Series: Charley Chase Director: James W. Horne Producer: Hal Roach Dialogue: H.M. Walker Photography: Art Lloyd Editor: Richard C. Currier Sound: Elmer Raguse Stars: Charley Chase, Thelma Todd, Edgar Kennedy, James Finlayson Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Released: 04 October 1930 Length: 2 reels Production No.: C-33E Filming dates: June 20-30, 1930 Rating: 8/10

Dollar Dizzy

Available on DVD:

• See also Les Chercheuses d'or and El Principe del Dolar

Mr. Quimby (EDGAR KENNEDY) of Quimby, Quimby, Quimby & Quimby Attorneys at Law telephones Charley at home, but he is still asleep and had to be woken by his mother. We don't hear the conversation but whatever it is Quimby tells Charley causes Charley to faint like a little girl. When the mother demands to know what was said to her son she too faints in spectacular (and loud) fashion. Even the cat faints too! When Charley regains his composure Quimby repeats that his uncle has died and left Charley $2m but Quimby warns him to be weary of women who will latch on to him because of it. Charley checks into a small hotel and quickly draws the attention not only of the multiple young ladies but also the house detective (JAMES FINLAYSON) as well. Thelma (TODD) checks into the same hotel and makes it clear to the manager she is fed up with men wanting to marry her just for her money and that she doesn't want to be harassed by any men. Up steps Charley to the front desk and the two exchange unfriendly glances. The manager books Thelma into her favourite suite despite the fact it has just been allocated to Charley. The staff are instructed to move everything out of Charley's room to make way for Thelma. Outdoors Charley attends to a woman lying on the ground who claims she has just fallen out of a tree and broken her leg. [I laughed out loud when the subsequent shot shows the tree; see favourite bit] Charley then goes to help another screaming woman who claims she fell off her horse and broke her leg. After picking her up, Charley drops her on the ground to go and rescue an annoying screaming woman who is 'drowning' in the lake. She too claims that she has broken her leg. Charley dumps her back into the lake and walks off back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel Charley enters his room to find a woman (Thelma) undressing behind a screen. He checks the door number to make sure he's in the right room before hurling all of the woman's belongings out of the window. Detective Finlayson is the recipient of it all as her clothes, golf clubs and suitcases land on his head as he walks by underneath the window. Charley does spare a thought for thr woman however when he saves one garment of her clothing and tosses it into the bathroom where she is getting dressed. Thelma and Charley finally come face-to-face and each thinks the other is a gold digger after the others' money. When Thelma throws herself on the bed in a sulk Charley decides he isn't going to let her sleep and so he starts up a radio. Thelma storms out of her room to turn it off and Charley grabs her in comical fashion as the two of them almost begin dancing to the music. After Charley picks Thelma up and dumps her in the hallway (twice), he sees the detective spying on the room through a keyhole in the door and punishes him by squirting an ink-filled pen through the hole into his face. Thelma then sees a now beard-wearing Fin staring at her through the window and screams for Charley to help save her from what she believes to be a burglar. Charley reluctantly agrees to help her even though he thinks she is just another gold digger. Charley fires a gun to scare her which exposes the detective standing behind the curtain. Charley and Thelma tussle over the gun (all the while I'm watching to see if Thelma loses a tit in her dress) until Charley goes down to the lobby. Thelma phones the manager to complain but Charley answers the call when he wanders into the office to voice his concerns at the same time. Charley returns to her room but before he can explain she punshes him so hard he fall out of the window. Everybody rushes outside, where Quimby the lawyer shows up to inform Charley that there has been a mistake. His uncle didn't leave him two million dollars at all. He left him EIGHT million dollars. Charley faints.

Favourite bit When Dorothy Granger tells Charley Chase that she just fell out of a tree!

Trivia • Copyrighted October 6, 1930. • Also filmed in Spanish as El Principe del Dolar, which was released in La Habana, Cuba, on Dec. 15, 1930, and in Barcelona, Spain, on Jan. 26, 1932. Also filmed in French as Les Chercheuses d'or, which was released in 1930. The production number for these versions was C-33-S-I, and both were five reels in length. Rob Stone's list states that foreign-language filming was done July 2 to 23, 1930. Anthony & Edmonds state that it was July 2 to 13, and July 19, 1930. • Thelma pronounces the manager's name as "Mr. Lev-arniss". • The scenes featuring the lake were shot at Hollenbeck Park. • The woman screaming in the lake and appearing to be drowning was actually on her knees to make it appear she was in danger. This becomes apparent after Charley rescues her and she stands up in the water. • When Thelma gets dumped in the hallway for the second time (around 18 minutes) it looks as though she deliberately wobbles her boobs! • Gotta give Thelma Todd some credit for taking some of the bumps when Charley is throwing her around the room. • Come on admit it, you didn't see James Finlayson standing behind the curtain until Charley Chase fired the gun either, did you!? Strange how Fin had his back to the wall and yet the bullet managed to get him in the arse? • The prison number issued to James Finlayson (44634), is the same number worn by Stan Laurel in Pardon Us. • When Thelma realises her mistake after punching Charley through the window she utters the line "oh am I sorry!" This is a line that Charley Chase had previously used multiple times in some of his previous films. My opinion • Pretty decent comedy from Charley Chase. Some clever directing, a good cast and enjoyable plot. I must admit I laughed out loud at least 3 times during watching it for the first time (simply unheard of from me!)

	Charley Chase Charley
	Thelma Todd Thelma
	Edgar Kennedy Quimby, the lawyer
	James Finlayson House detective
	Dorothy Granger Gold digger who fell out of tree
	Charlie Hall Bellhop
	Ida Schumacher Mrs. Chase (Charley's mother)
	Ted Stroback Hotel desk clerk
	Bob Minford One of Quimby's associates
	Hope Harper Gold digger
	Charles Lloyd Crowd extra
	Ellinor Vanderveer Crowd extra
	Lorena Carr Gold digger
	Dorothy Dix Gold digger in lake
	Carl M. Leviness Mr. Leviness, hotel manager
	Betty Mae Crane Beverly Crane Talking titles
	Ann Lewis Gold digger
	Dick Granger Mr. Quimby
	UNIDENTIFIED One of Quimby's associates #1
	UNIDENTIFIED One of Quimby's associates #2
	UNIDENTIFIED Gold digger #1
	UNIDENTIFIED Gold digger #2
	UNIDENTIFIED Bellhops

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

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

SHOT ON LOCATION (click any image to enlarge)

INTERIOR SHOTS (click any image to enlarge)

RISQUE (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: Smile When The Raindrops Fall by Brian Anthony & Andy Edmonds (book) The Charley Chase Talkies 1929-1940 by James L. Neibaur (book) Brent Seguine (identification of Carl M. Leviness and Ted Stroback) Jesse Brisson (identification of Lorena Carr, Dorothy Dix, Hope Harper, Ellinor Vanderveer) I personally identified Charles Lloyd This page was last updated on: 01 July 2024