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 25
... gags during the actual shooting of the comedies . The star liked Charley personally but also recognized the value of his contribu- tions as a gag writer . Sterling hired Parrott as unofficial codirector on several of his comedies ...
... gags during the actual shooting of the comedies . The star liked Charley personally but also recognized the value of his contribu- tions as a gag writer . Sterling hired Parrott as unofficial codirector on several of his comedies ...
Page 30
... gags from the French comedian Max Linder on a regular basis . Love in Armor was in- spired by the 1911 Linder comedy , Inauguration de la Statue . Parrott never forgot the little Frenchman , and Max's charming sophistication in ...
... gags from the French comedian Max Linder on a regular basis . Love in Armor was in- spired by the 1911 Linder comedy , Inauguration de la Statue . Parrott never forgot the little Frenchman , and Max's charming sophistication in ...
Page 31
... gags . Also , Charley's fondness for ( Fritz Love in Armor ( 1915 ) Baron Von Von Hossenfeffer Schade ) hires two thugs to accost a young woman ( Mae Busch ) so that he may rescue her from them . In gratitude , Mae's father invites the ...
... gags . Also , Charley's fondness for ( Fritz Love in Armor ( 1915 ) Baron Von Von Hossenfeffer Schade ) hires two thugs to accost a young woman ( Mae Busch ) so that he may rescue her from them . In gratitude , Mae's father invites the ...
Page 32
... gag writer at the studio . He had tremendous input on the Sennett lot . In her autobiog- raphy , Swanson on Swanson , Gloria Swanson recalled Charley's kind- ness when she first arrived at Keystone . She also recognized Parrott's acting ...
... gag writer at the studio . He had tremendous input on the Sennett lot . In her autobiog- raphy , Swanson on Swanson , Gloria Swanson recalled Charley's kind- ness when she first arrived at Keystone . She also recognized Parrott's acting ...
Page 38
... gags , set against an unusual backdrop . Though a highly successful director , Charley Parrott never lost his desire to act . He appeared in Playmates as a homosexual drug addict ( with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of cocaine ) . In ...
... gags , set against an unusual backdrop . Though a highly successful director , Charley Parrott never lost his desire to act . He appeared in Playmates as a homosexual drug addict ( with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of cocaine ) . In ...
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