Series: Charley Chase Director: James Parrott Producer: Hal Roach Titles: H.M. Walker Photography: Len Powers Editor: Richard C. Currier Stars: Charley Chase, Margaret Quimby, Emma Tansey Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Released: 26 November 1927 Length: 2 reels Production No.: C-4 Filming dates: September 6-21, 1927 Rating: -/10

Us

from approximately 5 minutes (25% of the film) of footage available for review: Charley marches along an airport runway, beaming with determination to board an exhibition aircraft, being operated for the public. But when he looks up to see the aircraft performing loop-the-loops he quickly loses his confidence and walks off to sit down. The plane lands and the passenger, an elderly woman, gets out. Charley feels ashamed of being afraid and tries to regain his courage before the plane lands a second time with another female passenger. That's it - Charley goes to buy a ticket, but after looking up and seeing the pilot flipping his plane high up in the skies, he bottles it once more. Charley begins to sob, and leans his head onto a woman's back before she pushes him off. A third passenger gets out of the plane, an elderly gentleman who dances around enthusiastically and acrobatically. Charley once again summons the strength to get ready to fly, so sits on the wing of a nearby wooden aircraft. When the plane collapses under his weight, Charley jumps up and runs off but he is collared by the supervisor, who forces him up into the light aircraft. The assistant starts the propellor, but it falls off and naturally Charley doesn't hang around for long and runs off to a bench where a couple are seated.  He looks up to see a woman standing in a field and right in the path of an oncoming plane and runs over to save her from being hit. She turns out to be an aviator and she takes him up in her plane.  Flying over the California countryside, the plane begins to splutter and the pilot jumps out, followed by Charley, both landing in a pond.

Favourite bit After finally finding the courage to want to go flying, poor Charley's confidence is quickly shattered when the wing of another aircraft collapses when he sits on it.

Trivia • Copyrighted November 22, 1927. • Pilot Charles 'Lucky Lindy' Lindbergh referred to himself and his plane as "We". The title of the film is a parody on this. • Gag opening title: "Aviation note: Colonel Lindbergh says - Every American should fly like a bird. - This is the story of a boy who tried to imitate the turkey." • Leading lady Margaret Quimby was chosen when it was decided that Charley Chase's customary lead actress, Edna Marion, was not sufficiently the adventurous type. • 5 minutes and 10 seconds of the film is included in the Robert Youngson compilation, "4 Clowns". • When Charley sits down in front of the parked plane, the sign behind him says "Keep Out". • A ride in the aircraft, which advertises as "Fly With Jim" costs $2.50. • When Charley starts to cry he leans his head and arm onto a woman's back. She pushes him off, but why doesn't her husband do anything about it? • The words "Deluxe Flyers ~ Deluxe Gasoline" are painted on the side of the aircraft. • After Charley and the female aviator land in the pond, you can see the Baldwin Hills in the far-off distance behind them.

	Charley Chase Charley
	Margaret Quimby Margaret, the aviator
	Emma Tansey First passenger
	Evelyn Burns Woman in hangar
	Jim Mason Margaret's pilot
	William Orlamond Margaret's father
	May Wallace [?]
	Jackie Combs [?]
	Dorothy Coburn [?]
	UNIDENTIFIED Man in hangar
	UNIDENTIFIED Ticket seller
	UNIDENTIFIED Elderly passenger
	UNIDENTIFIED Pilot
	UNIDENTIFIED Woman on bench

POSTERS (click any image to enlarge)

LOBBY CARDS (LOW RESOLUTION) (click any image to enlarge)

GLASS SLIDE (click any image to enlarge)

PRESS SHEETS (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) Steve Massa (identification of cast) Richard Finegan (press sheets) This page was last updated on: 26 November 2023