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 29
... Chester Conklin , high in the air . Conklin was shaken but unhurt , and filming quickly resumed - on the newly flooded set . Charley Parrott cursed the arbitrary nature of such accidents , which he believed were preventable and a result ...
... Chester Conklin , high in the air . Conklin was shaken but unhurt , and filming quickly resumed - on the newly flooded set . Charley Parrott cursed the arbitrary nature of such accidents , which he believed were preventable and a result ...
Page 32
... Chester Conklin and Mack Swain .... Charley's starting salary at Sennett's was reportedly twenty - five dollars per week , a modest but livable wage . He had been dating BeBe steadily for two years and had asked her to marry him several ...
... Chester Conklin and Mack Swain .... Charley's starting salary at Sennett's was reportedly twenty - five dollars per week , a modest but livable wage . He had been dating BeBe steadily for two years and had asked her to marry him several ...
Page 36
... Chester and Charles " Heine " Conklin . Charley di- rected Heine Conklin in three films at Fox . Sadly , none of Parrott's work at Fox has survived . The talent behind these productions was superior , which suggests that the films were ...
... Chester and Charles " Heine " Conklin . Charley di- rected Heine Conklin in three films at Fox . Sadly , none of Parrott's work at Fox has survived . The talent behind these productions was superior , which suggests that the films were ...
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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