User Reviews

Charlie Chaplin? No, Charley Chase. He was apparently pretty popular during the silent era, yet almost no one remembers him now.

I discovered him on TCM's Silent Sunday Nights and was happily engaged. Like Chaplin, Chase directed himself here. There was good use of camera angles and editing, setting a solid pace. It was pretty sophisticated for what I believe was an independent film-maker only five years after DW Griffith's pioneering techniques in The Birth Of A Nation (1915).

The story itself is funny. Not multi-layered clever like many of the classics from Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd but still with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

Check it out if you get a chance! It's a good look at a forgotten star.

A bit of a teaser this one. According to one commentator, only a single gag (involving a wallet) is known for this film. According to a reviewer, it is a moderately good example of the work of Charley Chase. A film with this provisional title and starring Lloyd Hamilton appears in the Huntley Archives (it is their films 17292) although it seems to be only the second reel of two.

The reviewer does not seem to be talking about this film. Although he does not describe the film, he implies that it is a film starring Chase. Chase does appear in this film (which he also directs) but only in a cameo role (as he usually did). The reviewer's film is, I think, another April Fool (1924) which was directed by and starred Charley Chase.

The Huntley film does however seem to be the real McCoy. During the film one sees Hamilton attempting to write a letter, clearly dated April the First. The second reel all takes place aboard ship with Hamilton, a sailor-cum-steward, attempting to catch fish, and eventually shooting a hole in the ship. Meanwhile the captain attempts to rape a female passenger (her presence is presumably explained in the first reel) which results in Lloyd eventually blowing up the ship and ending up n a raft with the girl (and a parrot - no known relation to Charley Chase).

It appears that Stan Laurel's brother Ted appeared in the film and can be readily identified (he looks rather like Stan). From a contemporary journal: "Ted Laurel, the little English comedian, who played a character part in "Ham" Hamilton's comedy, April Fool, has accepted a comedy role with his brother, Stanley Laurel, English music hall comedian, who will shortly be featured in two-reel comedies." (see SilentComedyMafia.com).

As for the scene with the wallet it is of course possible that this forms part of the first reel.