What Price Goofy? (1925)

Writers:

(more)

Release Date:

7 June 1925 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy

Plot:

Jamison has a very jealous wife. Mrs. Jamison has a very gossipy friend. When the friend spots Jamison...

Plot Keywords:

Burglar | Dog | Butler | Marriage | Gun

Cast

Charley Chase	...	Jamison
Katherine Grant	...	Jamison's Jealous Wife
Lucien Littlefield	...	Speck - Jamison's Faithful Butler
Jane Sherman	...	The Wife's Gabby Best Friend
Buddy the Dog	...	Rin-Chin-Chin (as Buddy)
Marjorie Whiteis	...	Professor Brown
Noah Young	...	Omaha Oscar - Burglar
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fay Wray	...	Concerned Girl with Perfume (uncredited)

Directed by
Leo McCarey		(uncredited)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Hal Roach		story (uncredited)
H.M. Walker		titles (uncredited)

Produced by
Hal Roach	....	producer (uncredited)

Music Department
Brian Collins	....	musician: clarinet (2005 alternate version)
Kevin Johnson	....	musician: cello (2005 alternate version)
Dawn Kramer	....	musician: trumpet (2005 alternate version)
Rodney Sauer	....	musician: piano (2005 alternate version)
Rodney Sauer	....	score compiler (2005 alternate version)
Britt Swenson	....	musician: violin (2005 alternate version)

Other crew
Hal Roach	....	presenter

Production Companies

• Hal Roach Studios

Distributors

• Pathé Exchange (1925) (USA) (theatrical)
• Milestone Film & Video (2005) (worldwide) (all media) (2005 alternate version) (A Milestone Film Release)

Other Companies

• Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, The  copyright: 2005
• Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, The  musical score compiled by (2005 alternate version)
• Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, The  musical score performed by (2005 alternate version)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

22 min (2005 alternate version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

Worth paying a price for

A previous IMDb commentator noted that though this film was very funny (agreed!) the title was a little strange. I believe it's one of those times Hal Roach put out a named not after what happens in it but as a parody of something else -- in this case there was a feature that came out the same year called "What Price Beauty?" In any case this is a hilarious two-reeler, worthy of standing with the best entries in the great Charley Chase series.

The old maxim is to be wary of sharing the screen with children or animals, but Charley Chase was wise enough to know that if he used a cute dog in a funny way, it would only make his film -- and him -- the funnier. Here "Buddy" the dog begins Charley's predicament by being rescued, then precipitates a progressively more hilarious running gag (carefully set up beforehand) by continuing to play hide-and-seek with his master when he very much wants that embarrassing piece of ladies' underwear hidden.

The comedy in this one comes not so much from Charley's mounting embarrassment, as it often does, but instead from the gradually increasing dramatic tension around whether an embarrassing situation will explode around him -- specifically being caused by a clingy little dog and an inconveniently female surprise houseguest to look like a philanderer to his suspicious wife.

The balance and escalation of the tension with laughs and coincidences is a joy to behold, and the moment when Charley decides to use the burgler he catches breaking in to impersonate a male professor is inspired.

The prolific, expressive-faced character actor Lucien Littlefield has a great supporting turn here as Charley's loyal and tricky butler, and Katherine Grant is as always a great and hilariously dangerous leading lady. Charley Chase's series of two-reel comedies kept up an astonishing level of consistent originality and quality; this one again had me laughing out loud numerous times.