Charley Chase Megapack

The Charley Chase MegaPack: The Smile Behind the Laughs

Logline: He taught Laurel & Hardy how to build a gag, gave Harry Langdon his persona, and could direct a comedy as smoothly as he starred in one. For decades, Charley Chase was the best-kept secret of Hal Roach’s studio. This 15-disc box set finally gives the man in the derby hat his due.

Supplementary materials:

In fact, he directed many of the films of other comedians, including the legendary Oliver Hardy (before he teamed up with Stan Laurel) and the "Our Gang" (Little Rascals) series. His understanding of pacing and gag construction was mathematical. He didn't just perform stunts; he engineered jokes. Charley Chase MegaPack

• Core films: His 1920s–1930s Hal Roach shorts (e.g., Mighty Like a Moose, Crazy Feet, The Pip from Pittsburgh) – known for sophisticated marital farce, surreal gags, and Chase’s trademark “normal guy in absurd situations” persona.
• Rare inclusions: Later 1930s Columbia shorts (lower budget but often darker, more frantic).
• Deep value: Chase is a missing link between silent clowning and screwball dialogue; his direction (he often directed his own films uncredited) influenced Preston Sturges and Leo McCarey.
• MegaPack significance: It would preserve alternate takes, foreign release titles, and audio commentaries explaining how Chase invented the “flustered everyman” decades before Bob Newhart.