CHARLEY CHASE AT HAL ROACH: THE LATE SILENTS 1927 Coming in November.........

[Agnes McFadden]

Now Deep Discount has 15% off with their code INDULGE. They have the DVD & the BluRay in stock.

They charge shipping for small orders, but since they have Laurel & Hardy :Year Two in stock, the combined order avoids shipping costs & should keep me laughing for hours.

I think the discount code INDULGE is only active until the 21st . Now I am going to go tell Hubby that he just got me some nice Christmas presents that he didn't know he ordered.

[Ed Watz]

Charley Chase ’27 is in The House!. Here’s my review:

It's no secret that Charley Chase was one of the greatest (and funniest) comedians of silent movies. At his height in the 1920s, he turned out dozens of two-reel comedy gems one after another. Today his films are enjoyed and revered by a huge fanbase - and yet his Hal Roach silents from 1927 - his busiest and perhaps best year - remained unseen for over 90 years...that is, until now!

CHARLEY CHASE: AT HAL ROACH: THE LATE SILENTS 1927 is a fabulous collection of 15 rare Chase shorts, beautifully restored from the best surviving elements culled from film archives and private collectors around the world. I thought I knew Chase’s work, but most of the films here were new and exciting experiences. Best of all, every short is laugh-out-loud funny, filled with hilarious sight gags and the type of humor you expect from Hal Roach comedies. Roach regulars are on hand, including Laurel & Hardy costars Anita Garvin, Charlie Hall, Tiny Sandford, Noah Young - as well as Stan and Ollie themselves, supporting Charley before they became a team.

And the films themselves? Here's every Chase short on the set (no spoilers included, so you’ll have the same first-time delight I experienced - just like an audience back in 1927!):

THERE AIN’T NO SANTA CLAUS - An expensive wristwatch and a Santa Claus beard are the McGuffins in this Christmas comedy of split-second timing between Charley and his greedy galoot of a landlord (Noah Young)

MANY SCRAPPY RETURNS - Charley and his wife (Eugenia Gilbert) decide to teach a lesson to his brother (Eugene Pallette) who constantly battles with his wife (Anita Garvin). Through a misunderstanding, it isn’t long before the Chase’s knife-wielding barbarian of a cook (Bull Montana) thinks Charley has designs on his wife (Valentina Zimina).

ARE BRUNETTES SAFE? - Newspaperman Charley pretends to be his exact double to please an old lady (Kate Bruce) hoping to see her son again. Little does Charley realize his doppelgänger is wanted as a notorious criminal! Polly Moran’s raucous Charleston dance-off with Chase is one of the film’s many hilarious highlights.

A ONE-MAMA MAN - Nobleman Charley is hired to impersonate himself at a swanky party. With Vernon Dent in his only appearance in a Chase silent for Roach, and Gale Henry as the society photographer uttering the classic title, “I’d have told you before, but there are so many damn bells around here!"

FORGOTTEN SWEETIES - Charley’s wife (Anita Garvin) suspects him of hanky panky when an old girlfriend (Shirley Palmer) moves in across the hall. Featuring one of silent comedy's most bizarre scenes where Charley’s bare feet terrorize Shirley's boyfriend (Mitchell Lewis, pinch-hitting for Noah Young - or maybe Bull Montana!).

BIGGER AND BETTER BLONDES - Charley is mistaken for a jewel thief by a socialite (Jean Arthur) who tries to entrap him at a society party. Watch as Charley is forced to consume 12 bowls of soup in search of a lost pinky ring!

FLUTTERING HEARTS - Contains the classic almost salacious scene where Charley attempts to retrieve an important document from bad guy Babe Hardy with the aid of a flirtatious-looking mannequin.

WHAT WOMEN DID FOR ME - Girl-shy botanist Charley ends up at a winter cabin surrounded by a bevy of stranded girls. Lupe Velez (in her first film appearance) attempts to cure Charley of his inhibitions - that is, if his terror of females doesn’t kill him first!

THE STING OF STINGS - Charley and his girlfriend (Edna Marion) take 6 juvenile delinquents out for a fun day at the carnival. Trouble ensues when a carny performer wearing a monkeyman costume (Bull Montana) believes Charley has kidnapped his son; but how does a Model T end up on a Ferris Wheel?

THE LIGHTER THAT FAILED - Charley's temper flares up from bad to worse when his birthday present is a faulty cigarette lighter.

NOW I’LL TELL ONE - Charley’s wife (Edna Marion) tells outrageous lies in court, hoping to guarantee her divorce. With Oliver Hardy as a policeman and Stan Laurel as Charley’s dim-witted defense attorney. (Note: sadly only the second reel exists but what's here is very funny nonetheless).

THE WAY OF ALL PANTS - Pants fly through the air when the wife of Charley’s boss enlists his aid to obtain a pair of trousers as a surprise gift for her husband. No britches are safe when the husband sees trouser-less Charley in his house and assumes the worst. With Tom Dugan as the defective detective.

US - Charley attempts to cure his fear of flying by meeting it head-on at the local airfield.

ASSISTANT WIVES - Charley schemes to get a raise from his boss (Eugene Pallette) by hiring tough gal flapjack flipper Anita Garvin to pose as his wife. Things don't go according to plan when her brutish husband (Noah Young) suspects infidelity.

NEVER THE DAMES SHALL MEET - Charley is sent by his wife to meet her sister (Anita Garvin) at the docks but mistakenly picks up another woman (Viola Richard). Meanwhile Charley and Anita have several disastrous run-ins which don't bode well for their future relations! (Only a fragment of this short remains but it's extremely funny; supplemented with stills covering the rest of the action).

Without a doubt, this is one of the most remarkable collections of a major silent film comedian ever released on Blu-ray. Each film features a wonderful score by composer Dr. Andrew Earle Simpson and a fun & informative commentary track by noted film historian, author, and Hal Roach raconteur Richard M. Roberts. Richard recounts the years of painstaking research to track down prints of these films. Incredibly, the Roach studio carelessly allowed many of their silents to decompose rather than properly preserve them. This is the first-ever restoration of these Charley Chase classics and is essential viewing for Chase fans, comedy fans, and all lovers of classic film.

The amazing digital restorations were crafted by Paul E. Gierucki and his team at CineMuseum LLC, and David B. Pearson designed the restored title cards. Richard M. Roberts and Kit Parker produced the set, released by The Sprocket Vault and available on Blu-ray and DVD online through video retailers immediately (and beginning November 26 through Amazon). Region free. So what are you waiting for? Get it!

Here’s the trailer: https://youtu.be/TEXzF9fzJvM?si=fl9DsrBEXmtR0KX1

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[Richard M Roberts]

And I see the Nitwits at Nitwitvile are already showing their general cluelessness as they try to say something when they have nothing to say, Jim Roots, he who wastes his time with a ridiculous and boring rating system for comedians and comedy films that he has blathered away about in two very overpriced and likewise valueless books over the years tries to pooh-pooh that the titles on this set are so rare, well, he's pulled that one out of his ass, these titles have never been given a legitimate release before and yes, the majority were never available even on the gray market, and never in the quality they are seen here.

And Bob Fells, he who plays with his AI sock-puppets and computer-crayolas for silent film stills, equally as useless and valueless as Mr. Root's efforts, seems to opine that Charley Chase was a "cold" comedian, showing a total lack of sense of humor and taste. Charley Chase is one of the most upbeat and pleasant comedians of all time, and his films always bring a positive feel to an audience.

Ignore these two twits, and all the others who populate that sorry little site. As Ed says, this is indeed a great set that we are all very proud of, and all involved have worked very hard to bring them to you. None of that group could have accomplished anything even close if they tried, all they're good for is bloviating heated air expended from the supply between their ears.

RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Rift Corbitt]

My 2 Blu-ray copies will arrive in the next 20 hours :) 1 is gift for a life-time friend who is a huge, but notoriously tightwad, silent film fan. Looking forward to watching these Chase's all for the very first time.

Won't be able to view them until Dec, but I'm sure it will be the usual 10Stars all the way in my Amazon review.

P.S.
Just realized I've been here 10 years.

[Richard M Roberts]

A Thumbs-Up from Classic Cinema Magazine:

https://classiccinemamagazine.blogspot. ... ilent.html

RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Agnes McFadden]

Mine came, but it is a Christmas present.

I can see the case, but have to wait to open it......

But I know it is in the house. I will have to watch at least one on Christmas day.

[Richard M Roberts]

Another thumbs-up from Joe Corey at Inside Pulse:

https://insidepulse.com/2024/12/04/blu- ... ents-1927/

RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Richard M Roberts]

Mine came, but it is a Christmas present.

I can see the case, but have to wait to open it......

But I know it is in the house. I will have to watch at least one on Christmas day.

Well, that's not going to help us sell any more sets before Christmas Agnes, be a bad doobie and crack open that set now, watch the whole thing, and tell us what you think of it.

It's our usual message folks, the sets been out and around a few weeks and we know a lot of you are watchin' it, now do your part and get the word out to help support the set. Leave a five-star review on Amazon, say a few words about the set on facebook, do some promotion. Heck, even a few nice words here would help the sales. This was a very extensive and expensive set to produce and if you want to continue to see more, you have to help with the sellin' on this one. We do all the heavy lifting to get these films out to you, now you have to do some light lifting to make sure we move some sets and then you'll get more.

MUSH!

RICHARD M ROBERTS