Bad Boy (1925)
*** (out of 4)
Another winning short from Charley Chase has him playing the son of a tough steel mill owner who makes him go to work starting at the bottom. The weak Chase gets picked on by the tough guys but he's forced to go into a tough bar to get his girlfriend out. It's a real shame that Chase seems to have been forgotten today because in a lot of ways his humor stands up a lot better today than many of the other artists out there in his same era. He's certainly not in the league of Chaplin or Keaton but then again, no one is. Chase does a great job here in the role of the weak guy who must eventually get tough even if just for a second. The best scene of the film has a large fight breaking out in the steel yard where Chase accidentally become involved. The editing of the short is also very good and brings in some great timing in order to carry out some of the laughs. The best example of this is when Chase's father tells him the work environment there is very friendly only to them cut to a large brawl. The second half of the film contains just as many laughs as Chase ends up having to deal with all sorts of tough guys. Those not overly familiar with Chase could start here and see why his popularity continues to grow.
*** (out of 4)
Another winning short from Charley Chase has him playing the son of a tough steel mill owner who makes him go to work starting at the bottom. The weak Chase gets picked on by the tough guys but he's forced to go into a tough bar to get his girlfriend out. It's a real shame that Chase seems to have been forgotten today because in a lot of ways his humor stands up a lot better today than many of the other artists out there in his same era. He's certainly not in the league of Chaplin or Keaton but then again, no one is. Chase does a great job here in the role of the weak guy who must eventually get tough even if just for a second. The best scene of the film has a large fight breaking out in the steel yard where Chase accidentally become involved. The editing of the short is also very good and brings in some great timing in order to carry out some of the laughs. The best example of this is when Chase's father tells him the work environment there is very friendly only to them cut to a large brawl. The second half of the film contains just as many laughs as Chase ends up having to deal with all sorts of tough guys. Those not overly familiar with Chase could start here and see why his popularity continues to grow.