Series: Charley Chase Director: Charley Chase, Jefferson Moffitt Producer: Hal Roach Photography: Francis Corby Editor: William H. Terhune Sound: Warren B. Delaplain Stars: Charley Chase, Muriel Evans, Clarence Wilson, Frank Darien, Billy Gilbert Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Released: 05 October 1935 Length: 2 reels Production No.: C-33 Filming dates: June 1-8, 1935 Rating: 5/10

Nurse To You!

Available on DVD:

Charley has just had his hair cut by his wife Muriel (Evans) because he wants to save money. Outside two men (Fred Kelsey, Harry Bowen) observe that Charley has left his car outside all night because he wants to save money on gas. Charley props the car up on a block which, when released will allow the car to coast down the hill all the way to his work. To get home he simply calls up the recovery truck to tow him home again. Charley 'drives' to work and parks under a "No parking" sign, which he changes to a "Post No Bills" sign. Charley buys a newspaper and walks along the sidewalk with a friend until he reaches a shoe shine man where he and Baldwin Cooke take up their seats. Charley walks into the office where he works as the chief clerk and immediately asks the boss, Mr. Wilson for a half hour break so that he can get some life insurance sorted out but he is denied. Charley visits the doctor nonetheless and is mistaken for an elderly patient with the similar name of Mr. Case, who is given a clean bill of health by Dr. Gilbert. Then it's Charley's turn to see the doctor. Having got the two names mixed up, the doctor thinks that Charley is Mr. Case - who in fact has a bad bill of health. Charley is told off for eating his lunch in the office based on his medical condition. The doctor grabs all of Charley's food and throws it in the bin before telling him that whomever had prepared his lunch was obviously trying to do so with the intent on claiming on his life insurance. The doctor tells Charley he might live another six months, but will most probably not be around to see Christmas. With this, Charley leaves the office feeling anxious.

Charley is quickly pulled up by a policeman in the middle of a street where the two of them become embroiled in a heated exchange. He then goes into a druggist to use a telephone but another man is hogging the booth. Charley is in no mood for waiting or negotiating! The phone booth hog is forcibly removed as Charley rings his boss Mr. Wilson to berate him! Charley then returns home to find his wife is out, so he sets about writing her a "farewell" letter, which he adds a lock of his hair to and puts it in the drawer with a note on it which reads Not To Be Opened Until Christmas. Just then Muriel walks in and compliments Charley on how well dressed he looks before spotting and taking the envelope. After Muriel reads Charley's farewell letter, she refuses to accept that his health is in jeopardy and telephones the doctor. The nurse tells her that Charley's health is perfectly fine. Muriel is happy, but Charley begins to panic when he realises he has to go back to the office and face his boss after the abuse he gave him earlier over the phone. So Charley takes his wife along with him to the office and is greeted warmly by Mr. Wilson who shows him into his office and points to the new sign which shows Mr Chase - General Manager. Wilson tells Charley he is putting him in charge of the company whilst he takes some time out for a while, and then goes outside to join Mr. Case who is sitting in a convertible car with a bunch of bikini-clad young women (oh dear god!) Charley and Muriel hold hands as Mr. Wilson suddenly turns into a pervert and leaves them standing there as he heads off to the car!

Favourite bit After enduring a public grilling by traffic cop Ben Taggart, Charley really lays into him with a verbal barrage of insults which draws applause from the pedestrians on the street.

Trivia • Copyrighted September 2, 1935. • According to Charley a real barber charges 50 cents for a haircut. • Charley arrives at the office for work at 8:30am. He has worked for the company for ten years. • The title of the film refers to a line of dialogue where a patient who has just received a clean bill of health calls the nurse "sweety". She reprimands him and replies, "nurse, to you!" This is a reference to the expression "nuts to you!" • Charley's lunch consists of a cheese sandwich, a peanut butter sandwich, pickle, apple and a banana. The doctor takes all of Charley's food and throws it away, except for the banana which he sneaks into his drawer! • When the cop asks Charley how old he is he replies that he is 34. Charley was actually 41 at the time of filming. • The photograph Charley looks at of himself when he was 8 years old is actually a publicity still of Stan Laurel in Brats with Chase's head superimposed over Stan's. • Some observations from Robert Winslow regarding scenes which show the Hal Roach Back Lot during the film: -Charley passes #32, J.W. Burns, in his car, and parks in front of #31 (covered by a board fence). He buys his paper on the corner in front of #47. He passes Crescent Drug Store #29; the open front of #28; the theater, #27; "Newspapers and Periodicals" stand, #27. Camera cuts and resumes at #25, the paint store; and continues to the Brilliant Shoe Shine Parlor, #24. [The similarity of the storefronts here to those in Our Gang's "The Lucky Corner" tell me these films were shot very close together]. -Interior set: Charley's living room is very similar to that in "Thicker Than Water": walls, fireplace, and entryway into dining room are identical. • Charley's paper costs 2 cents and he and Stanley Price contribute a penny each to buy it. • Charley's wife gives him a copy of "Anthony Adverse" by Hervey Allen, a bestseller about the American Revolution published in 1933. It's about 1500 pages long so not a good read for someone who thinks he's going to die in 6 months. My opinion • With the exception of a few interesting moments mostly created by Charley's outbursts; the scene with Billy Gilbert and that final scene with the women in the car, this is a pretty dull affair. Even the beautiful Muriel Evans doesn't do much to grab your attention.

	Charley Chase Charley
	Muriel Evans Muriel
	Clarence Wilson Mr. Wilson
	Frank Darien Mr. Case
	Billy Gilbert Dr. W.J. Gilbert
	Fred Kelsey Fred
	Harry Bowen Harry
	Harry Bernard Pedestrian at newspaper stand
	Baldwin Cooke Baldy, pedestrian reading newspaper
	Sydney Jarvis Shoe shine customer
	Carlton Griffin Office worker
	Lee Phelps Druggist
	Stanley Price Man with newspaper
	Ben Taggart Traffic cop
	Ray Turner George, shoeshine man
	Polly Chase Receptionist nurse
	Budd Fine Man hogging payphone
	Carol Hughes Secretary
	UNIDENTIFIED Newspaper boy
	UNIDENTIFIED Woman #1 in reception
	UNIDENTIFIED Woman #2 in reception

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)

POSTER (click any image to enlarge)

LOBBY CARDS (click any image to enlarge)

SHOT ON THE BACK LOT (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 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) Stan Taffel (poster) Matthew Lydick (identification of Ray Turner) Robert A. Winslow (notes and observations) Jesse Brisson (identification of Polly Chase, Carol Hughes, Budd Fine) This page was last updated on: 05 October 2023