Megapack: Charley Chase
In the pantheon of silent and early sound comedy, the shadows are long. Charlie Chaplin cast a silhouette that defined the era; Buster Keaton offered a stone-faced counterpoint to the chaos; and Harold Lloyd scaled the sides of buildings. But lurking just behind this triumvirate was a performer whose ingenuity often rivaled them all, yet whose name rarely receives the same marquee lighting: Charley Chase.
For the uninitiated, a Charley Chase MegaPack—a comprehensive collection of his short films—acts as a revelatory archive. It is a digital treasure chest that rescues one of cinema’s most sophisticated comedians from the fog of obscurity, revealing a talent that modern audiences are only just beginning to rediscover.
This is the complicated part. While many Chase films fell into the public domain due to copyright lapses at Roach Studios, restorations are technically copyrightable. The MegaPack lives in a grey area. For the purist, it is a preservation project. For the lawyer, it is a derivative work.
If you want to support the legacy legally, buy the "Charley Chase: The Hal Roach Silent Comedies" set from Lobster Films first. Then, use the MegaPack to fill the void of the 50+ shorts that have no commercial release.
This is the meat of the pack. Films like Mum’s the Word (1926), Crazy Like a Fox (1926), and Fluttering Hearts (1927). These are two-reelers (roughly 20 minutes each) where Chase plays a sophisticated gentleman thrown into absurd chaos. Many of these prints have been scanned from 35mm archives, revealing the intricate Art Deco sets of Hal Roach. Charley Chase MegaPack
The Charley Chase MegaPack serves as a comprehensive anthology celebrating one of the most innovative yet underrated comedic minds of early cinema. This expansive collection typically gathers films from across his prolific career, which spanned from his early days at Keystone to his celebrated tenure at Hal Roach Studios and his final years at Columbia Pictures. The Comedic Genius of Charley Chase
Charley Chase (born Charles Joseph Parrott) was a master of the "comedy of embarrassment". Unlike his contemporaries who often relied on clownish makeup or exaggerated slapstick, Chase’s screen persona was that of a dapper, well-dressed, and pleasant young man—the "America’s New Joy Boy"—who frequently found himself in increasingly absurd and humiliating social fiascos. Key Contents and Film Highlights
A true "MegaPack" collection includes highlights from his vast filmography of 277 appearances and 156 directorial credits.
Charley Chase MEGAPACK® is a digital anthology published by Wildside Press In the pantheon of silent and early sound
. While Wildside Press is famous for its massive collections of pulp fiction, mystery, and science fiction, this specific entry curates the written work and legacy of the legendary comedian and director Charley Chase Who was Charley Chase?
To appreciate the MegaPack, one must understand the man behind the mustache. Charles Joseph Parrott (1893–1940) was a pivotal figure in early Hollywood: The Persona
: Unlike the "clownish" contemporaries of his time, Chase played a "regular guy"—a dapper, pleasant young man in ordinary street clothes who frequently found himself in hilariously embarrassing situations. The "Director-General"
: Before starring in his own shorts, he supervised production at Hal Roach Studios, overseeing nearly everything except Harold Lloyd’s films. The Transition to Sound For the uninitiated, a Charley Chase MegaPack —a
: Unlike many silent stars, Chase thrived in "talkies" because of his fine singing voice and talent for "mini-musicals". Directorial Legacy
: Under his real name, Charles Parrott, he directed classic comedies for The Three Stooges and mentored future legends like Leo McCarey. What’s in the MegaPack?
Wildside Press’s MegaPack series typically offers an "all-you-can-read" experience for a very low price (often around $0.99 for ebooks). While the exact contents vary by edition, these collections generally include:
