michaelscheck

"The Pip from Pittsburgh" is undoubtedly a great short which can compete with the top shorts of any comedian of that time. But personally I can't quiet understand the high praise it usually gets; to me this is NOT Chase's best sound short. A few years later his style has much more refined. The shorts under his own direction (signed with his real name, Charles Parrott) were real masterpieces of subtle screwball comedy. "You Said A Hatful", "The Count Takes the Count" or "Neighbourhood House" all have a touch of real originality - they were films that only could have been made by Charley Chase. "The Pip" wears not quiet his own personal style of handwriting - but it is developing.

Charley Chase is almost forgotten today. If you are lucky enough to see one of his shorts today, you won't understand why. This one here contains a nice little song preformed by Chase and one dancing sequence, also preformed by Chase. Actually, you see two Chases dance; Charley plays a double role here: himself and "Pappy" a southern relative of Charley's. This underestimated short shows his many skills: He was a great actor (you wouldn't recognize him as "Pappy" if you wouldn't know it was him); he directed many of his own films; he was a great singer, a gifted dancer AND he had a secure sense of comical timing.

He should stand out as one of the greatest comedians ever lived, together with Chaplin, Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Stan Laurel.