User Reviews

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!

I've seen quite a few Charlie Chase shorts--enough to know he's one of my favorites of the era for this type of movie. And, once again, I wasn't disappointed with this outing. Charlie is a rich guy who meets a cute girl. The girls' father wants her to marry an industrious man, so Charlie tries very hard to be helpful and not some rich loafer. First he and Eugene Palette help her deal with a sale at a department store where dozens of crazed women are behaving like banshees trying to get a great deal. I've actually seen this type of scene before in other shorts and it wasn't exactly inspired work. However, the movie definitely hit its stride when Charlie tries to help the girl's father recover an incriminating letter from the baddie, Oliver Hardy (who often played this type role before being paired with Stan Laurel). Among the many silly things Charlie does is have the girl's dad dress like a woman to infiltrate a club where Hardy is. When this doesn't work, he brings an inflatable girl and convincingly behaves as if she's real--this is very funny and exceptionally well-done. In the end, of course, Charlie saves the day and the movie fades out.

As it features one of the pair in the famous duo, this silent film is included in the collection of Laurel and Hardy films, it was one of many shorts together with the leading star. Father (William Burress) is reading in the newspaper about young self-made millionaire Charley Chase from Baltimore visiting Los Angeles, and he is the type of man he wants his daughter to marry, even when she already is. The Daughter (Martha Sleeper) seems more interested in the big sheet sale going on, and she dashes to get to it, being chased by a policeman on a motorbike. When she causes Chase to drop his many golf balls on the ground, causing the policeman to fall off his bike, they get in his car together and chase her together. When she pulls over however, Chase sees her beauty and gets the policeman to let her off, and they rush to the big crowd outside the sheet sale place. They get in and are trying to get a sheet each, but all the tugging, tickling and crawling isn't getting them anywhere, at one point they even all grab the same sheet but have it nicked, and Charley pulls off the policeman's shirt. So everyone comes out, and with their clothes pulled all over, the three come out with the sheets they wanted, but the policeman, with no shirt and wearing the daughter's hat, has his badge taken off by another officer. He wants a fight with Charley who suggests they go down an alley, but his first swing punch hits another man and he chases him away so Chase and the daughter can go on their way. The daughter spots her father walking down the street, and knows he detests idle rich men, so Charley poses as a guy trying to be a hired chauffeur, who the father does hire. Back home father receives a telegram from Big Bill who demands $10,000 in exchange for the compromising letter he wrote to his sister which he threatens to give to the newspapers. So Charley drives him to Coffee Joe's where Big Bill is exposing his weakness for women and is waiting for father and the money, but the only way they can in is accompanied by a woman. After getting caught out, father dressed as a woman is chased away by a police officer, but Charley gets in with a womanly looking mannequin from the costume shop, pretending it is a woman who has had too much to drink. Charley pretends to dance with the mannequin and fools Big Bill to believe the "woman" is flirting with him, and wanting him to sit at her table, so he ditches his date and does just that. Charley has positioned himself behind the mannequin sitting down, using his arms to keep fooling Big Bill to believe the flirting, until he eventually shows him the letter. Charley takes it from Big Bill and knocks him out, but he spots the daughter coming in and can't be caught, so he crouches down, and Bill wakes up demanding the letter back from the mannequin, which he shoots. Charley pops up accusing Bill of murder, but the mannequin's head falls off, and Charley has to defend himself with a drum and a banjo to get thrown crockery from Bill's thugs bouncing back on their heads. The daughter has found the letter from the mannequin, and changes into its clothes, so Charley carries her out mistaking her for the mannequin, and tossing her through a window like one too. He manages to ditch Big Bill and has gang chasing him, and he tosses the daughter into a taxi, still thinking she is a mannequin, and the father, still dressed as a woman, has managed t ditch the policeman chasing him. Charley goes to get the letter from the "mannequin", and he is thrown through the taxi door by the daughter, getting not only the letter, but a black eye too. Also starring Charlie Hall as Man under car. I can see why Chase was really popular during the Golden Age, and Hardy gets his time on screen too, it has some really good sight gags, it was better than I thought it would be and I'd certainly watch it again. Worth watching!

"Fluttering Hearts" is a short film from 1927, so this one is already almost 90 years old. It is a black-and-white silent film and the director here is James Parrott, brother of lead actor Charley Chase. The writer is H.M. Walker, one of the most prolific and successful writers of the silent era, also a contender for number one as he worked with all the big stars. Chase, who I already mentioned made this film when his popularity was maybe in its prime. But he does not really impress me here, which has not only to do with the acting, but also to do with the way the character was written. Anyway, I did like Oliver Hardy's performance here and he certainly keeps the film from being an even more boring watch. He does not need Stan Laurel in order to shine here. Other than him, the film includes the usual from this era, a touch of romance, lots of comedy, some destruction at the end and a prank here and there, the one played on Hardy may be the best moment of the film. But it's not good enough to make me forget about all the weak scenes and boredom from this 20-minute film. I don't recommend the watch.

For those of us who enjoy silent comedy at its utmost best, Alpha (blessed be their name!) ride to the rescue with their 207-minutes DVD featuring Silent Comedy Classics.

First up is the delightful 1927 2-reeler Fluttering Hearts directed by star Charley Chase's younger brother, James Parrott, and featuring two neat star-turn surprises in Eugene Pallette's helpful policeman and Oliver Hardy's lust-smitten villain.

Yes, Oliver Hardy, of all people, plays the villain - and does a REAL GOOD JOB TOO!

Heroine Martha Sleeper is no sluggard either.

Produced on a grand budget and beautifully photographed, Fluttering Hearts is silent slapstick at its inventive best.