Customer Reviews

Becoming Charley Chase

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First I want to say that there are NO LINER NOTES in this set, you will want to print this review for reference on what is on each disc.

This may not be the "best of Charley Chase", but it is VERY GOOD! I don't think there is a clinker in the bunch! This is a comprehensive presentation of the early works of Charley Chase (Parrott). His persona starts out raw and refines itself. His unique humor starts to build from short to short. It is interesting to see the slapstick Keystone influence in PEANUTS AND BULLETS, a rather un Charley Chase like short. But that quickly disappears in the very next film presented here, LOVE IN ARMOR. Charley was clearly bucking the trend at Keystone and going more for situational comedy over pie-in-the face humor. His Keystone Comedies seem even more sophisticated than Chaplin's Keystone comedies. They are very story driven.

The King Bee Comedy at the end of disc 1 MARRIED TO ORDER features Oliver Hardy and plays out like a Hal Roach comedy.

The documentary at the end of disc 1 is best watched after viewing all four discs as it makes references to comedies on discs 2, 3 & 4. I found the audio mix poorly done in the documentary. The mood music is overwhelming the interviews, making it hard to hear what they say. I listened to this on two different systems & came up with the same results.

Discs 2 & 3 would take some dedication to get through all at once. Each is very long, over 150 minutes, and with 10 minute comedies, some repeating the theme of romance triangles several times, it could get monotonous. I would suggest breaking up the viewing of these discs for better enjoyment. The only problem is that if you try to start in the middle, you can not continuously watch them, at the end of the short your player will go back to the first menu & you have to select the title menu and then select the next short. One quick short-cut around this is to push your "Next" button on the remote before the DVD production credit ends.

Disc 3 does contain my favorite short in this set: "HELLO BABY" (1925). What may sound like a typical 'Man-takes-care-of-baby' plot is really full of many unexpected comedic plot twists & turns that stray away from the original plot line. And it all happens in 10 minutes! Any attempt to explain it here would ruin the impact.

Disc 4 may be missing Charley on screen, but his presence as director is definitely felt.

It is a pleasure to see his brother James (Paul) Parrott being directed by Charley, and Snub Pollard has always been a favorite of mine. Their shorts here are some of their best work, no doubt helped by Charley's direction.

I also caught Our Gang's Jackie Condon making a brief cameo appearance in a Will Rogers short, "JUS PASSIN THROUGH" (1923). It is quite a long short (27 minutes) & the comedy plot has been repeated many times by other comedians, so it became predictable. Jackie's brief appearance is an example of how actors traveled from set to set on the "lot of fun". Unlike the other two Our Gang member appearances, there is no plot reason for Jackie being there, I bet he just dropped by to watch & they put him in the film.

Overall the shorts look good to great, some are a little light. One disappointing title is JUST A MINUTE on disc 2, this is mastered from a video tape that has tracking problems. I guess they could not get access to the original film.

The music used here is not traditional silent film music & I am unsure as to how I like it, other than kept at a low volume. Some compositions seem to compliment the film, while others seem to be general mood themes that ignore what is happening on-screen.

I would actually suggest watching all of these shorts with their commentary tracks turned on (go to the "More" option in the menu & select the commentary option for all). These historians are very knowledgeable & well prepared to talk about the films. Find out who the then-popular athletes are that make guest appearances, or who that girl is (it's Fay Wray).

Sadly some films are lost, and others like SETTLED AT THE SEASIDE, DON'T FORGET, SEEING NELLIE HOME, & ACCIDENTAL ACCIDENTS are presented in fragments. Watch-able complete sequences, but not complete films. On the good side, there is no duplication between this set and the KINO sets. You will be getting all new material here.

After I finished viewing all four discs I felt a little sad, there was no more to watch. I got spoiled for a moment with some 10 HOURS of new films & documentaries to watch (O.K. I had seen some of these in the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum Edison Theater).

Yes, this a 10 hour set!

The contents:

DISC ONE: (2hrs, 24min, 10sec)

CHARLES PARROTT AT KEYSTONE (AND KING BEE!)

PEANUTS AND BULLETS 1/30/15 Music by the Snark Ensemble 12:13

LOVE IN ARMOR 3/11/15 Music by Ben Model 13:29

SETTLED AT THE SEASIDE 03/29/15 Music by Redwine Jazz 6:32

THE RENT JUMPERS 04/08/15 Music by Redwine Jazz 11:01

LOVE, LOOT, AND CRASH 04/24/15 Music by Ben Model 12:21

A VERSATILE VILLAIN 05/29/15 Music by Ben Model 13:00

HE WOULDN'T STAY DOWN 05/30/15 Music by Ben Model 14:23

MARRIED TO ORDER 10/30/20 w/ OLIVER HARDY (King Bee Comedies) Music by the Snark Ensemble 16:11

Bonus: "THE PARROTT CHASE" 45 minute documentary featurette (***Best if viewed after watching all 4 discs***) and optional audio commentaries on all shorts

DISC TWO: (2hrs; 39min; 44sec)

CHARLEY CHASE BECOMES JIMMY JUMP

AT FIRST SIGHT 01/06/24 Music by the Snark Ensemble 9:57

ONE OF THE FAMILY 01/26/24 Music by the Snark Ensemble 10:13

JUST A MINUTE 02/03/24 Music by Ben Model 12:17

POWDER AND SMOKE 02/10/24 Music by the Snark Ensemble 9:57

HARD KNOCKS 03/02/24 Music by the Snark Ensemble 10:41

DON'T FORGET 03/23/24 Surviving extract Music by the Snark Ensemble 2:59

THE FRAIDY CAT 03/30/24 w/ OUR GANG - Music by Ben Model 10:46

PUBLICITY PAYS 05/04/24 Music by the Snark Ensemble 9:55

YOUNG OLDFIELD 06/22/24 w/ Our Gang's JOE COBB - Music by the Snark Ensemble 9:41

STOLEN GOODS 06/29/24 Music by the Snark Ensemble 10:30

JEFFRIES, JR. 07/06/24 Music by the Snark Ensemble 9:27

A TEN-MINUTE EGG 7/20/24 Music by the Snark Ensemble 9:56

SEEING NELLIE HOME 07/27/24 Partial reconstruction from surviving material, Music by Ben Model 5:43

OUTDOOR PAJAMAS 09/14/24 Music by the Snark Ensemble 8:38

SITTIN' PRETTY 09/28/24 Music by the Snark Ensemble 10:15

TOO MANY MAMMAS 10/12/24 Music by the Snark Ensemble 9:00

Bonus Material:

ACCIDENTAL ACCIDENTS 11/9/24 surviving extract Music by Ben Model 2:12

EVOLUTION OF A GAG: tracing the history of the mirror gag 7:37

and optional audio commentaries on all shorts

DISC THREE: (2hrs; 46min; 14sec)

JIMMY JUMP BECOMES CHARLEY CHASE

THE POOR FISH 12/07/24 Music by the Snark Ensemble 9:30

THE RATS KNUCKLES 01/04/25 Music by Ben Model 9:17

HELLO BABY! 1/1/8/25 Music by the Snark Ensemble 10:29

FIGHTING FLUID 02/01/25 Music by the Snark Ensemble 9:50

SHOULD HUSBANDS BE WATCHED? 03/14/25 Music by the Snark Ensemble 9:34

IS MARRIAGE THE BUNK? 03/29/25 Music by the Snark Ensemble 9:54

BAD BOY 04/12/25 Charley Chase's first surviving two-reel short Music by the Snark Ensemble 18:24

BIG RED RIDING HOOD 04/26/25 Music by the Snark Ensemble 9:47

LOOKING FOR SALLY The last appearance of Jimmy Jump 05/10/25 Music by Ben Model 20:20

NO FATHER TO GUIDE HIM 09/06/25 Music by the Snark Ensemble 19:09

Bonus: "THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE" music featurette

and optional audio commentaries on all shorts

DISC FOUR: (2hrs; 10min; 05sec)

DIRECTED BY CHARLEY PARROTT

A ROLLING STONE Billy West 01/20/19 Music by Ben Model 18:48

THE FLIRTS Harry Mann & Jimmie Adams 04/08/19 Music by the West End Jazz Band 21:38

THE DUMB BELL Snub Pollard 07/16/22 Music by Ben Redwine and Redwine Jazz 9:23

SOFT PEDAL Paul Parrott 12/16/22 Music by Ben Model 9:50

COURTSHIP OF MILES SANDWICH Snub Pollard 06/24/23 Music by the West End Jazz Band 19:12

JUS PASSIN THROUGH Will Rogers Music by Ben Model 27:05 (1923) with a cameo by Our Gang's Jackie Condon.

DEAR OLD PAL Snub Pollard and Paul Parrott, the last film directed by Charles Parrott before he became Charley Chase 11/11/23 Music by Redwine Jazz 9:38

Bonus: Interview with Charley's daughter June Chase Hargis 14:31

and optional audio commentaries on all shorts

Please note that any pre-orders you may have already placed will not be valid--because of the change of distributor, the set will have a new UPC symbol and will be treated by retailers as a new release, so you will need to re-order all over again.

VCI has taken a gamble on releasing this set during hard economic times. Lets all support their effort and buy this great set. And thanks to All Day for assembling this collection! Great job in trying to put as complete a collection of Charlie's early work together from surviving prints as possible, and not double-dipping from the KINO releases.

This 10 hour set costs less than a dollar a short!

Cited by many as the fourth big comedian of the silent era (after Chaplin, Lloyd, and Keaton), Charley Chase was a multifaceted artist who, like so many others, is sadly overlooked today. Chase, born Charles Parrott, was a talented actor, director, producer, and editor with a career that spanned from 1910 until his death in 1940.

This 4-disc set features over 40 rare comedy shorts that cannot be missed for the price.

Included in the set:

Disc 1 (Charles Parrott at Keystone):

Peanuts and Bullets - (1915)

Love in Armor - (1915)

Settled at the Seaside - (1915)

The Rent Jumpers - (1915)

Love, Loot and Crash - (1915)

A Versatile Villain - (1915)

He Wouldn't Stay Down -(1915)

Married to Order - (1920)

Bonus Features: The Parrott Chase (45 Minute Documentary)

Disc 2 (Charley Chase Becomes Jimmy Jump):

At First Sight - (1924)

One of the Family - (1924)

Just a Minute - (1924)

Powder and Smoke - (1924)

Hard Knocks - (1924)

Don't Forget - (1924)

The Fraidy Cat - (1924)

Publicity Pays - (1924)

Young Oldfield - (1924)

Stolen Goods - (1924)

Jeffries, Jr - (1924)

A Ten-Minute Egg - (1924)

Seeing Nellie Home - (1924)

Outdoor Pajamas - (1924)

Sittin' Pretty - (1924)

Too Many Mamas - (1924)

Accidental Accidents - (1924)

Disc 3 (Jimmy Jump Becomes Charley Chase ):

The Poor Fish - (1924)

The Rat's Knuckles - (1925)

Hello Baby! - (1925)

Fighting Fluid - (1925)

Should Husbands be Watched - (1925)

Is Marriage the Bunk? - (1925)

Bad Boy - (1925)

Big Red Riding Hood - (1925)

Looking for Sally - (1925)

No Father to Guide Him - (1925)

Bonus Features: The Sounds of Silence Music Featurette

Disc 4 (Directed by Charley Parrott):

Jus' Passin Through - (1923)

A Rolling Stone - (1919)

The Flirts -(1919)

The Dumb Bell - (1922)

Soft Pedal - (1926)

Courtship of Miles Sandwich - (1923)

Dear Ol' Pal - (1923)

Bonus Features: Interview With Charley's Daughter June Chase Hargis

David Kalat, the head-man at All Day Entertainment, now reports that the "Becoming Charley Chase" set will be released this Summer, thanks to the lovely people at VCI Entertainment. Stay tuned to Amazon & pre-order this set at your first opportunity!!!

In the meantime, please show your support for silent comedy on DVD, and order up previous releases from All Day & VCI. Check out "Weiss-O-Rama", "Silent Comedy Mafia #1", "Harry Langdon: Lost & Found", and "American Slapstick" volumes 1 & 2.

Charley Chase began his career as Charles Parrott (his real name) at Keystone in 1914 where he worked with Arbuckle, Normand, and Chaplin in small unbilled parts. He turned to direction at roughly the same time and eventually went to work for Hal Roach in the early 1920s where he met a young fellow named Leo McCarey. Together they made a 1924 short called SITTIN PRETTY which has an almost identical version of the mirror gag McCarey would later make famous in DUCK SOUP (It features Charley and his younger brother James Parrott who would also become a comedy director). This 4 DVD extravaganza clocks in at 450 minutes and covers his career as comedian and director from Keystone to the end of the Hal Roach era.

He became Charley Chase (hence the name of the set) to distinguish the comedian from the director. His onscreen character bears a remarkable resemblance to Dick Van Dyke who must have been familiar with Chase's comedies. It was initially based on a once popular comedian named Lloyd Hamilton. He became Roach's number one comedy headliner until he was eclipsed by Laurel & Hardy in the late 20s. He continued to act and direct (at Columbia including a few 3 Stooges shorts in the late 30s like VIOLENT IS THE WORD FOR CURLY) until his early death from a heart attack at the age of 46. That was in 1940. The various audio commentaries on the shorts and the brief bio THE PARROTT CHASE provide excellent background information.

This set has been years in the making as some of the early material was very hard to come by and there were a number of complications over who was going to release it. Thanks to Allday Entertainment and to VCI Entertainment for finally getting the job done. Chase had a significant influence on screen humor directing it away from outright slapstick and more into the situational comedy we know today. It's astonishing how much of his late teens and early 20s stuff got recycled by others. My initial reaction is one of admiration tinged by a touch of sadness over how he has been forgotten. Hopefully this set will change that. The only thing that keeps it from being a perfect release is the lack of liner notes or at least a listing of what shorts are on which disc. Still a 5 star effort.

Thank you for giving us that list of 41 silent shorts.

We had 5 plus 6 from KINO, and 12 from LOBSTER, in France, which originated the copies, more or less the same titles, plus some odd ones from IMAGE.

Things seem to be shaping up and all CHASE fans will be shouting for more. That edition will do nicely to make our mouths water.

VCI Entertainment presents "BECOMING CHARLEY CHASE" (1915-1925) (Silent) (460 mins/B&W) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) --- Charley Chase was an American comedian, screenwriter and film director, best known for his work in Hal Roach short film comedies --- While Charley Chase is far from being as famous as "The Big Three" ('Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd) today, he's highly respected as one of the "greats" by fans of silent comedy.

Charley Chase after a brief career in vaudeville entered Al Christie's movie studio as a comedian in 1913 before settling down at Keystone Films the following year --- Chase's career in films did not start off with remarkable success --- He played bit parts in a large number of short comedies, appearing with Charlie Chaplin and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, among others, before he finally got his chance at Hal Roach Studios as a director, before Roach realized what a gifted performer he had hired. "I can play anything!" Chase once told Roach, and eventually his claim was confirmed --- Although Mack Sennett's Keystone studio has earned legendary status as the ultimate factory of comic invention, it can hardly be denied that Roach developed a more refined style of comedy which obviously fitted Chase better (indeed, Sennett's unsophisticated product increasingly lost favor with the movie-going public by the early 1920s, while Roach's studio flourished). During five years, 1924-29, he starred in nearly a hundred two-reelers, most of which were directed by Leo McCarey.

Chase usually portrayed an apparently gentle and charming man who in reality, it eventually turned out, was quite a loser after all. His character was largely inspired by Lloyd Hamilton, another neglected comedian whom Chase had directed in several two-reelers. Among Charley's most memorable shorts are Innocent Husbands, Mighty Like a Moose, and Movie Night.

Must send my complements to Paul J. Mular the reviewer from San Carlos, California for his in depth review with inclusive titles, year and date, plus time and music which has been added this year 2009 --- Totally agree that we need to support VCI Entertainment for this silent comedy set and other nostalgic releases --- Also own WEISS-O-RAMA collection, but please do check out VCI's catalog and website for other wonderful titles and give them our support.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

1. The Parrott Chase (45 Minute Documentary)

2. The Sounds of Silence Music Featurette

3. Interview With Charley's Daughter June Chase Hargis

BIOS:

Charley Chase (aka: Charles Joseph Parrott)

Date of Birth: 20 October 1893 - Baltimore, Maryland

Date of Death: 20 June 1940 - Hollywood, California

Hats off and thanks to Robert Blair and his staff at VCI Entertainment --- VCI was named in Variety and Hollywood Reporter as the first company to produce and release motion pictures directly to the home marketplace --- order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch releases --- VCI are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector -- looking forward to more Nostalgic Collections.

Total Time: 460 mins on DVD ~ VCI Entertainment ~ (07/28/2009)

I certainly enjoyed these complete vintage movies. I was happy to see that in spite of being over-exposed, under-saturated, and generally decomposed, most of the movies are pretty complete, with very few missing frames. The film speed does not seem excessive, so the performers seem less cartoonish than you often see in presentations of old movies. Shorts are my favorite form of film entertainment, and this splendid set of well-put-together shorts, none of which I had ever seen before, was very entertaining indeed!

It was also a delight to see a comedian who doesn't play the fool. 20th century comedians too often thought that stupid is funny--a mistake that mars too much of Keaton's work. Only Stan Laurel brought dopey to the level of high art, yea even exaltation. Here, with a few exceptions, Charley's characters are good looking, good-willed and smart; and he kisses all the girls without fainting: what a relief!

Even in the earliest movies, you can already see that Charley's films are a little different than the usual Keystones: the editing is a little slower and the performances breath a little. The continuity is better than usual. It is charming to see such a juvenile Charley Chase, and Mae Busch is actually cute. (Her facial expressions and pantomime are as good and snappy as the best of them.) The ensemble work is certainly enjoyable to watch; when there are three or four or even more actors gesticulating at once, they still most often manage to highlight the main character and the central point of the moment.

Charley's starring films are in chronological order, a manner of presentation that I ALWAYS appreciate(!!). There is some problem with the way the menus are set up, and trying to get the commentaries turned OFF required re-starting the DVD from the beginning. The 45 minute documentary is very boring and the sound is poorly mixed. I do find it a plus that every film has its own optional commentary.

Now for my pet peeve: My biggest concern with the presentation of silent films is the music. In this compilation, the music isn't really bad, in fact it's generally fairly pleasant, and diverse enough that if you don't like the music for one film, you'll very possibly like it on the next. At any rate, the music rarely kills the movie, which bad music so often does. I have to admit I was a little surprised that the Snark Ensemble did not even try to match their music to the action of some films ("Married to Order" being an example). Sometimes Snark does pretty well, and they even add a few well-placed drum thumps and instrumental coo-coos but they could certainly be a great deal funnier, particularly when the action speeds up. Often they just keep playing cutsie frothy medium-tempo music even when the visuals are frantic. It's hard to understand what they were thinking... I have to admit here and there they really enhance a movie, starting in the 2d DVD with "Hard Knocks". (Took 'em a while to warm up, I thought.) Then the very next movie, "Don't Forget", credits Snark Ensemble, but it's only piano, and it is TERRIBLE! And then, happily, for "Publicity Pays" (an awe-inspiring stunt movie, by the way), they are borderline brilliant. Then, VERY happily, they do a STUPENDOUS job with "Sittin' Pretty" (the magic name here is Maurice Saylor). And "Sittin' Pretty" is THE movie you want to own the whole set for, by the way. Then back to the most horrendous, ill-fitting music imaginable for "The Poor Fish"--in fact it is SO bad I actually had to turn OFF the sound to make it through the movie! ...So we have widely variable performances.

Overall, the really jarring lapse with the sound accompaniments to these films is the lack of noise effects, which would really bring the comedy alive, particularly when films are set to such modest (and occasionally inferior) music. A great musical score would do this too, of course, but just adding a few sounds here and there works wonders. Interestingly, the piano scores composed and played by Ben Model are generally acceptable as ambient sound but not usually very perceptive; on the other hand, play DVD #2, and watch the clip from "Accidental Accidents" to hear how his ORGAN accompaniment seems to be so much more alive. And in "The Fraidy Cat", he really come SO CLOSE to getting it right! His organ accompaniment is about 30% spot on, and the rest of the time it's adequate. It's almost as if he's afraid of being criticized for 'Mickey Mouse-ing' the music to the action too much, so he fits the music beautifully to one gag, and then completely ignores the next bit of comedy or drama.

The best music on the DVD's is on the menus, by the way. Too bad the movie soundtracks themselves were not so entertaining as this.

Overall, in spite of my 4-star rating (due to the menu problems, lack of index notes, a poorly made documentary and mostly pedestrian musical accompaniments) I certainly and heartily recommend purchasing this. Shorts are great because if you get tired of watching, you probably just finished a complete film so you won't miss anything by turning off your DVD for a day or two. A set of shorts this full (4 DVDs -- WOW!) is really a treat, and seeing such GREAT films for the first time was very satisfying. I agree that we should support VCI Entertainment by buying this compilation, and let's hope they can recover enough of their costs to put out more anthologies. And maybe use some better prints, if they can procure them. I recommend buying ALL of VCI's compilations that you can find.

I had never even heard of Charley Chase until I saw one of his sound shorts - "The Pip From Pittsburgh" - on Turner Classic Movies between features two years ago. His lanky features and unique solutions to problems in that short won me over in just two reels. I was very happy, therefore, to hear about this set. It was postponed a couple of times, but it finally made it out the door.

The shorts are excellent, even the early Keystone ones, and that surprised me. I've viewed Chaplin's Keystone shorts, and quite frankly the comedy never rose much above pants-kicking fests, so I really wasn't expecting much from disc one. Chase's Keystone shorts were much more focused on story and using his outrageous facial expressions and lanky build to add to the comedy. Charley Chase never played the guy out to distinguish himself either through legitimate channels (Harold Lloyd's young man in the big city) or illegitimate ones (Chaplin's Little Tramp). Neither was he an outrageous victim of circumstance with great physical prowess and little facial expression (Buster Keaton). Instead, Charley plays an ordinary guy who is trying to keep what he's got - his wife, his job - or, if he plays a single guy, maybe get the girl, not in a big way, but at least to get her to go out with him.

The quality of the video here will take a little getting used to. Don't expect "The General" on Blu-Ray. Instead, most of these shorts appear to have come from 16mm material and there are some noticeable scratches in the video. It's not enough to really bother you, just don't be shocked by the shape that the video is in. The music that has been recorded for the shorts is excellent and the mood of the music for each short fits well.

Every short includes an audio commentary by one or more of the following film scholars: David Kalat, Ben Model, Ken Gordon, Yair Solan, Robert Arkus, Steve Massa, Bruce Lawton, and Richard M. Roberts. They don't go off on tangents, and they seem to have great knowledge of Chase and his supporting cast and crew and have a real enthusiasm for dispensing their knowledge to the viewer. There are also several informative featurettes. The whole package reminds me of what Warner Home Video used to do with their classic boxed sets.

Last year the company that now holds the rights to the Hal Roach sound shorts put out a great set of Our Gang comedies. It would be nice if this same bunch would let us see the rest of the Charley Chase story and release the talking shorts that he made for Roach.

Very good collection of silent movie comedies starring the forgotten Charley Chase. Hope VCI have more stuff like this lined up - I have the Weiss-o-rama, Arbuckle and Langdon box sets. Suggestions for future sets..... Ben Turpin, Snub Pollard, Mack Sennett stuff.

A number of these shorts are in poor visual condition, but it does add to the charm. My only disappointment is VCI could not include any of Chase's sound shorts from Roach (or get a licence for the Columbia ones), in fact of the Roach talkie era we only have the Our Gang and Laurel and Hardy shorts widely available to us

Amazon has a seperate listing for the new distributor's release.

Becoming Charley Chase

All Day has partner with VCI Home Entertainment for releasing this project.

Kidos to All Day& VCI for seeing the value in this project!

From All Day's Press release:

Let it be known: BECOMING CHARLEY CHASE, a four-disc box set collecting the early works of America's most influential comic genius, is ON ITS WAY! Thank your patience and perseverence. Charley Chae fans have had their hearts broken before (Milestone, I'm lookin' at you) and I did not want to be part of the problem.

This summer, VCI Entertainment will be distributing this deluxe box set, with the same specs and price point as originally advertised.

Please note that any pre-orders you may have already placed will not be valid--because of the change of distributor, the set will have a new UPC symbol and will be treated by retailers as a new release, so you will need to re-order all over again.

VCI has shown extraordinary support and enthusiasm for silent comedy at a time when the marketplace is not entirely welcoming. If you are not already familiar with them, please seek out their superb WEISS-O-RAMA collection--and if you already own that treasure, do check out VCI's catalog for other great finds, and show them your support in return. This is a small community--we're in this together--and thanks to their faith, Charley Chase will get his due after all. I am thrilled--and when you see what we've done here, I think you will be too.