What Women Did For Me

Series: Charley Chase

Director: James Parrott

Producer: Hal Roach

Titles: Reed Heustis

Photography: Len Powers

Editor: Richard C. Currier

Stars: Charley Chase, Lupe Velez, Eric Mayne, Caryl Lincoln, Viola Richard

Company: Pathé Exchange

Released: 14 August 1927

Length: 2 reels

Production No.: B-21

Filming dates: March 14-29, 1927

Rating: 6/10

What Women Did For Me

Available on BLU-RAY & DVD:

Lupe Velez, Viola Richard and Charley Chase in What Women Did For Me (1927)

A college professor is discharged from an all-girls' finishing school for poor conduct with the girls. His replacement is girl-shy Professor Chase, who is interviewed and approved by the new Dean. The Dean's livewire daughter (LUPE VELEZ) informs the other girls of his arrival, which is awkward for poor Charley, who bolts for the door on account of his fear of women as soon as he sees them.
When Chase finally takes charge of the class, he is driven to distraction by the suggestive behaviour of the girls showing their crossed legs and fluttering eyelashes. He becomes increasingly frustrated and experiences a dream sequence in which he is overwhelmed by the intoxication of the girls. The dream is broken when one of the girls (VIOLA RICHARD) claims to see a mouse. Charley makes a quick exit and runs across the corridor into the art room where he hides behind a screen and a mannequin. The Dean sees the Professor's plight and offers to let him stay in his mountain cabin for the weekend in order for him to overcome his fear of women.
So Charley drives up into the mountains with a life-sized dummy woman. With his arm around her in the front seat of the car, he pulls up to the snow-covered cabin. Thinking he is safe from the company of females, another car full of women breaks down in the nearby vicinity.

The women holed up at Belt's Boat Cabin and telephone the Dean to ask his permission to spend the night there. The Dean's wife (MAY WALLACE) gives them the ok, but the daughter realises she must now warn Charley - who has made himself quite at home with his mannequin. Charley is completely oblivious that ten strange women have entered the cabin and made themselves comfortable upstairs, whilst he continues to get 'acquainted' with his dummy.
However, when he does realise their presence, he makes a run for it dressed only in a nightgown into the snow. The women, armed with a shotgun, vow to go after him before he dies of exposure! As night falls, the sound of a dog howling gives Charley the thought that wolves are nearby and so he legs it, barefoot in the snow pursued quickly by the chasing women who only want to protect him. One of the girls catches up to him and in a comical moment clings to the back of his gown and is dragged along in the snow behind him before Charley ends up in a hole full of ice water. He loses his gown and the girls run in the opposite direction.
They all meet back at the cabin, where the girls pamper Charley and eventually make him feel better. Monday morning back at the school and Charley has gained his confidence with the girls. In walks the Dean's daughter and Charley invites his class to "meet his wife". The girls all fall of their chairs in amazement.

Charley Chase in What Women Did For Me (1927)

Trivia
• Copyrighted May 18, 1927.
• Partially re-made as Chase's first talking short, The Big Squawk (1929).
• The interiors of the cabin were also used in Chase's comedy The Caretaker's Daughter (1925).
• There are 29 intertitle cards.
• The name of the girl's school is Montclair.
• There are eighteen girls at the school, including Lupe Velez and Viola Richard.
• The scenes in the classroom where the women show their legs above the knees was considered very risque for the era.
• Charley names his dummy, "Mamie".
• Ten women get stranded in the mountains and hold up at the cabin.

	Charley Chase Professor Charley
	Lupe Velez Nelly, the Dean's daughter
	Viola Richard Girl at school
	Al Hallett Belt's Boat Cabin proprietor
	Gale Henry The 'keyhole buzzard'
	Eric Mayne The Dean
	May Wallace The Dean's wife
	Clara Guiol Woman in the cabin
	Caryl Lincoln Woman in the cabin
	Broderick O'Farrell [?]
	Bob Gray Expelled professor
	Frank Whiteen [?]
	UNIDENTIFIED Miss Rookie
	UNIDENTIFIED Girl #4 in classroom
	UNIDENTIFIED Girl #1 in classroom
	UNIDENTIFIED Girl #2 in classroom
	UNIDENTIFIED Girl #3 in classroom
	UNIDENTIFIED Women in the cabin
	UNIDENTIFIED Women in the cabin

CREDITS (click image to enlarge)	INTERTITLES (click image to enlarge)

LOBBY CARDS
(click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements:
Smile When The Raindrops Fall by Brian Anthony & Andy Edmonds (book)
http://charleychase.50webs.com/movient23.htm (Yair Solan)
†The two lobby cards are used by permission of Yair Solan (November 2, 2013)
Jesse Brisson (identification of Caryl Lincoln)
The identification of Bob Gray is my own.

This page was last updated on: 23 December 2024