Topic: The Fraidy Cat (1924) - Charley Chase

[HomokHarcos]

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215776/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

This is another very good short with an easy to follow along story. I know I've said it before, and this might be because of the Hal Roach house style, but it's another type of film I can easily see working with Harold Lloyd.

The beginning of the film sees Charley Chase as a very timid scaredy cart, the type of guy who would probably be afraid of his own shadow. A highlight is when another man is asking for the woman and the one Charley wants thinks is it's him saying it, and Charley Chase decides to go along with it. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Our Gang group get a cameo, especially since Joe Cobb was the one who got the most focus. He, along with Farina, are my all time favorite Our Gang characters. Although they usually play loveable misfits, here the gang are more like spoiled brats that annoy Charley Chase.

Next Charley Chase gets recommendation to diet a week, but he mishears it as die in a week. Since he believes he only has one week left to live, he wants to make the most of it to show off how brave he is. He foils the villain and gets back at the gang. He is told the truth but has how already won the girl over. Happy ending.

Very short and entertaining.

[metaldams]

       Not only can I see this short working with Harold Lloyd, in a sense I already have.  FRAIDY CAT was very much inspired by Harold Lloyd’s feature, GRANDMA’S BOY.  The idea of being afraid and gaining a level of courage by some false ideal - a made up talisman Lloyd’s grandfather used and misunderstanding “diet a week” as a death sentence to give Chase a false sense of urgency are something both films have in common.  They also share the gag of the comic hiding behind the grandmother/mother as she chases the bullies away.

       I love THE FRAIDY CAT.  Love the outdoor settings, love Chase shying away from a fight with little Joe Cobb, love the energy Chase brings, love the story - really a perfect little one reeler.  A funny little short.  They don’t come better constructed than this.

[HomokHarcos]

       Not only can I see this short working with Harold Lloyd, in a sense I already have.  FRAIDY CAT was very much inspired by Harold Lloyd’s feature, GRANDMA’S BOY.  The idea of being afraid and gaining a level of courage by some false ideal - a made up talisman Lloyd’s grandfather used and misunderstanding “diet a week” as a death sentence to give Chase a false sense of urgency are something both films have in common.  They also share the gag of the comic hiding behind the grandmother/mother as she chases the bullies away.

       I love THE FRAIDY CAT.  Love the outdoor settings, love Chase shying away from a fight with little Joe Cobb, love the energy Chase brings, love the story - really a perfect little one reeler.  A funny little short.  They don’t come better constructed than this.

I was wondering if Grandma's Boy had the same writer as The Fraidy Cat, I couldn't find out who wrote this movie.

[Umbrella Sam]

One thing I’m really noticing about these early Chase shorts is how well-structured the stories are, despite their incredibly limited runtime. True, THE FRAIDY CAT does take a cue from GRANDMA’S BOY, but it puts a unique spin on it; whereas the deception in GRANDMA’S BOY was intentional, here it’s just from a misunderstanding.

And again, it’s very funny. Chase getting bullied by the Our Gang kids, the villain pretending to be his dummy, and just the image of Chase going after the villain while riding a cow are really funny things that are paced perfectly. There’s not one boring moment here; one of the best Jimmy Jump shorts I’ve seen so far, which is saying a lot considering I’ve liked pretty much all of them so far.

[metaldams]

Oh, I forgot to mention, the whole bit of the dummy turning into Earl Mohan and fighting back at Chase never fails to crack me up.

Don’t know who wrote this.  All I can find is H.M. Walker for the title cards, but don’t know beyond that.

[Paul Pain]

Once again, Charley Chase delivers another short but brilliant effort.  It's amazing how he gets so much out of such simple characters.  Charley doesn't get enough credit because he never made movies, but there is never a dud with him it seems.

[metaldams]

The idea of a comic fighting a dummy of his rival to train done previously by Lloyd Hamilton in MOONSHINE (1920).  Directed by Charley Chase.