The Way of All Pants

How tragic that this little gem is incomplete today. Still, there are a little more footage in existence than what is seen in the "Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy vol. 6": Robert Youngson's "The Further Perils of Laurel & Hardy" Show the same footage as Mr. Agee does in Lost Films..., but Youngson's footage continues and actually shows us the rest of the film. Charley gets off the bus and there, by the bus stop, is Edna Marion waiting for him. The detective seen previously passes the two, greets them and continues down the street in riding trousers, much to Edna's and Charley's amusement.

It seems that the next Charley Chase DVD and blu-ray sets, now dealing with Chase's late silent titles at Hal Roach Studios, will have this title, complete.

Lacking the major part of reel one, it is great fun studying the film's cutting continuity. The film actually opens with Charley being asked to employ one of the many charming young ladies replying to the ad for the job. Edna is chosen, being described as "Edna - one stenographer in a thousand - She knows the difference between a comma and a period--".

Charley Chase is called on to deliver some riding pants to boss Frank Leigh's house as a surprise birthday gift from Leigh's wife, Hazel Howell. When Leigh spots him modelling them for the missus, he hires Tom Dugan to hustle Chase out, lest he disrupt the dinner party. Charley is anxious to leave. However, thanks to occasional Chase player Buddy the Dog, Charley winds up without a pair of pants. As does Dugan, and the butler.

It's a fairly risque short for Chase. He would make others during the Hal Roach contract with MGM, as more sophisticated audiences appreciated this sort of thing -- or at least were willing to admit it. It would reach its zenith with LIMOUSINE LOVE, in which a naked Viola Dana would wind up in Charley's car on the way to his wedding. Never mind. This one is equally funny.

Charley Chase has to deliver a pair of pants to a rich man's house. When he gets there, the man's wife has him try them on to see how they look. Unfortunately, the rich man arrives home early, with lots of guests. When Charley hastily tries to put his pants back on, a dog rips off his pants. Charley has to figure out how to get out of the house quickly. When that does not work, he tries to steal other people's pants instead! While only available in fragmentary form, this excerpt is very funny and any fan of silent slapstick will love it.

A nine-minute excerpt from this film is available on THE LOST FILMS OF LAUREL & HARDY #6 DVD. Although it is not listed on the packaging or the DVD menu, it is shown after the last short FORTY FIVE MINUTES FROM HOLLYWOOD. Some might consider this a bonus, others a mistake.

This short comedy is essentially a one-gag film, but it does all right with the idea, managing to come up with enough variations and uses of the basic idea to make it worth seeing. Charley Chase plays the main character, and though it's one of the less substantial efforts, it does have its moments.

Chase plays a delivery boy who brings a pair of trousers to a wife who ordered them for her husband. When she asks him to model the pants for her, it sets off a chain of slapstick events, all revolving around mismatched and /or missing pants. The idea is very familiar from many other comedies of the era, and so this one doesn't stand out in any way. It does have enough laughs, though, to be worth seeing.

As the previous commentator has also implied, the currently available version seems to be missing some of the original footage, since there are a couple of apparent gaps, most particularly at the beginning. The missing footage may have clarified some of the details, but most likely would not change the nature of the material that much.