Topic: Charley Chase at Hal Roach - Vol 4, 10/25/22

[falsealarms]

Richard M. Roberts has announced that the fourth volume of Charley Chase Hal Roach talkie shorts will be out on October 25.

This set will cover the year 1929.

I thought there were some questions about the availability of some of the 1929 Chase shorts so it will be interesting to see more details when they are announced.

No pre-orders, yet.

http://www.silentcomedymafia.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2890

[metaldams]

Yes!

[metaldams]

The thought just occurred to me - I think every Chase talking short will be available once this is released.  This really is fantastic.

[HomokHarcos]

Terrific news!

[falsealarms]

Amazon pre-order up: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B42XYWJL/

According to Stan Taffel: Two of the shorts - “Stepping Out” and “Great Gobs” are still missing their sound but will be seen with inter titles and musical interpretations.

Product Description
Charley Chase returns----well, no, Charley Chase begins his sound film career in these very rare six surviving talkies from the Dawn of Sound, his first for Hal Roach. Unseen for 90 years. It is in these shorts that Charley meets his greatest leading lady, the lovely Thelma Todd, and gets himself into some very pre-code situations including spending the night in a cabin loaded with a bevy of beautiful girls, evading passes by his girlfriend's mother, and doing interesting things with a mule! Thelma Todd in a skimpy leopard Danskin is worth the price of admission! Bonus features include: Supplemental music composed and performed by Andrew Earle Simpson, Commentary by Richard M Roberts, Poster and Stills Gallery

[metaldams]

Pre-order in.  Amazon has the release date as 10/11/22.

[NoahYoung]

Great news -- this is one I might actually splurge for, though it is hard for me spend money on the dying DVD format...
(Coming from the guy who collects Super 8 and 16mm!)
I haven't bought the others since I already have most of them in one form or another.
Needless to say, I've never seen any of his 1929 talkies, save for the silent extract from THE SNAPPY SNEEZER in LAUREL AND HARDY'S LAUGHING TWENTIES.
I had a chance to get that one via a private printing in 16mm when I was a member of THE SONS OF THE DESERT, but I left the club before they were taking orders. This was in the mid to late 90s after they recently discovered the sound discs.

[metaldams]

Amazon says my copy is arriving Tuesday.  Can’t wait!

[falsealarms]

Amazon says my copy is arriving Tuesday.  Can’t wait!

Same here. Hard to believe shorts that have been largely out of circulation for 90 years will finally see the light of day.

[metaldams]

Watched the first three shorts and their corresponding commentaries, really excellent.  SNAPPY SNEEZER, Thelma Todd’s Chase debut, is especially excellent.  About to go through the rest now.

[metaldams]

….and upon hearing the commentary, CRAZY FEET was released the day my grandmother, the one not twenty years younger than Larry Fine, was born.

[falsealarms]

I've watched the first three so far and have found all of them enjoyable. The (then) recent transition away from silents was evident here and there but for being so early in the sound era, these shorts hold up really well. I've noticed that in several 1929 Roach shorts - they adapted pretty quickly to sound.

Jay Eaton in the Big Squawk was a low point. He could lull someone to sleep with his tone in that otherwise very fun and entertaining short. Chase's makeup in that short also seemed like something more out of the silent era.

A couple performers in these first three shorts had tragic endings (not including Thelma Todd). Anders Randolph, who I thought was really good in Snappy Sneezer, died at age 59 in 1930 after what the Lord Heath website called a "relapse after surgery."

Earl McCarthy, who was in Leaping Love and Crazy Feet, died of a heart attack at age 27 in 1933, according to the Lord Heath website.

[Dr. Mabuse]

My favorites so far are "The Big Squawk" and "Snappy Sneezer." A shame about the missing sound discs on "Stepping Out" and "Great Gobs."

[metaldams]

I was impressed by the restraint Chase showed in the first talkie, THE BIG SQUAWK.  Most comedians were talking up a storm but Chase managed a lot of silent stretches and visual comedy.  He of course still gets the big voice moment by doing both the male and female voice.