Publicity Pays

"Publicity Pays" an early "Jimmie Jump" one-reel comedy from Charley Chase, is, on the face of it, far wackier than most of Charley Chase's work. Happily, even though in places it has an uncharacteristic feel, that doesn't keep it from being extremely funny. The premise is a humorous one: Chharley's wife is about to become a big stage star, and she needs a scandal to create interest in her as a celebrity. However, not much comes of this ostensible premise except a few corny gag titles and a few shots of Charley Chase and Beth Darlington as his wife dressed in silly theatrical costumes.

The body of the film revolves around the very funny efforts of Charley Chase and his wife to sneak their pet monkey (which presumably they now have because it is the kind of thing that stars have) into a hotel that does not allow animals. This leads into the opportunity for some very good gags which are well set-up even in the ten-minute form (especially one involving a plumbing bill) and some more characteristic Charley Chase comedy situations that have him accidentally finding himself in other people's rooms. There is also the opportunity for a well-done stunt scene in which Charley hangs off a building in Harold Lloyd style -- he doesn't do this too often but perhaps it is appropriate as he was seen as possible Hal Roach's replacement for Lloyd at this point.

This was the first of the Chase shorts directed by Leo McCarey, who would make a great contribution to the series. I can see it being him who brings some great little touches that enhance a lot of the scenes to this short. This is funny and energetic on the whole, and I can imagine it being one that would play especially well with a big crowd.

Unlike his prior Jimmy Jump films, this one was directed by the great Leo McCary--the famed Hal Roach director who went on to direct classic Hollywood films like "The Awful Truth".

The film begins with Jimmy Jump (Charley Chase) and his wife appearing in a local play. An agent sees the wife and offers her a contract for films--though this portion of the film has NOTHING to do with the rest of the movie!! - The scene now changes. The pair are trying to go to a hotel but the desk manager is an angry guy who does not allow kids or pets--and the wife has a monkey named Jocko. There are a few laughs where Charley sneaks in the animal and later it escapes and runs amok through the hotel--scaring the guests. There really isn't much more to it--and it's hardly one of the better Chase films. Very slight despite McCary's being at the helm.

Publicity Pays (1924)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Jimmy Jump (Charley Chase) is the loving husband to an actress (Beth Darlington) who appears to be about to get her big break on Broadway but first she needs a scandal to bring her some added fame. Jimmy must pull out all the tricks he has to try and get her some attention. The majority of the 9-minute running time has Chase trying to sneak her pet monkey past the hotel security and of course the monkey ends up breaking free, which leads to a big chase. I was surprised to see that this short was a lot sillier than most of these early films from Chase but that's not too much of a bad thing. I think the film wastes too much time trying to get jokes off the monkey as very few of them actually work. We do get to see Chase trying to do a Harold Lloyd impersonation as one scene has him having to climb out onto a pole to try and save the little creature. The special effects of being up that high don't look true but it's still a somewhat fun sequence.