No Father to Guide Him (1925)

Charley's battle-axe mother-in-law breaks up his marriage and tries to separate him from his son. Charlie abducts the boy for a father-son outing to the beach. The mother-in-law pursues and comedy ensues.

Director:

Leo McCarey

Stars:

Charley Chase, Katherine Grant, Mickey Bennett

Cast

Credited cast:
Charley Chase	...	Jimmy Jump
Katherine Grant	...	His Wife
Mickey Bennett	...	Their Son
Josephine Crowell	...	Her Mother
Duke Kahanamoku	...	The Lifeguard
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lyle Tayo

Storyline

Charley's battle-axe mother-in-law breaks up his marriage and tries to separate him from his son. Charlie abducts the boy for a father-son outing to the beach. The mother-in-law pursues and comedy ensues.

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

6 September 1925 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

19 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Becoming Charley Chase

No Father to Guide Him (1925)

*** (out of 4)

Going by the title you'd think this Charley Chase film was a serious drama but it's actually a comedy about the funny topic of kidnapping. In the film, Charley and his wife split up because his mother-in-law hates him. She also keeps him from seeing the son he loves so one day Charley and the boy run off for a day at the beach. This is a pretty bizarre little gem that manages to take kidnapping and child abuse and make a comedy out of them. I wasn't really sure where this movie was headed early on but within a few minutes the laughs started flowing and didn't stop. The majority of this two-reeler deals with Chase jumping into the ocean only to lose his bathing suit and he must try and get back to safety without everyone seeing him naked. This entire sequence contains one major laugh after another as each time you think he's going to reach safety something else goes wrong. The second half of the film deals with revenge on the mother-in-law and the detective she has hired. The outcome to both parties are extremely funny. Chase is at the top of his game here showing that he was a genius at playing this type of guy who can't have anything good happen to him. Katherine Grant plays the ex-wife but doesn't have too much to do. Duke Kahanamoku plays a lifeguard here as most people will remember him for the various medals he won in the Olympics with his swimming. The scene between he and Chase works extremely well.