Charlie Chase

Charley Chase was a silent film star and director who continued to work vigorously in "talkies" until his death in 1940. He also wrote and produced (though far less), including a role as supervising producer on "Our Gang" in its silent era incarnations. A comedian and veteran of vaudeville, Chase began his film acting and directing career in 1914, working with Keystone Film Company, the same production company that made much of Charlie Chaplin's work. Though he was well-received by critics, Chase's work was not particularly successful from a commercial standpoint. He specialized in shorts, making few feature films, but he was incredibly prolific: between 1914 and 1940, he appeared in a staggering 277 films, directing 156. Along the way, Chase collaborated with such comedy giants as Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in "Fatty's Magic Pants," and during the talkie era, he was able to co-star with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in their feature-length comedy "Sons of the Desert." In addition to directing himself in several of his films, he also directed The Three Stooges in a few late '30s comedic shorts, including "Mutts to You" and "Violent is the Word for Curly." Though Chase received no official awards during his lifetime, he did posthumously receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.