Series: Charley Chase Director: Leo McCarey Producer: Hal Roach Titles: H.M. Walker Photography: Len Powers Editor: Richard C. Currier Stars: Charley Chase, Vivien Oakland Company: Pathé Exchange Released: 18 July 1926 Length: 2 reels Production No.: B-9 Filming dates: March 20 - April 2, 1926 Rating: 7/10

Mighty Like A Moose

Available on DVD:

"A story of homely people ~ A wife with a face that would stop a clock ~ And her husband with a face that would start it again ~~" And so begins one of the most popular of all Charley Chase's films made with Hal Roach. Charley is teased by a group of kids hanging out in the street simply because he has enormous teeth; whilst his wife (Vivien Oakland) has an enormous nose. She writes in her diary that she has saved enough money to get a nose-job (I'm sure that's not how they were referred to back then, but hey!) as a surprise for her husband. Charley arrives home and the couple have an awkward kiss on account of the dynamics of their faces! The next day Charley secretly gets his teeth fixed by the dentist, whilst his wife is secretly getting her nose done at the same time, in the same building. Not only that, the two emerge from their respective appointments and cross paths, firstly in the elevator and then they sit next to one another to have their shoes shined - not recognising each other. She catches Charley looking at her exposed legs and smiles at the attention she is receiving. Within the space of thirty seconds Charley offers to pay for her shoe shine, her taxi fare home and invites her to a party, which is being hosted by the surgeon later that evening. After each of them tells the other they are not married Charley drops the lady off near her house whilst he goes back to the house to get ready. They narrowly avoid seeing each other in the same house as they prepare to get ready for their respective dates. After a lot of sneaking about they each see the other but don't let on they have done so. After leaving the house separately they both catch taxis to their pre-arranged meeting spot where they get together and head off to the doctor's party.

The 'couple' arrive and introduce themselves and Charley is immediately accosted by a slightly eccentric female guest who takes an immediate fancy to him. They dance, erratically around the room whilst his wife has no shortage of male admirers herself. Eventually Charley manages to get a moment to sit down and chat with his date and confesses that he is in fact married; prompting her to confess likewise. Soon after, the police show up to raid the place and start ordering the guests to leave. As the musicians begin to leave leave, Charley follows them out of the door whilst pushing a piano. Charley and his date quickly get into a taxi and head for home, only to discover their photograph has made the front page of the evening newspaper under the heading "WILD PARTY RAIDED IN FASHIONABLE APARTMENT". They both realise that when their respective spouses see this their marriages are doomed. Charley gets home first and when he sees his date coming into the house he instructs the maid to throw her out before his wife sees her. The date reveals that she is in fact Mrs. Moose - with alterations. Charley then gets the idea to try and win her over whilst still dressed as her date and sneaks into her bedroom to propose she go away with him. He then leaves the room, dresses as her husband, and comes back in and threatens her with divorce, before quickly leaving again. Moments later he re-enters dressed as the date... and then back and forth until he 'confronts' the other man in the doorway and stages a fight with himself whilst she watches on until she reads the newspaper and sees this article. Now she's twigged what's going on and continues to watch Charley make a prat of himself as she finds it all amusing until she finally shows him the newspaper before punching him in the mouth. The final scene reveals his fake teeth endiing up in the dog's mouth!

Favourite bit The swinging boot gag. Charley tries to stage a fight with the imaginary lover behind the door by using a boot to swing backwards and forwards to kick him repeatedly in the face.

Trivia • Copyrighted May 26, 1926. • Premiered June 21, 1926. • Added to the National Film Registry on December 27, 2007. • Brian Anthony & Andy Edmonds' marvelous book on Chase, Smile When The Raindrops Fall features a still shot of Charley from the opening scene in this film. • In the opening scene, the group of boys run around the corner of a building to wait for Charley. On the left of the screen there is a community meeting board which reads "CULVER CITY'S YEAR". In the next shot as the policeman walks after Charley, we see the Culver Hotel on the left with the Adams Hotel in the background. The stairs on the right of the frame led to a tunnel underneath Washington Boulevard. • The entry in Vivien Oakland's diary is dated Tuesday July 13th, 1926. This screen capture is included in the "Intertitle cards" section at the bottom of this page. • Charley Chase flags down a cab from the Metropolitan Cab Company. Vivien Oakland is dropped off by the Yellow Cab Company. • It's hard to believe that Charley and Vivien don't realise the other is in their house every time one of them closes a door whilst the other is standing less than three feet away! • Is that enormous house big enough for the two of them, do you think?! • Neither one of them can be regarded as morally upstanding given that they each are willing to have an affair with a total stranger they just met. • Charley is seen pushing the piano out of the front door but in the next shot he is seen upstairs with it. How on earth did he manage to get the piano up the stairs by himself? My opinion • One of Charley Chase's best comedies.

	Charley Chase Mr. Moose
	Vivien Oakland Mrs. Moose
	Ham Kinsey Dentists' photographer
	Charles Clary Dentist
	Clara Guiol Dentists' secretary
	Ed Brandenburg Lift operator
	Gale Henry Wallflower at party
	Ann Howe The Radio Girl (Moose's maid)
	Malcolm Denny Gigolo at party
	Harry Bowen Harp player
	Charlie Hall Shoe shine man
	Rolfe Sedan Nose doctor
	Chester Bachman Policeman
	Charles Force Police chief supervising raid
	Kenneth McMillan Boy
	Terence McMillan Boy
	Billy Naylor Boy

UNIDENTIFIED CAST

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)	INTERTITLES (click image to enlarge)

POSTERS (click any image to enlarge)

LOBBY CARDS (click any image to enlarge)

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

SHOT ON LOCATION (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: http://www.cartelespeliculas.com/galeria/albums/userpics/10118/1926_-_MIGHTY_LIKE_A_MOOSE_-_Leo_McCarey.jpeg (poster) http://www.cartelespeliculas.com/galeria/albums/userpics/10118/1926_-_MIGHTY_LIKE_A_MOOSE_-_Leo_McCarey.jpg (lobby card) Smile When The Raindrops Fall by Brian Anthony & Andy Edmonds (book) Mack Sennett's Fun Factory by Brent Walker (book) [relating to Charles Force's appearance] Richard Finegan (lobby cards) Ed Watz (lobby cards) Jorge Finkielman (help and assistance) Chris Bungo (locations expert) Jesse Brisson (information on Charles Force) This page was last updated on: 18 July 2023