Series: Charley Chase Director: James W. Horne Producer: Hal Roach Dialogue: H.M. Walker Photography: Art Lloyd, Hap Depew Editor: Richard C. Currier Sound: Elmer Raguse Stars: Charley Chase, Linda Loredo, Manuel Granada, Mona Rico Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Released: 22 March 1931 Length: 3 reels Production No.: C-37-S Filming dates: December 2-6, 1930 Rating: 6/10

La Señorita De Chicago

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The film opens with Manuel (Manuel Granada) emerging through a trapdoor in the sidewalk to a waiting Linda (Linda Loredo) who tells him that her friend (Mona Rico) from Chicago has just arrived and needs a partner to go to the dance with. Linda warns Manuel that if her friend doesn't go then she won't either. Manuel tells her he will get his flat-mate Charley to take her friend. Unfortunately, Charley isn't interested and reminds Manuel that the last girl from Chicago that he took out on a date turned out to be a disaster. He then sings a song on the guitar. Linda phones Manuel to confirm Charley will be going to the dance and Manuel assures her that he is, despite Charley's protests. Charley and Mona talk on the phone and he is deliberately rude to her. Knowing that Charley isn't keen to go, Manuel suggests that Charley wears an old suit and let Manuel wear Charley's new suit instead. Charley agrees and decides not to shave, look his worst and eat garlic all in order to try and make the worst possible impression on the blind date. The girls get ready (a scene which is kind on the eyes!) The boys arrive at the girls' apartment and Charley goes up to get them. Charley deliberately avoids looking at Mona but when he finally he does he ends up falling through a door and into a bathroom where a woman (Clara Guiol) is taking a bath! The car ride to the nightclub is awkward with Charley conscious of his deliberate bad breath and trying not to breathe on Mona. When they arrive Charley argues with Manuel and accuses him of setting him up by not telling him that the blind date was so attractive, whilst Linda questions why Charley looks so shabby, as it is not usually his style.

Charley goes to buy some candy from a gumball machine before he sees a woman buying a scented spray from a 10 cents machine and so decides to use it for himself, except that the spray keeps squirting him in the face instead of in the mouth. He gets it right on the fourth attempt. Now he is in need of a shave and manages to distract a patron (Baldwin Cooke) into reading a newspaper aloud to him whilst Charley steals some shaving accessories on the counter to shave with whilst using the back of a gentleman's jacket as a mirror to see himself with. At this point he is surprised by his former date, the "Senorita from Chicago", Carmeta (Carmen Tarrazo) who asks Charley for a dance. An auction for a bunch of luncheons which have been submitted by the ladies is about to commence and he tells her if she can identify the one from Mona then he will grant her wish. As the auction is in full swing, Carmeta signals to Charley the luncheon from Mona, so Charley bids for it only to discover that it is in fact Carmeta's all along. The dance begins and Charley hooks up with Mona whilst still trying to relieve Manuel of his suit. One of the band members keeps turning off the lights during which Charley makes several attempts to change into Manuel's clothes, which results in them getting mixed up (at one point they even share the same trousers). This state of undress plays havoc with the other dancers, as Charley's braces attach themselves to others which ends up with other dancers getting whacked, clotheslined and punched in the face! In the last scene Charley puts too much money into gumball machine causing the small round balls to spill out all over the floor. Inevitably all the dancers fall over on them, with arms and legs flying up into the air as Charley and Mona continue to dance around them all until they both fall over a small balcony and into a vat of whitewash.

Favourite bit During the dance routine Charley's braces get caught on Carmen Tarrazo and as they dance in opposite directions, they suddenly get catapulted towards one another, sending a dancing couple (Gordon Douglas) stumbling in the middle. Great timing.

Trivia • Copyrighted February 2, 1931. • This is the Spanish-language version of The Pip From Pittsburg. • Released in San José, Costa Rica, on March 22, 1931, and in Barcelona, Spain, on April 27, 1931. • Differs from the English-language version in the following ways: -This version is 3 reels as opposed to "The Pip From Pittsburg" which is 2 reels. -This version includes Charley singing a song and playing the guitar in the apartment (whilst the girls are getting ready). -When Charley gets to the nightclub he attempts to buy some gumballs with the help of the cigar stand clerk. This scene is not in the English version. It is followed by the scene where the lady pays 10 cents to get the scent at the machine on the wall. • The following cast appear in both versions: Charley Chase, Clara Guiol, Harry Bernard, Charles Dorety, Baldwin Cooke, Jack Hill. • In Charley's first scene he walks towards Manuel and begins speaking but if you look at his eyes you can clearly see he is reading his lines off a cue card. It's even more evident when he is singing and playing the guitar. • When Charley peels off the wrapping on his new suit he accidentally gets some of his shaving cream on it. This appears to be unscripted. • Damn, but when the girls are getting ready, Mona is leaning forwards so much I am just wondering how on earth 'they' aren't falling out of that brassiere of hers! • When the boys arrive at the girls' apartment, Manuel parks the car next to a fire hydrant. • Mona Rico goes one further than both Dorothy Granger and Thelma Todd from the English version.... cleavage AND NIPPLES! (see bottom of page). • Harry Bernard reprises his role as the cigar stand clerk, but in this version he has a bigger scene with dialogue, when he gives Charley some money for the gumball machine. • The headline from the newspaper read by Baldwin Cooke reads "Congress control in doubt". • Charley wears a ring on the little finger of his left hand. What the experts say • "Pretty much the same as the English version except for an added song and a couple of stand-out nipples." ~ Lord Heath.

	Charley Chase Señor Charley Chase
	Linda Loredo Linda
	Manuel Granada Manuel
	Mona Rico Mona
	Clara Guiol Woman in bathtub
	Harry Bernard Cigar stand clerk
	Charles Dorety Nightclub patron
	Carmen Tarrazo Caremta
	Baldwin Cooke Nightclub patron reading newspaper
	Jack Hill Nightclub patron
	Gordon Douglas Nightclub patron
	Luis Llaneza Auctioneer

CREDITS

RISQUÉ: MONA RICO

SHOT ON THE LOT The following scenes were filmed on the Hal Roach Back Lot and are included in the TOUR

Acknowledgements: John Carpenter (help) This page was last updated on: 12 February 2019