On the Wrong Trek

Charley Chase stars and directs this comedy short from Hal Roach Studios. While the director is listed as Charles Parrott, that is Charley's real name and he often directed himself. Also, it's interesting to see that he looks a good bit older in this short--choosing not to dye his graying hair like he did in many other films made around 1936. However, Charley's singing in the film is pretty typical, as he often sang in his sound shorts and had a very pleasant voice.

The film begins with Charley returning to work after a vacation and telling everyone how awful it was. The rest of the movie is a flashback detailing the trip. He wants to go to Michigan, but his bossy mother-in-law insists they go to California--so it's California! On the way, one disaster after another occur and they never even get to their destination.

As far as Chase films go, this one is about average. Like so many of his later domestic comedies, it's a nice leisurely film with a decent number of laughs. I particularly liked the ending--leaving the audience with a good laugh.

PS--Watch the entire movie closely. I'd rather not say any more--you'll understand.

Charley Chase recounts his experiences of his doomed trip to California with his wife and mother-in-law to his work colleagues. Apparently it was hell from the very beginning as his in-law nags and treats him like a hapless know-nothing. His wife always backs up this nagging by saying 'mother knows best'.

Listening to her advice only lands them in more trouble. After being held up by highway thieves, Charley accidentally trashes some old geezers car, refuses to pick up two apparently desperate hitchhikers (Laurel and Hardy no less) and is barred from entering California as the border patrol think he's just a hobo.

It's an amusing short, with some laugh out loud scenes. It comes to an abrupt end and I'm not sure about the spontaneous musical number, but pretty entertaining nonetheless.

The time-honored story line of "On The Wrong Trek" features a family vacation gone awry due to the inclusion of an overbearing mother-in-law ("Mother knows best, dear."). What sets this story apart is the sheer likability and charm of Charley Chase and Rosina Lawrence as the husband and wife on a trip that's not going to go as planned. After many misadventures (and one hilarious episode where a good samaritan's offer of gasoline ends in his car being demolished), Charley and Rosina even provide a wonderful song and dance to a group of hobos. This comedy features gentle charm and family humor that would later become a mainstay in television sitcoms (there is even a funny cameo by Laurel & Hardy, with Chase making fun of Stan). This film is a wonderful introduction to Charley Chase, one of our most overlooked and underrated comedians.

This near-forgotten Charley Chase short comedy has probably achieved that status for a good reason – it isn't very good. In fact, the constant bickering between Chase and his on-screen mother-in-law quickly grows very tired and begins to irritate when it's supposed to amuse. Mother has decided they will holiday in California while Charley wanted to go to Michigan. Of course, their holiday is a series of disasters: they're robbed of their clothes and have their classy car stolen by a gang of hobo thieves, they run out of petrol and they inadvertently push another traveller's car over a cliff, etc. It's all pretty predictable stuff, and neither the material nor the leading man are funny enough to pull it off. The film's one strong point at a time when Hollywood was doing all it could to divert people's attention away from the dire state of the country, is its unflinching depiction of the great displaced, littering the side of the road as they try to hitch a lift in their search for work. The hobo camp, in which our weary heroes suddenly find the energy to perform a zippy song-and-dance number tells us we're still in La-La land though. It has to be said, though, that Mrs. Charley surely could nicely fill a pair of jeans; she – and an amusing cameo from Laurel & Hardy – are the only reasons to watch this insipid comedy.

On the Wrong Trek (1936)

*** (out of 4)

Charley Chase comedy has him telling of his vacation to California, which turned into a disaster. This was my first sound film with Chase and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I've always enjoyed Chase as a comedian and thought his comic timing here matched what we saw in some of his better silent shorts. There's really nothing too original but the actor pulls everything off nicely. There's a wonderful cameo with Laurel and Hardy as well.

I viewed this in the UK, 21-disc set, which is a dream come true for fans of Laurel and Hardy. The price has recently dropped on the set so any fan should certainly look into picking it up.