There's a sequence in the second half of this Charley Chase two-reeler that deserves a place in any compilation of great silent comedy routines. Charley is in a grimy speakeasy trying to foil the plot of a blackmailer, who is played by Oliver Hardy, still a solo performer at this point. For convoluted reasons Charley has brought a department store mannequin into the saloon, and he is using the dummy (which resembles an attractive young woman) to seduce and distract the crook, long enough to get an incriminating document away from him. Charley does an expert job of animating the flapper-like dummy, though his attempt to lift her skirt to show off some leg does go a bit overboard. Hardy's character is tipsy, however, and too sozzled to recognize that the lady in question is no lady. Using the mannequin Charley flirts with vigor, then manages to knock out his adversary and grab the document. The scene reaches a startling and macabre climax when Hardy revives, realizes he's been robbed, then shoots the "woman" in a rage. Shortly afterward, her head falls off!
The mannequin routine is the comic highlight of Fluttering Hearts, and reason enough in itself to see this short. While the rest of the film never quite reaches this level of comic vigor it's a pleasant way to spend twenty minutes, and displays the star in good form, at the height of his silent era career at the Hal Roach Studio. The dummy sequence owes more than a little to a similar routine Charlie Chaplin performed in A Dog's Life in 1918, although his "dummy" was an unconscious person, but Chase puts his own stamp on the material and earns his laughs. (Of course, Hardy's contribution to the scene is helpful, too.) For what it's worth, the mannequin motif seems to have been quite popular with comedians around this time. Eddie Cantor flirted and danced with a mannequin in his Paramount feature Special Delivery released shortly before this film, while back on the Roach lot Glenn Tryon and Tyler Brooke took turns dancing with a mannequin (perhaps the very same one we see here) in Two-Time Mama, just before flinging it out the window, nearly flattening a passing cop -- played by the hard working Oliver Hardy!
At any rate, the plot of this short revolves around the romance between self-made millionaire Charley and a rich girl played by the adorable Martha Sleeper. Charley and Martha "meet cute" when she races her auto to a sale at a nearby department store, and nearly kills him. A motorcycle cop gets involved, and even movie buffs may not immediately recognize the comparatively slender Eugene Palette as the lawman, especially without that familiar bullfrog voice. Initially Charley is angry at the lady driver, but quickly melts as they become acquainted, and even enlists the help of the cop when Martha requires their assistance at the store, where bed-sheets are on sale. This scene might also provoke a touch of déjà vu in silent movie fans: sequences involving crazed mobs of shoppers turn up a lot in the '20s, in the films of everyone from Harold Lloyd to Clara Bow. The sequence in Fluttering Hearts isn't a particular stand-out, but it's lively and there are some decent gags along the way. Soon afterward, following a mix-up or two, Charley winds up working as a chauffeur for Martha's dad; and eventually he rescues his employer from the aforementioned dastardly blackmailer.
In sum, while this comedy may not represent Charley Chase at his very best, it's an agreeable effort that offers much to enjoy, and one exceptional sequence. And this is as good a place as any to sing the praises of Martha Sleeper, an under-appreciated comedienne if there ever was one. It's always a pleasure to see her. She was energetic, she could take a fall as well as the guys, and she was cute as a bug!
The mannequin routine is the comic highlight of Fluttering Hearts, and reason enough in itself to see this short. While the rest of the film never quite reaches this level of comic vigor it's a pleasant way to spend twenty minutes, and displays the star in good form, at the height of his silent era career at the Hal Roach Studio. The dummy sequence owes more than a little to a similar routine Charlie Chaplin performed in A Dog's Life in 1918, although his "dummy" was an unconscious person, but Chase puts his own stamp on the material and earns his laughs. (Of course, Hardy's contribution to the scene is helpful, too.) For what it's worth, the mannequin motif seems to have been quite popular with comedians around this time. Eddie Cantor flirted and danced with a mannequin in his Paramount feature Special Delivery released shortly before this film, while back on the Roach lot Glenn Tryon and Tyler Brooke took turns dancing with a mannequin (perhaps the very same one we see here) in Two-Time Mama, just before flinging it out the window, nearly flattening a passing cop -- played by the hard working Oliver Hardy!
At any rate, the plot of this short revolves around the romance between self-made millionaire Charley and a rich girl played by the adorable Martha Sleeper. Charley and Martha "meet cute" when she races her auto to a sale at a nearby department store, and nearly kills him. A motorcycle cop gets involved, and even movie buffs may not immediately recognize the comparatively slender Eugene Palette as the lawman, especially without that familiar bullfrog voice. Initially Charley is angry at the lady driver, but quickly melts as they become acquainted, and even enlists the help of the cop when Martha requires their assistance at the store, where bed-sheets are on sale. This scene might also provoke a touch of déjà vu in silent movie fans: sequences involving crazed mobs of shoppers turn up a lot in the '20s, in the films of everyone from Harold Lloyd to Clara Bow. The sequence in Fluttering Hearts isn't a particular stand-out, but it's lively and there are some decent gags along the way. Soon afterward, following a mix-up or two, Charley winds up working as a chauffeur for Martha's dad; and eventually he rescues his employer from the aforementioned dastardly blackmailer.
In sum, while this comedy may not represent Charley Chase at his very best, it's an agreeable effort that offers much to enjoy, and one exceptional sequence. And this is as good a place as any to sing the praises of Martha Sleeper, an under-appreciated comedienne if there ever was one. It's always a pleasure to see her. She was energetic, she could take a fall as well as the guys, and she was cute as a bug!