Series: Charley Chase Director: James Parrott Producer: Hal Roach Titles: H.M. Walker Photography: Len Powers Editor: Richard C. Currier Stars: Charley Chase, Jean Arthur Company: Pathé Exchange Released: 15 May 1927 Length: 2 reels Production No.: B-19 Filming dates: January 17-25, 1927 Rating: 4/10

Bigger And Better Blondes

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A local jeweler is robbed and Mrs. Van Deusen is concerned that her valuables have been stolen and heads to the store with her daughter. The jeweler instructs his employee (CHARLEY CHASE) that the woman's valuables are safe and tells him to go and inform her. Charley takes a detour into a restaurant where he orders his food next to Mrs. Van Deusen's daughter Ramona (JEAN ARTHUR). After a series of interactions, they are eventually seated together. As Charley eats he takes out a box of jewels under the table which catches the eye of two would-be thieves. The young lady sees that Charley is wearing her mother's ring on his finger and goes to telephone the police, who advises her to keep an eye on him. Meanwhile Charley accidentally drops the ring into a bowl of soup which is then sold to a bespectacled customer. As the customer eats his soup, Charley sits down next to him and attempts to retrieve the ring from his bowl when the customer isn't looking. After distracting the customer long enough Charley is able to find the ring and returns to his own table. The girl invites Charley to a party and he accepts, before attempting to pay for his food bill with a fake $100 note. They leave together and head for a tea party where notorious thief Boris Fantomas is attending. Charley finds a girl to dance with and as they do so, thief Boris patiently waits behind a curtain to steal the box of jewels from the girl's dress.

Charley then begins dancing with GALE HENRY and once again Boris hides behind a curtain waiting to pounce. He reaches around and grabs Charley's neck-tie from around his neck. After the dance, the hostess takes Gale aside and tells her that the man she is dancing with is a wanted robber and advises everybody to put their valuables in a safe place. Boris grabs Charley at gunpoint and tells him that he is going to help crack the hosts' safe (which is opened by Charley sneezing!) Two more crooks show up (they were previously seen in the restaurant) and demand a piece of the action so the four men (including Boris and the reluctant Charley) draw lots to divy up the haul. A cigar-smoking detective (FRANK BROWNLEE) shows up at the house and begins interrogating Charley over the theft of the valuables. After trying to light his cigar, the detective discards four matches on the floor, each of them landing close to some flammable liquid which was put there earlier in order to blow the safe. To avoid a potential explosion Charley keeps trying to offer the detective his lighter but it won't ignite. After four matches are discarded by detective, eventually Charley takes matters into his own hands and tries to extinguish the last match by spraying soda water onto it but the room explodes! Police officers rush in and find the crooks sprawled out on the floor. The officer congratulates Charley in apprehending the wanted criminals. A happy Charley is reunited with the girl - you know, the one who thought he was a thief - and as luck would then have it, his lighter finally ignites. He kisses the girl and the film ends.

Trivia • Copyrighted April 11, 1927. • The film made its DVD/Blu-Ray debut in late 2024. It has recreated credits and intertitle cards. Excluding the post-film DVD credits, there is less than 16 minutes' worth of footage which would indicate the film is incomplete. The image quality on the Blu-Ray is average at best. • The detective throws three discarded matches on the floor without care. In somebody else's house?! Also, that is a really crap cigar if he needed to keep re-lighting it, don't you think? • I thought the title of the film made little sense, and yet a more appropriate title would have been "The Lighter That Failed"... which of course is the name of an altogether different Charley Chase film from the same year. My opinion • Below average.

	Charley Chase Charley
	Jean Arthur Ramona Van Deusen
	Mario Carillo Boris Fantomas
	Gale Henry Party guest
	Frank Brownlee Detective
	May Wallace Mrs. Van Deusen
	George B. French Derwood DeLacy, jeweler
	Evelyn Burns Diner in queue
	Ida May Laughing diner in queue
	Sammy Brooks Diner
	Jerry Mandy Diner with soup
	Roy Saeger Chef
	Clara Guiol Cashier
	Leon Rey Diner
	Hope Harper Server
	Edgar Dearing Diner/Crook
	Harry Tenbrook Diner/Crook
	Charles Meakin Party guest
	Arthur Millett Police officer
	Jim Farley Police sergeant
	Ruth Cherrington Party guest
	Perry Murdock [?]
	UNIDENTIFIED Waitress
	UNIDENTIFIED Diner
	UNIDENTIFIED Band leader

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

STILLS (click any image to enlarge)

SHOT ON THE BACK LOT (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SPDN19270906.2.141 (San Pedro Daily News, 06 Sep 1927) https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SPNP19270906.2.129 (San Pedro Daily Pilot, 06 Sep 1927) Smile When The Raindrops Fall by Brian Anthony & Andy Edmonds (book) Kit Parker (DVD release) Jesse Brisson (identification of Jim Farley, Roy Saeger, Ida May, Hope Harper, Leon Rey) Steve Massa (identification of Jerry Mandy, Harry Tenbrook) The identification of Edgar Dearing, Charles Meakin, Sammy Brooks are my own. This page was last updated on: 30 December 2024