Mighty Like a Moose ranks as one of Charley Chase's most satisfying and well crafted farce comedies, and happens to be my personal favorite. This memorably titled short offers twenty minutes of clever sight gags, deftly choreographed physical comedy, and amusing quips (rendered via title card, of course), all based on a wacky and wildly implausible premise. We're told up top that this is "a story of homely people -- a wife with a face that would stop a clock -- and her husband with a face that would start it again." Soon we meet buck-toothed Charley Moose and his wife Vivien, who has an enormous nose. What follows is a tale of irony worthy of O. Henry. Plausibility flies out the window when a plot hinges on such a patently dubious series of interconnected coincidences: i.e., first, that Charley would have his overbite corrected the very day his wife would have her nose fixed, second, that each spouse would keep their respective cosmetic surgeries secret from the other, and third, that when bumping into each other in public afterward, Charley and Vivien wouldn't recognize each other. Sounds like a bit of a stretch, doesn't it? Multiple stretches is more like it. Clearly, we're in the world of farce comedy here, and as long as you can relax and forget about realism you're likely to enjoy the ride.
Our story gets off to a leisurely start as the various plot points are established, but things pick up once the newly refurbished Charley and Vivien have "met" and made a date to attend a party together at the home of Charley's dentist. They each rush home excitedly, enter separately and are initially unaware of each other's presence. (Mr. & Mrs. Moose appear to be quite wealthy, incidentally, as they appear to live in a mansion the size of a luxury hotel.) There follows a beautifully timed sequence reminiscent of Buster Keaton's The Navigator, during which husband and wife dash about the house without ever quite meeting up face-to-face. And once they arrive at the party the comedy really kicks into high gear, when Charley is compelled to dance with gawky Gale Henry. Henry, an estimable player in her own right in short comedies dating from 1914, is hilarious as the dance partner who brings great vigor but little grace to her dancing. Director Leo McCarey provides an elegant cinematic touch during this sequence, when the camera pans down to show us only the shoes of Charley, Gale, Vivien and Vivien's dance partner, yet we're able to follow precisely what's happening between the principles by observing the way they position their feet.
Unfortunately for Charley and Vivien the party they're attending is raided by police, and from there on the complications multiply, even after they manage to escape the dragnet and return home. When Charley realizes that his newly beautified wife was attempting to step out with another man he resolves to each her a lesson . . . while conveniently forgetting, of course, that he was attempting to do the very same thing. The last few minutes of this film offer some of Chase's funniest physical comedy, capped with a great sight gag for the punchline. Mighty Like a Moose leaves the viewer with a warm glow, and surely ranks with the most amusing comedies produced by the prolific, sadly underrated Charley Chase.
Our story gets off to a leisurely start as the various plot points are established, but things pick up once the newly refurbished Charley and Vivien have "met" and made a date to attend a party together at the home of Charley's dentist. They each rush home excitedly, enter separately and are initially unaware of each other's presence. (Mr. & Mrs. Moose appear to be quite wealthy, incidentally, as they appear to live in a mansion the size of a luxury hotel.) There follows a beautifully timed sequence reminiscent of Buster Keaton's The Navigator, during which husband and wife dash about the house without ever quite meeting up face-to-face. And once they arrive at the party the comedy really kicks into high gear, when Charley is compelled to dance with gawky Gale Henry. Henry, an estimable player in her own right in short comedies dating from 1914, is hilarious as the dance partner who brings great vigor but little grace to her dancing. Director Leo McCarey provides an elegant cinematic touch during this sequence, when the camera pans down to show us only the shoes of Charley, Gale, Vivien and Vivien's dance partner, yet we're able to follow precisely what's happening between the principles by observing the way they position their feet.
Unfortunately for Charley and Vivien the party they're attending is raided by police, and from there on the complications multiply, even after they manage to escape the dragnet and return home. When Charley realizes that his newly beautified wife was attempting to step out with another man he resolves to each her a lesson . . . while conveniently forgetting, of course, that he was attempting to do the very same thing. The last few minutes of this film offer some of Chase's funniest physical comedy, capped with a great sight gag for the punchline. Mighty Like a Moose leaves the viewer with a warm glow, and surely ranks with the most amusing comedies produced by the prolific, sadly underrated Charley Chase.
