Charley's Aunt

I had first heard about Charley's Aunt when in Jack Benny's bio in the book encyclopedia of movie comics called "The Funsters", he was mentioned as starring in a film version of it. But it wasn't until now that I've seen at least one of those versions, this one starring Charlie Chaplin's brother Syd playing a man disguising as the title character. Why that happens, I won't tell if you haven't seen any film version of it. I'll just say this was hilarious from beginning to end. So that's a high recommendation of this version of Charley's Aunt.

What a difference seeing a silent comedy with a live audience and music makes! Had the opportunity to watch "Charley's Aunt" with a hundred and sixty other people with music provided on a Wurlitzer Theatre pipe organ and it was magic. I heard a number of people after the screening express themselves about having one of the most enjoyable evenings ever. One lady thought that Syd was even funnier than Charlie! You really can't judge a silent comedy until you have seen it in this manner. Syd Chaplin was wonderful as the guy impersonating Charley's Aunt, but so was the supporting cast. Most all of the visual gags worked wonderfully with the audience. This film may be found on the 3-disc DVD set of "American Slapstick V. 2", which is sold by Facets. After seeing Syd Chaplin's 1925 version I now would like to see the Jack Benny and Ray Bolger (called "Where's Charley?") sound versions. There have been six or seven film versions of "Charley's Aunt" world wide over the years, but the 1925 Syd Chaplin incarnation still holds up, especially if seen with an audience.

This is an interesting film because you get to see Charlie Chaplin's half-brother, Syd AND he looks like an ordinary person. In the dozen or so other Sydney Chaplin films I've seen, he usually looks rather comical--with greased hair and often a fake mustache and large padded butt. Here, though, you'd swear it wasn't Syd--just some ordinary bloke. This change was not a bad thing, however, as the film is a light comedy that compared reasonably well to other full-length comedies of the day. However, it's important to note that if the viewer is looking for a slapstick or goofy film, this really isn't it. It's much more plot-driven and definitely not slapstick.

The film begins with Syd trying to help his fiancée's father who has a gambling addiction, but the fiancée misunderstands and leaves him. Some time passes and now Syd is in college and gets mixed up in a crazy scheme to imitate Charley's aunt so that they can fool an old guy into proposing! And, at the same time, the old guy is convinced that the "aunt" is a rich Brazilian heiress. So there's lots of gags about Syd in drag and it's all in good fun--but also a bit sedate.

A decent film and a rare chance to see Syd Chaplin in a different sort of role than you might be used to.