Series: Charley Chase Director: Scott (Percy) Pembroke Producer: Hal Roach Titles: H.M. Walker Photography: Editor: Stars: Charley Chase, Blanche Mehaffey, Billy Engle Company: Pathé Exchange Released: 27 January 1924 Length: 1 reel Production No.: D-37 Filming dates: October 11-12, 1923 Rating: 6/10

One Of The Family

Available on DVD:

Jimmy Jump (Charley Chase) answers an advertisement for a chauffeur. He arrives at the appointed residence and is given the job, ahead of five other hopefuls. The woman who hires Jimmy takes to him immediately, flirting all over him during a drive to the train station to pick up her husband. As they arrive at the station she pretends to be ill and so Jimmy takes her back home, but not before the husband sees them together. He quickly pursues in a taxi and reprimands her over her behaviour when he gets home. Later that day, Jimmy is fired (literally!) by the jealous husband. The maid (Blanche Mehaffey) offers to have him come home with her for dinner. Her family are keen to impress this well-dressed gentleman and over dinner they immitate Jimmy's every movement. The meal is interrupted by a thief (Billy Engle) fleeing the cops, who bursts in holding a purse he has stolen from the woman who hired Jimmy earlier. The family apprehend him and give the purse to Jimmy and suggest he return it to its rightful owner, hoping it may put him back in good favour with his former employer. As Jimmy returns to the house to hand back the purse, after dodging the chasing policemen, the jealous husband is waiting for him and punches him in the nose. Jimmy leaves with the maid (how did she get to the house so quickly?) and is met by the thief, who is hiding in a bush. He offers to give Jimmy half of what was in the purse, at which point Jimmy runs off with the maid in disgust.

Trivia • Copyrighted December 24, 1923. • This was the second film in which Charley Chase played his character Jimmy Jump. • Two sources give a release date of 26 January 1924 (Brian Anthony's book, Smile When The Raindrops Fall - page 204); and David Kalat (Becoming Charley Chase DVD, disc 2 audio commentary). Two sources also give a release date of 27 January 1924 (Richard Lewis Ward's book, A History Of The Hal Roach Studios - page 176); and the untrustworthy website IMDb. I am inclined to agree with the 27th (which was a Sunday) being the correct release date, which is confirmed by the Demoss/Stone list. • There are 12 intertitle cards during the film (they are all listed below). • The address of the house is 22 Devonshire Place. • When the cuckoo clock shows it is five o'clock, the little hand is not aligned correctly to the number 5. • There is a scene when Blanche Mehaffey and Charley Chase walk along the street lined with palm trees. I don't know where it is, but it's beautiful! • That's a pretty impressive jump over the fence that dog takes! My opinion • Decent film.

	Charley Chase Jimmy Jump
	Blanche Mehaffey Mrs. Wellington's maid
	May Wallace Mrs. Wellington
	Billy Engle Thief
	Patrick Kelly Maid's father
	Earl Mohan Lodger
	Dick Gilbert Would-be chauffeur
	Marvin Loback Would-be chauffeur
	Al Forbes Would-be chauffeur
	Al Ochs Would-be chauffeur
	Charles Meakin Man at station
	Fanny Kelly Maid's mother

UNIDENTIFIED CAST

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

Acknowledgements: Jesse Brisson (identification of Dick Gilbert, Earl Mohan, Al Forbes, Marvin Loback, Charles Meakin, Al Ochs) Steve Rydzewski (identification of Fanny Kelly) Craig Calman (identification of May Wallace) This page was last updated on: 28 October 2022