Series: Charley Chase Director: James Parrott Producer: Hal Roach Dialogue: H.M. Walker Photography: Hap Depew Editor: Richard C. Currier Sound: Elmer Raguse Stars: Charley Chase, Muriel Evans, Clarence H. Wilson, Heinie Conklin Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Released: 03 September 1932 Length: 2 reels Production No.: C-9 Filming dates: June 15-22, 1932 Rating: 7/10

Young Ironsides

Available on DVD:

The 'tissue paper king of New York', Mr. Caldwell Evans (CLARENCE WILSON) makes his feelings known when he discovers that his daughter Muriel (EVANS) is going to be taking part in a bathing beauty contest. Eager to stop her from doing so the family advertise in the newspaper for somebody 'Fearless' to put a stop to it. The man (CHARLEY CHASE) arrives at the Evans' house and demonstrates he's instantly scared by everything! Muriel boards a train for Los Angeles and is seated opposite Charley who is having trouble trying to eat some asparagus which doesn't seem to want to find its way into his mouth. Charley and Muriel strike up a conversation on the train where Charley tells her that he is the representative of a man who has enlisted his services to travel to Ocean Beach to prevent his daughter from participating in a bathing beauty contest. Naturally Charley doesn't realise that Muriel is the daughter he seeks. Muriel gets up to leave as another passenger (BILLY GILBERT) enters the carriage. Charley begins talking to Muriel in a seductive manner just as the train enters a tunnel and it all goes black. When the lights come back on again Charley realizes he has been talking to Billy the whole time. Instead of being enraged, the effeminate passenger appears to be grateful for the attention! Charley arrives at Ocean Beach and checks into the hotel, but is quickly followed by the house detective (HEINIE CONKLIN). Charley seeks out Muriel but is told he cannot be allowed on her floor as it reserved for the bathing beauty contestants. Charley asks the desk clerk to describe Muriel for him but Muriel overhears and directs the clerk to give a misleading description. Charley and Muriel bump into one another and head off to the pier.

Charley and Muriel get changed into their bathing costumes separately and Charley takes a walk on the pier. A young boy, for no reason whatsoever, shoots an arrow into Charley which causes him to fall into the sea. As Charley attempts to swim to the shore his swimsuit becomes entagled in a fishing line and is ripped away. The fisherman (JERRY MANDY) then ends up falling into the sea when his fishing line hooks onto a passing speedboat. The brat kid who caused the commotion tries to help Charley by retrieving some laundry and throwing it down to him but the bag splits to reveal it contains only neck ties. Charley emerges from the sea with them wrapped around his waist to protect his modesty. A policeman (HARRY BERNARD) spots Charley walking half-naked along the street and gives chase. Charley takes refuge inside a tent and immediately finds himself in the middle of a show. The cop follows and ends up receiving a large crab when Charley flings it from his rear end. Back at the hotel, the beauty contestants are signed up with their respective place names attached to their chests. Charley walks in with "Hamburg" on his after stealing a sign for "hamburgers" from the pier. Charley manages to lock up the house detective in muriel's room after mistaking HIM for HER and then tells Muriel that she ought to pretend to be Muriel and enter the contest. Muriel's father shows up and demands to see his daughter and when Charley takes him to the room they discover that he has in fact locked up the detective by mistake. Mr. Evans confronts his daughter, revealing her to be the actual woman Charley has been trying to find but the house detective quickly places Charley under arrest for rent evasion. Muriel and her father pay the debt and Charley ends the film with one more floppy asparagus.

Favourite bit As beautiful as Muriel Evans is here, I have to go with the scene that most shocked me: Billy Gilbert being all gay when Charley starts sweet-talking him in the dark on the train! It is just so unlike Billy Gilbert!!!

Trivia • Copyrighted September 22, 1932. • The book Smile When The Raindrops Fall by Brian Anthony & Andy Edmonds, lists Oliver Hardy's voice as being in the film. It certainly is! Hardy's screams from Hog Wild can be heard at 11:26 as Charley jumps into the sea. Then later at 12:49, as the fisherman is pulled into the sea. • This was the first of 9 films starring Chase and Muriel Evans. • In the opening scene we see the headlines of a newspaper. If you look closely underneath the banner at the top there is a line "LOS ANGELES," in the middle. It is obvious that something is missing (presumably a date?) in the blank section following the comma. • Charlie Hall's appearance is 14 seconds and consists of two words, "yes sir!" • Charley Chase is attempting to eat asparagus on the train but every time he puts it up to his mouth, it flops to the side and behaves in a subtle sexual manner. Muriel Evans, who is seated opposite Chase, doesn't help the male viewer's imagination with her open-mouthed reactions to the situation. Very suggestive (and deliberate) indeed. • When Muriel asks the waiter on the train what she can see out of the window he replies that he does not know. When she responds with it being asparagus the waiter replies "it sure is". Wait, just a second ago he didn't know what it was? • When the train comes out of the tunnel, Charley finds himself flirting with another passenger (Billy Gilbert). When Charley realises his error, Billy Gilbert's reaction is very unpredictably out of character for him! It's one of the most memorable scenes of the film. • Muriel tells Charley that she is going into the changing room to put on her bathing suit when he tries to follow her. She stops him and tells him he has to wait outside. You can't really blame him for trying can you? But, he didn't have to wait too long because a year later in the film Fallen Arches, he did finally get to see her in a bathing suit! • Although this screenshot doesn't do it justice, but you can clearly see Muriel's nipples sticking through her top. • It is shocking to see just how unsafe that pier is. No guard rails whatsoever. One slip and it's splash time! • Both Charley - and then the house detective enter Muriel's hotel room without even knocking. Rude? • Charley hands over $1000 for rent to the detective... and doesn't even ask for a receipt? My opinion • Very decent Charley Chase comedy. A beautiful debut from Muriel Evans and the running gag with the asparagus. Feels that the role of the house detective may have been written with James Finlayson in mind though? Recommended.

	Charley Chase Charley (a.k.a. Fearless)
	Muriel Evans Muriel
	Clarence Wilson J. Caldwell Evans
	Heinie Conklin House detective
	May Wallace Mrs. Evans
	Almeda Fowler Woman at Evans' house
	Edward Dillon Evans' lawyer
	Charles Meakin Butler
	Baldwin Cooke Dining car steward
	Billy Gilbert Effeminate train passenger
	Ernie Alexander Elevator operator
	Jerry Mandy Fisherman on pier
	Harry Wilde Checkroom clerk
	Hope Harper Woman on pier/ Pedestrian/ Hotel guest
	Charles Lloyd Man on pier
	Lew Davis Man on pier
	Bob Minford Man on pier
	Russell Custer Man on pier
	Bob O'Conor Man on pier
	John Alban Man on pier
	Harry Bernard Policeman
	Jack Richardson Bemused pedestrian
	Clara Guiol Bemused pedestrian
	June Glory Herself - Miss Philadelphia
	Paulette Goddard Miss Hollywood
	Charlie Hall Bellhop
	Dorothy Layton Herself - Miss San Francisco/ Woman on pier
	Howard Truesdale Contestant official
	Ed Brandenburg Elevator operator
	Estelle Etterre Beauty contestant
	Edward Thomas Man pushing cart
	UNIDENTIFIED Hotel desk clerk
	UNIDENTIFIED Boy
	UNIDENTIFIED Miss New York

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

LOBBY CARDS (click any image to enlarge)

STILLS (click any image to enlarge)

SHOT ON LOCATION (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: Smile When The Raindrops Fall by Brian Anthony & Andy Edmonds (book) The Charley Chase Talkes 1929-1940 by James L. Neibaur (book) Movie Publicity Showcase Volume 23: Charley Chase In "Nurse To You" And Other Selected Shorts by Irv Hyatt (book) Richard Finegan (stills) Jorge Finkielman (special thanks) Jesse Brisson (identification of Ed Brandenburg, Charles Meakin, Harry Wilde, Hope Harper, Charles Lloyd, Lew Davis, Bob Minford, Russell Custer, Dorothy Layton [pier], Bob O'Conor, John Alban, Jack Richardson, Clara Guiol, Howard Truesdale, Estelle Etterre, Edward Thomas) This page was last updated on: 05 October 2024