trum- pet . Charley soon sang his own compositions during his act - sometimes to the surprise of the theater managers . After a time he ...
... song . One by one he was able to master the piano , harmonica , banjo , saxophone , guitar , and trum- pet . Charley soon sang his own compositions during his act - sometimes to the surprise of the theater managers . After a time he ...
Page 11
... songs , the act caught on . He won his first part in a legitimate vaudeville show , quickly working his way up the ... song or joke and when to toss out mater- ial that didn't work . Charley used this method of " reading " an audience ...
... songs , the act caught on . He won his first part in a legitimate vaudeville show , quickly working his way up the ... song or joke and when to toss out mater- ial that didn't work . Charley used this method of " reading " an audience ...
Page 12
... songs . He gave the men his best jokes , but they didn't react . Charley finished and nodded a thank you , then left . He was sure the audition had been a fiasco , but much to his astonishment he was called back . Charley was so excited ...
... songs . He gave the men his best jokes , but they didn't react . Charley finished and nodded a thank you , then left . He was sure the audition had been a fiasco , but much to his astonishment he was called back . Charley was so excited ...
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