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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Results 6-10 of 87
Page 18
... first act with an Irish ballad . The farcical nature of the humor resumes in act two , as Mac finds Krousemeyer washing his feet in a tub of sauer- kraut . After the Los Angeles tour was finished , the Belasco Troupe packed its bags to ...
... first act with an Irish ballad . The farcical nature of the humor resumes in act two , as Mac finds Krousemeyer washing his feet in a tub of sauer- kraut . After the Los Angeles tour was finished , the Belasco Troupe packed its bags to ...
Page 19
... first real steps . Directors increasingly used natural locations to get away from false backdrops and painted backgrounds . Edendale was favored for its hilly settings , Santa Monica for its beach scenes , and Echo Park for its romantic ...
... first real steps . Directors increasingly used natural locations to get away from false backdrops and painted backgrounds . Edendale was favored for its hilly settings , Santa Monica for its beach scenes , and Echo Park for its romantic ...
Page 21
... first date was a success . It was followed by many more , and soon the two became a steady couple . BeBe's education greatly impressed Charley and he became an ea- ger student . His grammar was poor due to his lack of formal education ...
... first date was a success . It was followed by many more , and soon the two became a steady couple . BeBe's education greatly impressed Charley and he became an ea- ger student . His grammar was poor due to his lack of formal education ...
Page 25
... first - class ec- centric , conducting most of his business from an oversized bathtub in his office . Breakfast was invariably turnips and whiskey , and he wore a hat with its crown removed , convinced , for some reason , that the ...
... first - class ec- centric , conducting most of his business from an oversized bathtub in his office . Breakfast was invariably turnips and whiskey , and he wore a hat with its crown removed , convinced , for some reason , that the ...
Page 26
... first opportunity to direct on his own . A translation of a 1923 interview with Charley Parrott in the Spanish - language magazine Cine- Mundial reveals how the young actor made his directorial debut : One morning there were torrential ...
... first opportunity to direct on his own . A translation of a 1923 interview with Charley Parrott in the Spanish - language magazine Cine- Mundial reveals how the young actor made his directorial debut : One morning there were torrential ...
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