The earliest widely used sound system for movies was one first used by Warner Brothers with "The Jazz Singer"...and a few other studios also used the same sytem. But it soon was replaced. Why? Because the sound came on a separate record that needed to be played as the film was played. There were three big problems with the system. First, synchronizing the record with the projector wasn't easy and often the sound lagged or preceded the action. Second, the discs wore out VERY fast...sometimes after less than a dozen playings! Third, the records OFTEN got separated from the film and by about 1990, hundreds or perhaps thousands of films existed in part...with either the film or the record. But since the internet, collectors and respositories across the world have been communicating...sharing what they had in order to reunite the discs with the films. Hundreds or more such cases have occurred...which is wonderful for old movie buffs.
Unfortunately, "Great Gobs!" and "Stepping Out", two of Charley's shorts, have suffered this fate. The sound disc is missing and someone recently added captions and music. And, both films actually manage to work pretty well as silents!
In "Great Gobs!", Charley and Edgar Kennedy are sailors on shore leave in Mexico. Edgar serenades a pretty lady...and you have no idea if he can sing well or not due to the missing sound! Regardless, he and Charley soon begin fighting over the girl. Soon, however, the woman's husband comes over...and the pair are sent packing. And, again and again through the film, the pair try to outdo each other in picking up women...with little success.
Of the two, "Great Gobs!" suffers the most from the lack of sound. However, it still works and manages to be better than many of Charley Chase's sound films. It makes you wish he and Edgar had done a few more co-starring films together.
