The Awful Goof

stuck in mud brakes with better than average rear projection and decent stunts--get to wedding coincidences with same lady--fire hydrant and dress, contrived and familiar car--stolen from THE MUSIC BOX

At the very end of his film career, Charley Chase made a string of shorts for Columbia Pictures. While they were generally enjoyable, they weren't up to the quality level of his older films he made with the Hal Roach Studio and sometimes these newer shorts seemed to use a lot of old gags. This is definitely the case with "The Awful Goof". While it's not a bad film at all, one comedy idea was lifted directly from the Oscar-winning Laurel & Hardy short "The Music Box".

The film begins with Charley trying to get to the church for his wedding. But, after a series of disasters, he ends up having an accident in which he gets a lady on the street covered in water. So, he tries to take her back to her place so she can change her clothes--but is discovered by his fiancé and her husband who slugs him. During the course of the film, again and again, Charley ends up bumping into the same husband and wife--and the husband is ready to kill him by the time the film ends. One time, the husband pretty much recreates Billy Gilbert's reaction when Laurel & Hardy brought a player piano to his home--and he proceeds to destroy it!

Overall, mildly enjoyable but not exactly original or among Chase's better efforts. Worth seeing, perhaps, but not exactly comedy gold.

Charley is on his way to marry Dorothy Comingore when his cab gets stuck in the mud, so he grabs a car from the local garage -- one without brakes, of course. This is directed by Del Lord, master of the automobile comedy. Along the way, there is a brief detour into a remake of Chase's 1927 classic LIMOUSINE LOVE, and then a series of incidents with the same couple.

Although everyone works hard in this short and there are plenty of laughs, this one is clearly a Columbia comedy short, pitched at the level and audience of the Three Stooges. Charley knew how to perform this sort of comedy. The gag construction is impeccable and the execution decent, but this season of Chase at Columbia was not as strong as it had been the previous year. Still, Chase and Lord would come back in 1940 with a couple of classic shorts, so it's best to enjoy this one for what it is: good, if not great.