Hal Roach Starting with “I”

 I’ll Be Suing You (1934) — Todd–Kelly

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~19 minutes)
  • Series: Thelma Todd & Patsy Kelly Comedies
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: Gus Meins
  • Cinematography: Kenneth Peach
  • Editor: Louis McManus
  • Sound: Harry Baker
  • Release Date: June 23, 1934
  • Genre: Legal farce, insurance scam comedy
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Thelma Todd as Miss Todd
  • Patsy Kelly as Miss Kelly
  • Benny Baker as Building Repairman
  • Eddie Foy Jr. as Edward J. Foy — the ambulance-chasing lawyer
  • Fred Kelsey as Insurance Adjustor
  • Mr. Miffin as Miffin the Dog
  • Supporting cast includes Sam Lufkin, Charles McAvoy, Billy Nelson, Charley Rogers, William Wagner, and Douglas Wakefield

Plot Summary

After crashing into a parked truck, Thelma and Patsy are approached by a shady lawyer (Eddie Foy Jr.) who convinces them to fake injuries for a big insurance payout. Patsy is coached to pretend she has a broken leg, complete with a fake limb and a dramatic script. The plan unravels when a telephone repairman arrives and mistakes her for a real patient. His tools — including a blowtorch — terrify Patsy, who breaks character. The lawyer returns with insurance investigators just as Patsy is caught walking around, leading to a slapstick finale full of double takes and dashed schemes.

Style & Legacy

  • A classic Todd–Kelly pairing, showcasing Thelma’s poise and Patsy’s manic energy
  • Features Eddie Foy Jr.’s fast-talking conman, Kelly’s over-the-top groaning, and a memorable fake-leg gag
  • Noted for its bed with a leg-hole, screaming monologues, and mistaken identity slapstick
  • Frequently cited as one of the more chaotic and physical entries in the series
  • Released just months before Thelma Todd’s untimely death, part of her final run of shorts

Streaming Availability

As of now, I’ll Be Suing You (1934) is not freely available on YouTube or Internet Archive. However, it may be found in:

  • Hal Roach DVD collections featuring Todd–Kelly comedies
  • Turner Classic Movies (TCM) archives: TCM listing
  • Collector forums or classic film anthologies

I’ll Take Vanilla (1934) — Charley Chase

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~21 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Directors: Charley Chase & Eddie Dunn
  • Writers: H.M. Walker (titles), Charley Chase (story)
  • Release Date: May 5, 1934
  • Genre: Romantic farce, bratty-kid comedy
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Charley Chase as Charley — the singing ice cream vendor
  • Betty Mack as Betty — the charming aunt
  • Tommy Bond as Junior — the bratty nephew
  • Harry Bowen as The Cop
  • Gertrude Astor as Junior’s Mother (uncredited)
  • James C. Morton as The Druggist (uncredited)
  • Tiny Sandford as Big Cop (uncredited)
  • Charlie Hall as Little Cop (uncredited)

Plot Summary

Charley is a cheerful door-to-door ice cream vendor who sings his way through the neighborhood. He falls for Betty, a sweet young woman babysitting her spoiled nephew, Junior. When Junior demands vanilla ice cream and threatens to skip his spinach unless he gets it, Betty enlists Charley’s help. But Junior proves to be a menace — sabotaging Charley’s cart, faking injuries, and eventually getting Charley arrested for kidnapping. The short ends with a wild chase involving police, a runaway ice cream truck, and Charley’s good intentions gone hilariously wrong.

Style & Legacy

  • Opens with one of Charley Chase’s most memorable musical numbers, a cheerful ditty about selling ice cream
  • Features Tommy Bond’s bratty antics, later refined in his Our Gang roles
  • Noted for its whistle-swallowing gag, later echoed by Laurel & Hardy in Pick a Star (1937)
  • Frequently cited as a prime example of Chase’s blend of music, romance, and escalating chaos
  • A standout among his 1934 Hal Roach shorts for its pacing and physical comedy

Streaming Availability

You can watch I’ll Take Vanilla (1934) in full on these platforms:

  • Watch on YouTube
  • Watch on Internet Archive – Not Available

In Walked Charley (1932) — Charley Chase

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~21 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: Warren Doane
  • Writer: H.M. Walker
  • Release Date: April 23, 1932
  • Genre: Domestic farce, mistaken identity comedy
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Charley Chase as Mr. Chase — a travel agent caught in a domestic scheme
  • Jacqueline Wells (later known as Julie Bishop) as Jackie — the daughter
  • Gertrude Astor as Mrs. Henderson — Jackie’s mother
  • Del Henderson as Mr. Henderson — Jackie’s father
  • Billy Gilbert (uncredited) as The Doctor
  • Eddie Dunn (uncredited) as The Milkman
  • Harry Bernard (uncredited) as The Cop

Plot Summary

Charley Chase plays a travel agent who delivers cruise tickets to the Henderson family, only to find himself swept into their domestic chaos. Mrs. Henderson announces a surprise vacation for herself and her daughter Jackie, leaving Mr. Henderson behind with his mother-in-law. In a desperate bid to avoid this fate, Mr. Henderson pretends to be insane — dragging Charley into his scheme. As Henderson’s antics escalate, Charley tries to maintain composure while navigating increasingly absurd situations, including a fake medical diagnosis and a chaotic breakfast scene. The short ends with Charley narrowly escaping the household madness.

Style & Legacy

  • A classic Charley Chase domestic farce, blending verbal wit with escalating physical comedy
  • Features Jacqueline Wells in one of her early comedic roles before her transition to dramatic films as Julie Bishop
  • Noted for its lunacy gag, breakfast table chaos, and Chase’s straight-man reactions
  • Frequently cited as a mid-tier Chase short, with strong performances but a one-joke premise stretched thin

Streaming Availability

You can watch In Walked Charley (1932) in full on Internet Archive #92 on the List

Watch on YouTube – Full Short Film

It may also appear in Hal Roach comedy anthologies or Charley Chase DVD collections.

The Infernal Triangle (1935) — Irvin S. Cobb series

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~20 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: Gordon Douglas
  • Cinematography: Francis Corby
  • Editor: Ray Snyder
  • Release Date: August 17, 1935
  • Genre: Romantic farce, cultural parody
  • Language: English
  • Series Context: Released as part of the Irvin S. Cobb series, though Cobb does not appear; also considered the first entry in the 1935–36 Charley Chase series despite Chase not being in the cast.

Cast

  • Phyllis Barry as the female lead
  • John Warburton as one romantic rival
  • John Williamson as the other romantic rival
  • Supporting roles feature a variety of ethnic caricatures and comedic setups

Plot Summary

The film presents a comedic take on romantic triangles across different cultures. Through a series of loosely connected vignettes, the same triangle — one woman and two competing men — is reenacted in various ethnic and national settings. Each segment exaggerates cultural stereotypes for comic effect, with misunderstandings, slapstick, and romantic reversals. The humor leans on visual gags and situational irony, culminating in a meta-commentary on the universality of romantic rivalry.

Style & Legacy

  • Directed by Gordon Douglas, known for his later work with Laurel & Hardy and The Three Stooges
  • Noted for its anthology-style structure, ethnic parody, and visual comedy
  • Historically significant as a transitional short between Hal Roach’s Cobb and Chase series
  • Rare among Roach shorts for its lack of a central recurring character, relying instead on thematic unity
  • Reflects 1930s Hollywood’s approach to cross-cultural humor, now viewed through a more critical lens

Streaming Availability

As of now, The Infernal Triangle (1935) does not appear to be freely available on YouTube or Internet Archive. It is listed on:

  • IMDb – The Infernal Triangle
  • Lord Heath – Production Notes

For archival access, consider:

  • UCLA Film & Television Archive
  • Hal Roach DVD anthologies
  • Turner Classic Movies (TCM) programming archives

It Happened One Day (1934) — Charley Chase

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~19 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Directors: Charley Chase & Eddie Dunn
  • Writers: H.M. Walker (titles), Charley Chase (story)
  • Release Date: 1934
  • Genre: Office farce, romantic comedy
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Charley Chase as Charley — the ambitious clerk
  • Betty Mack as Betty — the boss’s daughter
  • Oscar Apfel as A.L. Void — the stern employer
  • Carlton Griffin as Office Clerk
  • Eddie Baker as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
  • Supporting uncredited cast includes Harry Bowen, Marion Byron, Baldwin Cooke, Charlie Hall, James C. Morton, Stanley Price, May Wallace

Plot Summary

Charley Chase is hired as a clerk at a firm run by A.L. Void (Oscar Apfel). His enthusiasm and offhand remarks — including one about marrying the boss’s daughter — spark gossip among the staff. Void, overhearing this, sends Charley to Long Beach to cool off. On the train, Charley meets Betty (Void’s daughter), unaware of her identity. They fall for each other, and Charley’s fortunes shift. The short blends office politics, romantic coincidence, and slapstick chaos, including a fire scene and a musical number based on “The Man on the Flying Trapeze.”

Style & Legacy

  • A classic Charley Chase character-driven farce, emphasizing personality over pure gag density
  • Features Chase’s musical talents, including a self-written variation on a popular tune
  • Noted for its compressed three-act structure, train sequence, and office satire
  • Frequently cited as a precursor to “How to Succeed in Business”-style comedies, with Chase as a bumbling go-getter
  • A strong entry in Chase’s 1934 Hal Roach run, balancing romance and slapstick

Streaming Availability

You can watch It Happened One Day (1934) in full on Internet Archive #149 on the List

Watch on YouTube – Full Short Film

It may also appear in Hal Roach or Charley Chase DVD collections.