59-491: Charles Joseph Parrott (October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940), known professionally as Charley Chase , was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly associated with producer Hal Roach . Chase was the elder brother of comedian/director James Parrott . Born Charles Joseph Parrott in Baltimore , Maryland, Charley Chase began performing in vaudeville as
118-565: A comedy director with other companies; he directed many of Chaplin imitator Billy West 's comedies, which featured a young Oliver Hardy as a villain . He worked at Henry Lehrman 's L-KO Kompany during its final months of existence. Then in 1920, Chase began working as a film director for the Hal Roach studio. Among his notable early work for Roach was supervising the first entries in the Our Gang series. Chase became director-general of
177-514: A consultant on projects related to his past work. In 1983 the "Hal Roach Studios" name was reactivated as a video concern, pioneering the new field of colorizing movies. Roach lent his film library to the cause but was otherwise not involved in the new video productions. Extremely vigorous into an advanced age, Roach contemplated a comedy comeback at 96. In 1984, 92-year-old Roach was presented with an honorary Academy Award . Former Our Gang members Jackie Cooper and George "Spanky" McFarland made
236-422: A drug treatment (his diet medications were actually addictive amphetamines ) and died in 1939. Chase was devastated. He had refused to give his brother money to support his drug habit , and friends knew he felt responsible for Parrott's death. He coped with the loss by throwing himself into his work and by drinking more heavily than ever, despite doctors' warnings. The stress ultimately caught up with him; just over
295-477: A few three-reel featurettes later. The direction of the Chase series was taken over by Leo McCarey , who, in collaboration with Chase formed the comic style of the series: characterization and farce instead of knockabout slapstick . Some of Chase's starring shorts of the 1920s, particularly Mighty Like a Moose , Crazy Like a Fox , Fluttering Hearts , and Limousine Love , are often considered to be among
354-647: A fortune on. During the filming of a roulette sequence, Roach got himself promoted to the position of technical advisor by pointing out that the ball has to travel in the opposite direction of the wheel – knowledge he had gained in San Francisco's Barbary Coast ." On 23 July 1914, Roach incorporated Rolin Film Company with Dan Linthicum and I.H. Nance. In 1914, the Lewis Leonard Bradbury (November 6, 1823 – July 15, 1892) mansion, on
413-735: A long-standing distribution deal with Pathé Exchange . Unable to expand his studios in Downtown Los Angeles because of zoning , Roach leased several studio sites in the Los Angeles area until he purchased what became the Hal Roach Studios from Harry Culver in Culver City, California , at 8822 Washington Boulevard, and built by 1920. During the 1920s and 1930s, he employed Lloyd (his top money-maker until his departure in 1923), Will Rogers , Max Davidson ,
472-787: A particular part or in a certain genre, such that the actor becomes so strongly identified with a particular type of role that casting directors and theatrical agents steer the actor to similar roles. Some character actors are known as "chameleons", able to play roles that vary wildly, such as Gary Oldman and Christian Bale . Many character actors tend to play the same type of role throughout their careers, like Harvey Keitel as tough, determined characters; Christopher Lloyd as eccentrics; Claude Rains as sophisticated, sometimes morally ambiguous men; Abe Vigoda as aging criminals; Fairuza Balk as moody goth girls; Doug Jones as non-human creatures; and Forest Whitaker as composed characters with underlying volatility. Ed Lauter usually portrayed
531-455: A resident company of comedy stars and cast his films with familiar featured players ( William Tracy and Joe Sawyer , Johnny Downs , Jean Porter , Frank Faylen , William Bendix , George E. Stone , Bobby Watson , etc.). Recognizing the value of his film library, in 1943 Roach began licensing revivals of his older productions for theatrical distribution through Film Classics, Inc. and home-movie distribution. Hal Roach Sr., commissioned in
590-461: A series of 12 films. Eight would be for Italian screening only while the remaining four would receive world distribution. The first film for Italy was to be a feature film of the opera Rigoletto . The Hollywood Anti-Nazi League for the Defense of American Democracy resented Mussolini's presence and placed notices in various trade magazines: "He asked for - and received - the privilege of being
649-606: A teenager and started his career in films by working at the Christie Film Company in 1912. He then moved to Keystone Studios , where he began appearing in bit parts in the Mack Sennett films, including those of Charlie Chaplin . By 1915 he was playing juvenile leads in the Keystones, and directing some of the films as Charles Parrott. His Keystone credentials were good enough to get him steady work as
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#1732793452596708-737: A year after his brother's death, Charley Chase died of a heart attack in Hollywood, California, on June 20, 1940. He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery near his wife Bebe Eltinge in Glendale, California . For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Charley Chase received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6630 Hollywood Boulevard on February 8, 1960. Hal Roach licensed his film library to Film Classics , which re-released
767-470: Is often credited with writing the film's song " Swinging the Alphabet ", However, the tune actually originates with 19th-century songwriter Septimus Winner . Recent research asserts that the Chase family's maid introduced the song to Chase and taught it to his daughters. Chase's own shorts at Columbia favored broader sight gags and more slapstick than his earlier, subtler work, although he does sing in two of
826-686: Is one of the most celebrated Charley Chase comedies of the sound era. Throughout the decade, the Charley Chase shorts continued to stand alongside Laurel and Hardy and Our Gang as the core output of the Roach studio. Chase was featured in the Laurel and Hardy feature Sons of the Desert ; Laurel and Hardy made cameo appearances as hitchhikers in Chase's On the Wrong Trek . On the Wrong Trek
885-427: Is somewhat abstract and open to interpretation. While all actors play "characters", the term character actor is often applied to an actor who frequently plays a distinctive and important supporting role. In another sense, a character actor may also be one who specializes in minor roles. A character actor may play a variety of characters in their career, often referred to as a "chameleon", or may be known for playing
944-699: The 42nd Berlin International Film Festival . On March 30, 1992, Roach appeared at the 64th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Billy Crystal . When Roach rose from the audience to a standing ovation, he decided to give a speech without a microphone, causing Crystal to quip "I think that's appropriate because Mr. Roach started in silent films." In 1916, Roach's mother and father moved into Roach's studio in Culver City, living there until their death. In September 1916, Roach married actress Marguerite Nichols , who worked as an actress in
1003-585: The Our Gang children, Charley Chase , Harry Langdon , Thelma Todd , ZaSu Pitts , Patsy Kelly and, most famously, Laurel and Hardy . During the 1920s, Roach's biggest rival was producer Mack Sennett . In 1925, Roach hired away Sennett's supervising director, F. Richard Jones . Roach released his films through Pathé Exchange until 1927, when he struck a distribution deal with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . He converted his silent-movie studio to sound in late 1928 and began releasing talking shorts in early 1929. In
1062-480: The Our Gang comedies he produced from 1929 to 1938. In 1955, Roach sold his interests in the production company to his son, Hal Roach Jr., and retired from active production. The younger Roach lacked much of his father's business acumen and was forced to sell the studio in 1958 to The Scranton Corporation, a division of the automobile-parts conglomerate F. L. Jacobs Co. The Roach studio finally shut down in 1961. For two more decades, Roach Sr. occasionally worked as
1121-605: The U.S. Army Signal Reserve Corps in 1927, was called back to active military duty in the Signal Corps in June 1942, at age 50. The studio output he oversaw in uniform was converted from entertainment featurettes to military training films . The studios were leased to the U.S. Army Air Forces , and the First Motion Picture Unit made 400 training, morale and propaganda films at "Fort Roach." Members of
1180-503: The 1930s and 1940s, and died in March 1941. They had two children, Hal Roach Jr. , who followed his father as a producer and director, and Margaret Roach . Roach married a second time, on September 1, 1942, to Lucille Prin, a Los Angeles secretary. They were married at the on-base home of Colonel Franklin C. Wolfe and his wife at Wright-Patterson Airfield in Dayton, Ohio , where Roach
1239-606: The 2014 documentary That Guy Dick Miller ; with a prime example of a "that guy" actor being John Carroll Lynch . Over the course of an acting career, an actor can sometimes shift between leading roles and supporting roles. Some leading actors, as they get older, find that access to leading roles is limited by their age. Sometimes character actors have developed careers based on specific talents needed in genre films, such as dancing, horsemanship, acrobatics, swimming ability, or boxing. Many up-and-coming actors find themselves typecast in character roles due to an early success with
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#17327934525961298-487: The 2018 Laurel and Hardy biopic Stan & Ollie , Roach was portrayed by Danny Huston . In 2020, Rose McGowan alleged that, in 1937, Roach was responsible for a case of large-scale sexual abuse of actresses. The closest link to such accusations against him is that an infamous sex party was held by MGM at the Hal Roach Ranch, which was used by the company as a studio . This is also in relation to one of
1357-419: The Chase scripts were recycled; 12 of the 20 stories were strong enough to be remade in the 1940s with other comedians. For example, Chase's The Heckler (1940) was remade with Shemp Howard as Mr. Noisy (1946), The Wrong Miss Wright (1937) was remade with Vera Vague as You Dear Boy! (1943), The Big Squirt was remade with Bert Wheeler as The Awful Sleuth (1951), and The Nightshirt Bandit (1938)
1416-560: The Chase films to theaters in the 1940s. (The company refilmed the titles to eliminate the MGM logo and trademark, and misspelled Chase's name as "Charlie".) In 1950 the Hal Roach comedies were released to syndicated television, and Charley Chase was introduced to new audiences. Columbia's Charley Chase comedies, unlike most of the Columbia short-subject series, were never re-released to theaters in later years; they only played first-run. Instead,
1475-596: The Columbias, The Grand Hooter and The Big Squirt (both 1937). Chase reportedly suffered from depression and alcoholism for most of his professional career, and his tumultuous lifestyle began to take a serious toll on his health. His hair had turned prematurely gray , and he dyed it jet-black for his Columbia comedies. Years later Hal Roach said "I never saw him drunk at the studio, and I never saw him sober outside of it." His younger brother, comedy writer-director James Parrott , had personal problems resulting from
1534-521: The Hal Roach studio in late 1921, supervising the production of all the Roach series except the Harold Lloyd comedies. Following Lloyd's departure from the studio in 1923, Chase moved back in front of the camera with his own series of shorts, adopting the screen name Charley Chase. Chase was a master of the comedy of embarrassment, and he played either hapless young businessmen or befuddled husbands in dozens of situation comedies . His screen persona
1593-526: The Laurel & Hardy film Pardon Us , Roach began producing occasional full-length features alongside the short subjects. Two-reel comedies were less profitable than features, and Roach phased most of them out by 1936. When the Our Gang feature film General Spanky did not do as well as expected, Roach intended to disband Our Gang entirely. MGM still wanted the Our Gang short subjects, so Roach agreed to supply them in single-reel (10-minute) form. Roach
1652-526: The age of 100. He had married twice, and had six children, eight grandchildren, and a number of great-grandchildren. Roach outlived three of his children by more than 20 years: Hal Jr. (died in 1972), Margaret (died in 1964), and Elizabeth (died in 1946). He also outlived many of the children who starred in his films. Roach is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira, New York , where he grew up. In
1711-519: The age of 20, he had reached the tail end of a four-year trek across America, which took him from his hometown of Elmira, New York to Alaska, and down the Pacific Coast. Along the way, he picked up the know-how necessary to land work as an extra in a J. Warren Kerrigan western, which was being filmed on location in the desert. It was here that he first met fellow player Harold Lloyd , the first of many talents whom Hal Roach would nurture and build
1770-596: The corner of Court Street and Hill Street, Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, California , was Roach's film studio. Upon coming into an inheritance, in 1915 he began producing short film comedies with his friend Harold Lloyd , who portrayed a character known as Willie Work, as in Willie Runs the Park and Lonesome Luke, as in Lonesome Luke, Social Gangster . In 1915, his first success, Just Nuts (1915), landed
1829-462: The days before dubbing , foreign-language versions of the Roach comedies were created by reshooting each film in Spanish, French, and occasionally Italian and German. Laurel & Hardy, Charley Chase, and the Our Gang kids (some of whom had barely begun school) were required to recite the foreign dialogue phonetically , often working from blackboards hidden off-camera. In 1931, with the release of
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1888-431: The earliest reports of rape in Hollywood, filed by blacklisted dancer and extra Patricia Douglas , which was later covered in the documentary Girl 27 , a production McGowan herself has praised for educating on sexual abuse in Hollywood . Character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric or interesting characters in supporting roles , rather than leading ones. The term
1947-433: The entire run of Charley Chase's sound-era short comedies for Hal Roach, produced between 1929 and 1936, was released on DVD in four volumes by Kit Parker Films. In 2024 Parker released Blu-Ray and DVD volumes of Charley Chase's vintage-1927 silent comedies. Hal Roach Harold Eugene " Hal " Roach Sr. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director and screenwriter, who
2006-410: The facilities for such programs as Amos 'n' Andy , The Life of Riley and The Abbott and Costello Show . By 1951, the studio was producing 1,500 hours of television programs a year, nearly three times Hollywood's annual output of feature movies. Roach's old theatrical films were also early arrivals on television. His Laurel and Hardy comedies were successful in television syndication , as were
2065-435: The film was drastically edited down to two reels and finally released as one last Charley Chase short, Neighborhood House . The 55-minute version included a subplot, in which gangsters raid the theater and hold Chase captive; this footage was removed. Featured players Margaret Irving , George Chandler , Charles Lane , and Tom Dugan were cast in the feature, but they do not appear in the revised short-subject version. Chase
2124-519: The finest in silent comedy . Chase remained the guiding hand behind the films, assisting anonymously with the directing, writing, and editing. Chase moved with ease into sound films in 1929 and became one of the most popular film comedians of the period. He continued to be very prolific in the talkie era, often putting his fine singing voice on display and including his humorous, self-penned songs in his comedy shorts. The two-reeler The Pip from Pittsburg , released in 1931 and co-starring Thelma Todd ,
2183-420: The first aviator to bomb helpless Ethiopians . . . his presence here is not an occasion for celebration or social fetes. Those who welcome him are opening their arms to a friend of Hitler and an enemy of democracy." " Loews chairman Nicholas Schenck was so upset he canceled Roach's MGM deal." This proposed business alliance with Mussolini alarmed MGM, which intervened and forced Roach to buy his way out of
2242-479: The increased production costs did not result in increased revenue. In 1948, with his studio deeply in debt, Roach re-established his studio for television production, with Hal Roach Jr., producing series such as The Stu Erwin Show , Steve Donovan, Western Marshal , Racket Squad , The Public Defender , The Gale Storm Show , Rocky Jones, Space Ranger and My Little Margie , and independent producers leasing
2301-441: The main attraction was a longer-length epic. Exhibitors agreed with him and used Roach's mini-features to balance top-heavy double bills. He had intended to introduce the new format with a series of four Laurel and Hardy featurettes, but was overruled by United Artists, which insisted on two Laurel & Hardy feature films instead. United Artists continued to release Roach's streamliners through 1943. By this time, Roach no longer had
2360-628: The most celebrated comedies of the silent era and cementing Chase's status as a pioneer of early film comedy. Kino International released two Charley Chase DVD volumes in 2004 and 2005 for their Slapstick Symposium series. The films came from archives and collectors around the world. In 2009, VCI Entertainment released Becoming Charley Chase , a DVD boxed set of Charley Chase's early silent films. In 2013, Sony Home Entertainment released digital restorations of Charley Chase's twenty short comedies for Columbia Pictures (1937–1940) as part of its "Columbia Choice Collection" DVD series. During 2018–2022,
2419-585: The presentation to a flattered Roach, with McFarland thanking the producer for hiring him 53 years prior. An additional Our Gang member, Ernie Morrison , was in the crowd and started the standing ovation for Roach. Years earlier Cooper had been the youngest Academy Award nominee ever for his performance in Skippy when he had been under contract with Roach. Although Paramount had paid Roach $ 25,000 for Cooper's services in that film, Roach paid Cooper only his standard salary of $ 50 per week. On January 21, 1992, Roach
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2478-415: The same actor. In contrast to leading actors , they are generally seen as less glamorous. While a leading actor often has the physical attractiveness considered necessary to play the love interest , a character actor typically does not. In fact, some character actors are known for their unusual looks. For example, Chicago character actor William Schutz's face was disfigured in a car accident when he
2537-479: The same type of roles. Character actor roles are more substantial than bit parts or non-speaking extras . The term is used primarily to describe television and film actors, as opposed to theater actors. An early use of the term was in the 1883 edition of The Stage , which defined a character actor as "one who portrays individualities and eccentricities". Actors with a long career history of playing character roles may be difficult for audiences to recognize as being
2596-578: The silent era was broadcast in 2005 on the American cable television network Turner Classic Movies . In late 2006, Turner Classic Movies began to air Charley Chase's sound-era comedies. In January 2011, several of his sound shorts were featured during Turner Classic Movies' tribute to Hal Roach Studios. In 2007, Mighty Like a Moose (1926) was selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry , solidifying its reputation as one of
2655-502: The then deputy chief of the Italian police, conceived a joint business venture of Roach partnering with Vittorio Mussolini , son of fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini , to form a production company called "R.A.M." (Roach and Mussolini). On 11 September 1937, Roach and Vittorio Mussolini formed R.A.M. Productions. Roach claimed the scheme involved Italian bankers providing US$ 6 million that would enable Roach's studio to produce
2714-470: The unit included Ronald Reagan and Alan Ladd . After the war the government returned the studio to Roach, with millions of dollars of improvements. In 1946, Hal Roach resumed motion picture production, with former Harold Lloyd co-star Bebe Daniels as an associate producer. Roach was the first Hollywood producer to adopt an all-color production schedule, making four streamliners in Cinecolor , although
2773-800: The venture. This embarrassment, coupled with the underperformance of much of Roach's latest feature-film output (except Laurel & Hardy titles and the 1937 hit Topper ), led to the end of Roach's distribution contract with MGM. In May 1938, Roach sold MGM the production rights and actors contracts to the Our Gang shorts. Roach signed a distribution deal with United Artists at this time. From 1937 to 1940, Roach concentrated on producing glossy features, abandoning low comedy almost completely. Most of his new films were either sophisticated farces (like Topper and The Housekeeper's Daughter , 1939) or rugged action fare (like Captain Fury , 1939, and One Million B.C. , 1940). Roach's one venture into heavy drama
2832-488: Was a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson , guest-hosted by Jay Leno , one week after his 100th birthday. During the interview, Roach recounted experiences with such stars as Stan Laurel and Jean Harlow ; he even did a brief, energetic demonstration of the "humble hula" dance. In February 1992, Roach traveled to Berlin to receive the honorary award of the Berlinale Kamera for Lifetime Achievement at
2891-608: Was also a good friend to Walt Disney , who was a fan of Laurel and Hardy at the time. A monkey dressed in a Mickey Mouse costume as well as actors in Three Little Pigs costumes appeared in the 1934 Laurel and Hardy film March of the Wooden Soldiers . Mickey Mouse also appeared in Hollywood Party , also from 1934 and featuring Laurel and Hardy. In 1937, Renato Senise, nephew of Carmine Senise ,
2950-675: Was born in Wicklow , County Wicklow , Ireland, and Mabel Gertrude Bally, her father John Bally being from Switzerland. A presentation by the American humorist Mark Twain impressed Roach as a young grade school student. "Hal's first job was as a newspaper deliverer. One of his customers lived at Quarry Farm - Samuel Clemens, more widely known as Mark Twain ." After an adventurous youth that took him to Alaska , Roach arrived in Hollywood in 1912 and began working as an extra in silent films. "When Hal Roach came to Southern California at
3009-787: Was created in 1996. Two books devoted to Chase followed: a biography, Smile When the Raindrops Fall , was published in 1998; The Charley Chase Scrapbook , compiled from Chase's own collections of photos, writings, and souvenirs, was published in 2016. Chase's sound comedies for Hal Roach were briefly televised in the late 1990s on the short-lived American cable network the Odyssey Channel . Retrospectives of Chase's work organized by The Silent Clowns Film Series were held in 1999, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2018, and 2022 in New York City. A marathon of selected Charley Chase shorts from
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#17327934525963068-508: Was five years old, but his appearance after reconstructive surgery helped him to be distinctive to theater audiences. Generally, the names of character actors are not featured prominently in movie and television advertising on the marquee , since a character actor's name is not expected to attract film audiences. Some character actors have been described as instantly recognizable despite their names being little known. They are colloquially referred to as "that guy", or "that guy" actors, as in
3127-522: Was remade with Andy Clyde as Go Chase Yourself (1948) and Pardon My Nightshirt (1956). Producer Robert Youngson featured Charley Chase in his feature-length compilations of silent comedies, beginning with The Golden Age of Comedy (1957) and ending with 4 Clowns (1970). Since the 1990s, there has been a revival of interest in the films of Charley Chase, due in large part to the increased availability of his comedies. An extensive website researching his life and work, The World of Charley Chase ,
3186-561: Was stationed at the time while serving as a major in the United States Army Air Corps . Roach and Lucille had four children, Elizabeth Carson Roach (December 26, 1945 – September 5, 1946), Maria May Roach (born April 14, 1947), Jeanne Alice Roach (born October 7, 1949), and Kathleen Bridget Roach (born January 29, 1951). Hal Roach died in his home in Bel Air, Los Angeles , from pneumonia , on November 2, 1992, at
3245-530: Was supposed to be the final Charley Chase short subject: by 1936 producer Hal Roach was now concentrating on making ambitious feature films. Chase played a character role in the Patsy Kelly feature Kelly the Second , and starred in a 55-minute feature, Bank Night , lampooning the popular Bank Night phenomenon of the 1930s. Chase's feature was plagued with a host of production problems and legalities, and
3304-443: Was that of a pleasant young man with a dapper mustache and ordinary street clothes; this set him apart from the clownish makeup and crazy costumes used by his contemporaries. His earliest Roach shorts cast him as a hard-luck fellow named "Jimmie Jump" in one-reel (10-minute) comedies. The first Chase series was successful and expanded to two reels (20 minutes); this would become the standard length for Chase comedies, apart from
3363-500: Was the acclaimed Of Mice and Men (1939), in which actors Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr. played the leading roles. The Laurel and Hardy comedies, once the Roach studio's biggest drawing cards, were now the studio's least important product and were phased out altogether in 1940. In 1940, Roach experimented with medium-length featurettes , running 40 to 50 minutes each. He contended that these " streamliners ", as he called them, would be useful in double-feature situations where
3422-481: Was the founder of the namesake Hal Roach Studios . Roach was active in the industry from the 1910s to the 1990s. He is known for producing a number of early Media franchise successes, including the Laurel and Hardy franchise, Harold Lloyd 's early films, the films of entertainer Charley Chase , and the Our Gang short film comedy series. Roach was born in Elmira, New York , to Charles Henry Roach, whose father
3481-536: Was then dismissed from the Roach studio. In 1937, Chase began working at Columbia Pictures , where he spent the rest of his career starring in his own series of two-reel comedies, as well as producing and directing other Columbia comedies, including those of The Three Stooges , Andy Clyde , Smith and Dale , Walter Catlett , and Herman Bing . He directed the Stooges' classic Violent is the Word for Curly (1938). He
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