That Slapstick Show! returns to the great outdoors at The City Reliquary with its second annual Celebrity Film Roast. Join us Saturday, July 8 at 8 PM as we honor one of the true comedy masterminds of the silent film era–Charley Chase! This special screening will include some rarely seen shorts, so don’t miss out—and bring your cinephile friends!

Admission: $10

Curated by Nelson Hughes
Co-organized and co-hosted by Tommy José Stathes of Cartoons on Film
Live accompaniment by ragtime pianist Charlie Judkins!

There will be a mini tag sale featuring VHS tapes, DVDs, books, filmic collectibles and other goodies…all from the personal collection of That Slapstick Show! co-organizer and co-host Tommy José Stathes.

About Charley Chase:
He was one of the most prolific and influential comedians of the 1920s, with a film career that spanned nearly three decades. Today, some 77 years since his passing, Charley Chase (a.k.a. Charles Parrott) still remains one of the most beloved silent screen clowns among modern day fans of classic film comedy.

Chase boasted a lengthy resume, including actor/director/writer and producer, from the 1910s straight into the 1930s. With stints at the Al Christie studios and, most importantly, Mack Sennett’s Keystone Studios, it was his arrival at the Hal Roach studios in 1920 where he would reach superstardom in comedy film history. Beginning with one-reelers and later moving on to two-reel shorts for Roach, the Chase comedies were centered on situational comedy rather than overt slapstick. Chase knew comedy like no one else did and it clearly shows in his films as both an actor and director.

Tags: Nelson Hughes, Slapstick Show