Charley Chase: Awesome

Before every feature, the Silent Movie Theatre shows usually 2 or 3 shorts. The shorts are never announced, and what is shown will always be a surprise (even after the introduction...a few weeks ago they announced a Mabel short and failed to mention Fatty was in it!). Once long ago a short featuring some guy named Charley Chase was shown. I'm a HUGE fan of comedy...but I'm not gonna lie...beyond Charlie Chaplin (or as Perez Hilton spelled it: Chaplain) I find most silent comedians tedious. Larry Semon was horrible, I rarely find Laurel and Hardy interesting. Even Mabel is hit and miss (she was best before her troubles got her). So I didn't have much hope for Charley. But by the end of the short...I was sold.

His shorts were extremely elaborate, usually involving chases (ha!) and lots of mishaps. One of the last ones I seen of his involved him buying a new car, trying to impress a girl by taking a bunch of juvie brats to the Carnival, and mayhem ensued. It was great.

Unfortunately like most comedians beyond Keaton, Lloyd, and Chaplin...Chase is forgotten. Thankfully some of films have made it on to DVD, with 2 collections already released. In January Allday will be releasing a set titled "Deep Inside Charley Chase" which through the help of various private collectors, features a bunch of rare and brilliant material. Click here for more details!