Another Wild Idea

"Another Wild Idea" is an incredibly strange comedy from Hal Roach Studios starring Charley Chase. How strange? Here's the plot:

A weird inventor has created a device that shoots invisible rays at folks and makes them temporarily lose their inhibitions. To test it out, he uses it on Charley...because the man hates Charley and doesn't want his daughter to marry him! Soon, Charley begins doing all sorts of crazy things...including attacking a cop (who REALLY deserves it). It all ends with a bizarro courtroom scene you just need to see to believe!

Despite being very clever and strange, this is not a great comedy. The biggest reason is all the singing. While I know Chase did have a lovely voice, the singing just seem poorly integrated into the picture and unnecessary. In other words, his singing talents were better used in a few of his other shorts in a better way. Apart from that, it's fun and worth seeing...especially since there's nothing else like it!

Charley is engaged to Betty Mack, but prospective father-in-law Frank Austin has invented a device that shoots a spark at you -- and makes you give way to your impulses.

This one shows signs of having been padded: Two songs -- which are always welcome -- including an appropriate nonsense song are used, and there a lovely stuck-on-the-track gag at the beginning of the movie. But the usual typical grace notes that Charley and co-director Eddie Dunn use to fill out the gags -- including the greengrocer who runs a tab for Charley as he throws vegetables at a bullying cop -- helped maintain Charley's string of funny comedies.

Not the least bit funny by today's standards but thought of as humorous at the time. It may help explain things about your family tree. Watch it for it's instructional value.

This is the sort of comedy that Harold Lloyd was doing during the silent screen and doing it much better than executed here by CHARLIE CHASE.

He plays a nerdy chap who runs into all sorts of scrapes when trying to impress his equally wacky girlfriend and, at the same time, steering away from her overprotective father who doesn't want him coming near his daughter.

The flimsy story is so poorly acted (by Chase and the entire cast) with dreadful readings of every line, that it was all I could do to stay tuned in.

Some mild amusement at the situations, but everything is so overplayed that there's not a single convincing moment in the whole short.

Hal Roach should have seen that somebody toned Chase down, but maybe back then audiences accepted this sort of comedy. Doesn't pass muster today.

High point of the lame comic lines: "He gives me a pain in my--tuning fork."

Charley Chase was the true gem of stand alone comedy. Yes he did overplay, that's what made him so funny. I first saw Chase in a few movies about 20 years ago on a channel that went belly up. Thanks to TCM for bring these wonderful movies back. All of us movie lovers owe them tons of gratitude. His movies with Betty Mack may portray the most warmth and charm ever captured on film, especially for his brand of wacky comedy. I missed the beginning of this movie but I did catch the final song that he and Betty sang - it doesn't get any better and thankfully I did get to see this much. I hope you get a chance see them paired again in the movies, "I'll Take Vanilla" and "The Chases of Dimple Street. " Meanwhile I'll wait for TCM to re-run "Another Wild Idea."

The funny, frustrated and dapper Charley died when he was only about 47 years old - somehow he was just forgotten - like a forgotten Easter egg. Betty Mack got her start mostly in those early western (cowboy) movies, but she never went too far in the movie business, always in supporting roles. Betty had a smile that could melt an iceberg and she quietly laughed with her eyes - she lived to be 79.