Dog Shy (1926)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Leo McCarey

Writer:

H.M. Walker (titles)

Release Date:

4 April 1926 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

Charley is afraid of dogs, and one chases him into a phone box, which a stuffy aristocrat has just left to get more change...

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Howling | Butler | Signal | Phobia

Cast

Charley Chase	...	Charley
Stuart Holmes	...	The Duke
Mildred June	...	The Girl
Josephine Crowell	...	The Girl's Mother
William Orlamond	...	The Girl's Father
Buddy the Dog	...	Duke the Dog

Runtime:

USA: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)

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

A snappy little farce comedy with a great role for Buddy

It's really gratifying to see that the work of Charley Chase is so much more accessible now than it was just a few years ago. Through the whole VCR era of the 1980s and '90s the vast majority of his movies never found their way into any decent video release, but the DVD era has been a lot kinder to Mr. Chase --and to his fans. Several of Charley's funniest shorts have turned up in Image Entertainment's "Lost Films of Laurel & Hardy" set, and more recently Kino has put out two well-produced discs devoted strictly to Charley's own starring comedies made for the Hal Roach Studio during his heyday, the mid-1920s. DOG SHY is included on Volume 2 of the Kino series, and is one of the more enjoyable entries, a pleasant, low-key situation comedy with a clever story, a brisk pace and plenty of good gags.

Our leading lady (Mildred June) is being pressured by her parents to marry an icky-looking "nobleman." Charley, who has fallen in love with her strictly based on the sound of her telephone voice, comes to her aid by posing as her family's new butler. While playing this role during a house-party he finds The Girl at last; they quickly hit it off and plan to elope, but meanwhile he must perform some rather unpleasant duties such as bathing Madame's dog, known as The Duke. (It's already been established that Charley is one of those people who has problems with dogs.) One of the comic high points comes when Charley misunderstands his employer's instructions and believes he must bathe the OTHER Duke, i.e. the nobleman who is courting his girl. While this guy attempts to relate an anecdote to several party guests Charley interrupts and pantomimes that he must go upstairs and take a bath-- and the nobleman, naturally enough, is alarmed about just what activity Charley has in mind. Ultimately, the mix-up is straightened out and Charley attempts to bathe the pooch, but gets wetter (if not cleaner) than the dog. The climax involves several occupants of the house all hatching secret, simultaneous plots which become confusingly entangled, and dashing around the household at midnight in much confusion. I was reminded of a line from another Hal Roach comedy made around this time: "Anything might have happened that night -- And it did!"

DOG SHY is a fun two-reeler, and a nice introduction to Charley Chase for those who haven't had the pleasure of his acquaintance before now. In closing, I notice that there seems to be some controversy on this page about just what kind of dog is featured here. The Duke was portrayed (and winningly, too) by a pooch named Buddy who appeared in several Roach comedies around this time, including Laurel & Hardy's FROM SOUP TO NUTS. Buddy looks to me like a fox terrier mix, but don't quote me on that . . .