Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fascinating and affectionate tribute to a great comic, March 7, 1999
By A Customer
"Smile When the Raindrops Fall" is a fascinating and affectionate look at the career of the vastly underrated motion picture comic Charley Chase (1893 - 1940). It's hard to imagine that Chase, whom time has mostly obscured, could be so vividly portrayed. However, through interviews with Chase's family, friends, and associates, the authors ressurect the comic in a biography that lovingly alternates between hilarity and heartbreak. Calling Chase one of the comic greats is no exageration: this brilliantly inventive and prolific figure contributed to over 300 films as writer, director, or actor (sometimes all three) before his untimely death at the age of 46. Chase worked with almost every major name in early film comedy, including Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle, Harold Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy, and the Three Stooges. The reader is taken on a nostalgic tour of silent and early sound comedy, its evolution paralleling the career of one of its pioneers. Excellent photo's and a detailed biography are included. An important piece of Hollywood history has finally been documented, and done justice, in this fine biography.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not just a great comic performer, January 5, 2001
Until this book appeared, there wasn't much information available on Charley except in Leonard Maltin's book on sound shorts. This great book will illustrates the life of both Charley (Parrott) Chase and his brother James Parrott. Their lives were intertwined, and when one of them had problems it certainly affected the other. While Chase always had a jolly face on, this book illustrates both his triumphs and his failures. Chase worked with many great comics like Charlie Chaplin, Roscoe Arbuckle, Laurel & Hardy, Thelma Todd and the Three Stooges. Chase also directed and/or supervised many good comedies where he did not appear on-screen. There is a very detailed filmography (and musicography) in the back that includes the lyrics to many of the songs that Charley wrote, his many directing credits, and other film appearances. Sure this book is expensive, but if you love silent comedy or early sound shorts you will not be able to stop reading it.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Charley Chase book will be out Dec 15--it's GREAT!, November 14, 1997
By A Customer
I have read the manuscript for this book, and must tell you it's a fantastic work. In an effort to update Amazon's Summary, I just want to tell all comedy fans that the publication date is definitely December 15 (Scarecrow guarantees delivery for Christmas); price is $49.95; it's 283 pages and contains over 80 photographs, many loaned from the Chase family's albums. Here's the Scarecrow Press Release: At the age of ten, Charley Chase was singing and dancing on the street corners of Baltimore. After a brief (but memorable) stint in New York, Chase finally landed in Los Angeles in 1912. His timely arrival coincided with the birth of the film industry, and Charley Chase became a major force in the shaping of motion picture comedy. A human dynamo, Charley's talent and creativity seemed inexhaustible. As a writer/director/actor, Charley started out at Mack Sennett's Keystone Studios. Working with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Charlie Chaplin, Chase quickly became one of Sennett's top directors. Later at other studios, he directed and then starred in his ownseries of funny and inventive two-reelers. Behind the scenes, Charley Chase was instrumental in shaping the careers of both Laurel & Hardy and The Three Stooges. Chase's personal life paralleled his film work. At first he was energetic and optimistic -- as was the infant film industry itself. As the movie business grew up, Charley got older, too. Chase's career, marred by family problems and alcoholism, mirrored the decline of the short film. The book includes over 80 marvelous photographs, many never before published, and a detailed filmography. BRIAN ANTHONY is an independent filmmaker and served as writer/producer/director of the award-winning feature film, "Victor's Big Score." He is a veteran motion picture historian and film preservationist. ANDY EDMONDS has worked as a writer, producer, and investigative reporter in the Los Angeles area for the past eighteen years. She has authored five books, including FRAME UP! THE UNTOLD STORY OF "FATTY" ARBUCKLE. "Charley Chase is America's great unsung comedy talent. It's about time someone devoted an entire book to him!" --Leonard Maltin
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