Hal Roach Starting with “G”

Girl Grief (1932) — Charley Chase / Hal Roach Studios

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~20 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: James Parrott
  • Writer: H.M. Walker
  • Cinematography: Len Powers
  • Editor: Richard C. Currier
  • Release Date: November 5, 1932
  • Genre: School farce, bashful romance, musical slapstick
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Charley Chase as Charley — the bashful substitute teacher
  • Muriel Evans as Miss Evans — the charming instructor
  • Nora Cecil as Miss Tuttle — the stern principal
  • Fanny Cossar as Miss Perkins — assistant principal
  • Ida Schumacher as Mrs. B.B. Chase — Charley’s mother
  • Betty Danko, Paulette Goddard, Dorothy Layton as students (uncredited)

Plot Summary

Charley Chase is a timid bachelor terrified of women — so naturally, his mother volunteers him to substitute teach at an all-girls school. Upon arrival, Charley meets Miss Evans, a lovely instructor who flusters him immediately. The students, sensing his bashfulness, prank him relentlessly: tossing catnip on his bed, singing jazzed-up versions of old songs, and orchestrating classroom chaos. Charley tries to maintain order but ends up dancing along with the girls just as the principal arrives. The short ends with Charley winning over Miss Evans and gaining unexpected confidence — despite the school’s disapproval.

Style & Legacy

  • A reworking of Chase’s silent short What Women Did to Me (1927)
  • Features Charley’s signature bashful panic, musical gags, and cat-themed dream sequence
  • Noted for its “Seeing Nellie Home” jazz parody, split-screen cat dream, and student-led rebellion
  • Includes early appearances by Paulette Goddard and Dorothy Layton
  • Frequently cited as one of Chase’s most charming sound-era school farces, blending music and slapstick

Streaming Availability

You can watch Girl Grief (1932) in full on YouTube:

Watch on YouTube – Full Short Film

It may also appear in Charley Chase: The Talkies DVD collections or Hal Roach retrospectives.

Girl Shock (1930) — Charley Chase / Hal Roach Studios

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~20 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: James W. Horne
  • Writer: H.M. Walker
  • Release Date: 1930
  • Genre: Romantic farce, psychological spoof, slapstick
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Charley Chase as Charley — the traumatized fiancé
  • Carmen Guerrero as Carmen — Charley’s devoted fiancée
  • Edgar Kennedy as Carmen’s father
  • Supporting cast includes:
    • Jerry Mandy as Dr. Lorenzo — the eccentric therapist
    • Catherine Courtney, Lynn Browning, Dorothy Compton, Baldwin Cooke, and others in uncredited roles
    • Elinor Vanderveer as Carmen’s mother
    • Evelyn Burns, Betty Mae Crane, Beverly Crane, and Mary Moder as “Legion of Death” soldiers (flashback)

Plot Summary

Charley Chase suffers from a bizarre affliction: he goes into hysterics whenever a woman touches him. His fiancée Carmen is desperate to cure him before their wedding. Through a flashback, we learn that Charley’s trauma stems from World War I, when he was shot down over Russia and rescued by an all-female battalion called the “Legion of Death.” Their aggressive affection left him permanently rattled. Carmen enlists Dr. Lorenzo to treat Charley with escalating “shock therapy,” leading to a series of slapstick encounters with increasingly assertive women. The final cure involves a staged confrontation with Carmen herself — which finally breaks Charley’s phobia.

Style & Legacy

  • A rare psychological spoof from the early sound era, blending war trauma with romantic comedy
  • Features Charley Chase’s physical comedy, Edgar Kennedy’s slow burn, and Carmen Guerrero’s charm
  • Noted for its “Legion of Death” flashback, spoken opening credits, and pipe organ soundtrack — a brief experiment before Roach returned to Hatley-Shield scoring
  • Frequently cited as one of Chase’s most surreal and inventive early talkies, with pre-Code undertones

Streaming Availability

You can watch Girl Shock (1930) in full on both platforms:

  • Watch on YouTube – Full Short Film
  • Watch on Internet Archive – Part of Charley Chase 1930 Collection (Scroll to item #5)

It may also appear in Charley Chase: The Talkies DVD collections or Hal Roach retrospectives.

Glove Taps (1937) — Our Gang / Little Rascals

Overview

  • Type: One-reel comedy short (~10 minutes)
  • Series: Our Gang (151st entry overall)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: Gordon Douglas
  • Cinematography: Art Lloyd
  • Editor: William H. Ziegler
  • Music: Marvin Hatley (from Way Out West)
  • Release Date: February 20, 1937
  • Genre: Sports farce, bully showdown, ensemble slapstick
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer as Alfalfa — the reluctant boxer
  • George “Spanky” McFarland as Spanky — Alfalfa’s trainer
  • Tommy Bond as Butch — the new bully in town
  • Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas as Buckwheat — ringside saboteur
  • Eugene “Porky” Lee as Porky — ringside saboteur
  • Sidney Kibrick as Woim — Butch’s sidekick
  • Darla Hood as Darla — audience member
  • Darwood Kaye as Waldo — debut appearance
  • Supporting extras include Hugh Chapman, John Collum, Rex Downing, and Harold Switzer

Plot Summary

A new kid named Butch arrives in the neighborhood and declares he’ll fight anyone to prove he’s boss. Spanky nominates Alfalfa as their champion — much to Alfalfa’s horror. Spanky trains Alfalfa using a book called How to Be a Fighter in 10 Easy Lessons, which mostly involves Alfalfa pulling Spanky around in a wagon. During sparring, Alfalfa is knocked out by Buckwheat and Porky, who later sabotage the actual match by knocking Butch out from behind a curtain. Alfalfa is declared the winner, unaware of the assist, and basks in his accidental glory.

Style & Legacy

  • A loose reworking of earlier Our Gang boxing shorts like The Champeen! (1923) and Boxing Gloves (1929)
  • Marks Tommy Bond’s return as Butch, launching his long-running bully role
  • Features Alfalfa’s cowardly charm, Spanky’s scheming, and Buckwheat’s comic timing
  • Noted for its Ajax Athletic Club setting, wagon training montage, and curtain knockout gag
  • Frequently cited as one of the most iconic Alfalfa–Butch rivalry shorts, blending sports and slapstick

Streaming Availability

You can watch Glove Taps (1937) in full on YouTube:

Watch on YouTube – Full Short Film

It may also appear in Little Rascals DVD collections or Hal Roach retrospectives.

Going Bye-Bye! (1934) — Laurel & Hardy

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~21 minutes)
  • Studio: Hal Roach Studios
  • Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Director: Charley Rogers
  • Writers: H.M. Walker, Stan Laurel (uncredited)
  • Cinematography: Francis Corby
  • Editor: Bert Jordan
  • Music: Marvin Hatley
  • Release Date: June 23, 1934
  • Genre: Crime farce, slapstick revenge
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Stan Laurel as Mr. Laurel
  • Oliver Hardy as Mr. Hardy
  • Mae Busch as Mary — Butch’s girlfriend
  • Walter Long as Butch — the criminal
  • Harry Dunkinson as the judge
  • Sam Lufkin as the man with a warning
  • Supporting roles by Baldwin Cooke, Charles Dorety, Lester Dorr, Fay Holderness, and others as courtroom extras

Plot Summary

Stan and Ollie testify in court against dangerous criminal Butch, who is sentenced to life in prison. Stan innocently asks, “Aren’t you gonna hang him?” — enraging Butch, who vows revenge. Fearing retaliation, the boys plan to leave town and advertise for a travel companion. Butch’s girlfriend Mary answers the ad, and they visit her apartment unaware that Butch has escaped and is hiding there. Mistaking Stan and Ollie for police, Butch locks himself in a trunk. The duo tries to help him out, drilling holes and using a blowtorch, which sets the trunk on fire. They douse it with a firehose, flooding the room. Butch emerges and exacts revenge by breaking their legs and tying them around their necks. The film ends with Stan and Ollie sitting in a heap, Ollie groaning, “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!”

Style & Legacy

  • A reworking of the silent short Do Detectives Think? (1927)
  • Features Laurel’s innocent one-liners, Hardy’s slow burn, and Walter Long’s menacing presence
  • Noted for its trunk gag, blowtorch chaos, and final visual punchline
  • Frequently cited as one of the darkest and most physical slapstick entries in the Laurel & Hardy canon
  • Later echoed in their final American film The Bullfighters (1945)

Streaming Availability

You can watch Going Bye-Bye! (1934) in full on YouTube:

Watch on YouTube – Full Short Film

It may also appear in Laurel & Hardy: The Essential Collection or Hal Roach DVD sets.

The Grand Hooter (1937) — Charley Chase / Columbia Pictures

Overview

  • Type: Two-reel comedy short (~20 minutes)
  • Studio: Columbia Pictures
  • Director: Del Lord
  • Writers: Elwood Ullman, Al Giebler, Charlie Melson
  • Release Date: May 9, 1937
  • Genre: Domestic farce, lodge comedy, mistaken identity
  • Language: English

Cast

  • Charley Chase as Charley — the conflicted husband and lodge member
  • Peggy Stratford as Mrs. Chase — Charley’s suspicious wife
  • Nina Quartero as Rosita — the flirtatious hotel guest
  • Bud Jamison as House Detective (uncredited)
  • Arthur Housman, Bobby Watson, Harry Semels, Ray Turner, and others as lodge brothers and hotel staff

Plot Summary

Charley Chase is a devoted member of the “Hoot Owl Lodge,” much to the frustration of his wife, who feels neglected. After missing their first honeymoon due to lodge duties, Charley promises to make it up with a second honeymoon at a swanky hotel. But trouble brews when Rosita, a flirtatious guest, receives love letters from one of Charley’s lodge pals — and her jealous husband mistakes Charley for the sender. A series of misunderstandings, mistaken identities, and slapstick chases ensue, culminating in Charley dodging both romantic entanglements and angry husbands.

Style & Legacy

  • Charley Chase’s first Columbia Pictures short after leaving Hal Roach Studios
  • Features classic lodge humor, hotel room confusion, and Chase’s musical interlude
  • Noted for its fast-paced direction by Del Lord, who also directed many Three Stooges shorts
  • Later remade as Open Season for Saps starring Shemp Howard
  • Frequently cited as one of Chase’s stronger Columbia entries, blending Roach-era charm with Columbia’s slapstick style

Streaming Availability

You can watch The Grand Hooter (1937) in full on these platforms:

Watch on YouTube – Full Short Film – Pretty Good

It may also appear in Charley Chase: Columbia Shorts DVD sets or classic comedy anthologies.