Just a Minute (1924) User Reviews

A recycled idea and a few laughs.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 22 August 2011]

FYI--This film was directed by Charley Chase's brother, James Parrott. Why the odd last name--because Charley's real last name is Parrott and he often directed his own films and those of other Hal Roach stars using his real name.

For the life of me, I can't remember the exact title, but this short is very similar to another one of Charley's--and both have the same sort of obnoxious family going on a test drive with him. However, in "Just a Minute", Charley is on his way to get married when his boss insists that Charley wait and first give a test drive to 'an easy customer'. Well, the customer and his family turn out to be totally obnoxious and nasty--and definitely NOT easy customers! By the end, Charley's lost everything--his job, his self-respect and his girl.

This is a fair comedy. While it's a lot better than his earlier films, this one was a recycled idea and it seems that laughs were more important than the plot. Not bad--but up to Chase's later standards of excellence.

Well worth its just twelve minutes!

[hte-trasme · 9/10 · 14 October 2009]

Charley Chase's third one-reel comedy as "Jimmy Jump" is a pure joy from start to finish. Even at this very early stage of his career, he has perfected the method of creating hilarious by uncomfortable humor that grows from slowly escalating frustration. From a slightly outlandish premise we jump into a series of well tuned frustrations : Jimmy Jump is about to get married on a short break from work, and his boss orders him to quickly show the mayor a car first -- with increasingly time-consuming and disastrous consequences.

This comedy is perfectly structured within its ten minutes. The great gags at the start where Charley / Jimmy fixes the small boy's slingshot -- only for it to be used on him -- and where the fiancée's melancholic former suitor who keeps hanging around, are funny once when they first appear, then doubly funny when they make their encores as part of Charley's continuing troubles in a way I won't exactly spoil.

The continuing wasting of Charley's time, combined with Charley's apologetic title card "Just a minute, dear!" are running gags that work every time because the situation has escalated, and they only make the payoff work better.

"Just a Minute" is about as tightly-made comedy of frustration as can be put together in a single reel. Charley Chase and his brother, director James Parrott, time it almost musically to generate the most laughs -- everything in there makes sense. Of course, we get frustrated along with Charley, maybe even more than he does. So if you don't care for that kind of comedy.

Sadly, the owner of what appears to be the only remaining film copy stipulated that it not be sold for profit, so most viewers have to settle for the copy on the "Becoming Charley Chase" DVD set which is mastered from a lower-quality videotape. It remains very watchable, however, and comes very recommended.

Becoming Charley Chase

[Michael_Elliott · 14 March 2010]

Just a Minute (1924)

*** (out of 4)

Jimmy Jump (Charley Chase) is all set to marry his fiancé (Blanche Mehaffey) but his boss asks him to take a car over to a sure buyer for a quick test drive. The man ends up taking three tests drives and the trouble then starts as the bride-to-be waits for Jimmy to return for the wedding. This third film in the series gets off to a very funny start with Jimmy being the nice guy by fixing a kid's slingshot only to have the jerk then shoot him with it. From here on it's all laughs as the family he's trying to sell the car to turns out to be the last people on earth you'd want to have to work with. Not only does the father want one more test drive after another but the entire thing takes an even worse turn when they decide to have a picnic while the bride-to-be just sits around. What makes this film so funny isn't just the action of the slingshot or the punch Chase takes to the face but it's in his wonderful facial gestures as he keeps growing impatient of not being able to get to his wedding. The scenes with Chase's frustration growing and growing are priceless as is the wonderful way he roles his eyes in disgust. Mehaffey doesn't get as much to do here as she's pretty much just standing on the corner. The final joke in the film works quite well and overall this is a pleasant one-reeler.