Charley Chase
| Charley Chase | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Charles Joseph Parrott October 20, 1893 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Died | June 20, 1940 (aged 46) Hollywood, Los Angeles, California |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Other names | Charlie Chase, Charles Chase, Charles Parrott, Jimmy Jump |
| Occupation | Comedian, director, screenwriter, songwriter |
| Years active | 1912–1940 |
| Spouse(s) | Bebe Eltinge (m. 1914–40) |
| Relatives | James Parrott (brother) |
| Website | The World of Charley Chase |
Charley Chase (born Charles Joseph Parrott, October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940) was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for his work in Hal Roach short film comedies. He was the older brother of comedian/director James Parrott.
Born Charles Joseph Parrott in Baltimore, Maryland, Charley Chase began performing in vaudeville as a teenager and started his career in films by working at the Christie Film Company in 1912. He then moved to Keystone Studios, where he began appearing in bit parts in the Mack Sennett films, including those of Charlie Chaplin. By 1915 he was playing juvenile leads in the Keystones, and directing some of the films as Charles Parrott. His Keystone credentials were good enough to get him steady work as a comedy director with other companies; he directed many of Chaplin imitator Billy West's comedies, which featured a young Oliver Hardy as villain.
He worked at L-KO Kompany during its final months of existence. Then in 1920, Chase began working as a film director for Hal Roach Studios. Among his notable early works for Roach was supervising the first entries in the Our Gang series, as well as directing several films starring Lloyd Hamilton; like many other silent comedians, Chase is reported to have regarded Hamilton's work as a major influence on that of his own. Chase became director-general of the Hal Roach studio in late 1921, supervising the production of all the Roach series except the Harold Lloyd comedies. Following Lloyd's departure from the studio in 1923, Chase moved back in front of the camera with his own series of shorts, adopting the screen name Charley Chase.
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