''Neighborhood House'' is a 1936 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Charley Chase Charles Joseph Parrott (October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940), known professionally as Charley Chase, was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly associated with pro ...

, Harold Law, and

Alan Hale, Sr. Alan Hale Sr. (born Rufus Edward Mackahan; February 10, 1892 – January 22, 1950) was an American actor and director. He is best remembered for his many character roles, in particular as a frequent sidekick of Errol Flynn, as well as f ...

and written by Charley Chase, Harold Law, Richard Flournoy, and Arthur Vernon Jones. The film stars Charley Chase,

Rosina Lawrence Rosina May Lawrence (December 30, 1912 – June 23, 1997) was a British-Canadian actress and singer. She had a short but memorable career in the 1920s and 1930s in Hollywood before she married in 1939 and retired from entertainment. She is best kn ...

Darla Hood Darla Jean Hood (November 8, 1931 – June 13, 1979) was an American child actress, best known as the leading lady in the ''Our Gang'' series from 1935 to 1941. She was born in Leedey, Oklahoma, the only child of music teacher Elizabeth Dav ...

George Meeker George Meeker (March 5, 1904 – August 19, 1984) was an American character film and Broadway actor. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Meeker made several films such as ''Crime, Inc.'' (1945) and ''A Thief in the Dark'' (1 ...

Ben Taggart Ben Taggart (April 5, 1889 – May 17, 1947) was an American actor. Taggart's stage experience began in Seattle, and he went on to play leading roles in Washington, Portland, San Francisco, Trenton, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia. He was described ...

, and

Dick Elliott Richard Damon Elliott (April 30, 1886 – December 22, 1961) was an American character actor who played in over 240 films from the 1930s until the time of his death. Early years Elliott was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Career Elliott p ...

. Originally produced as a 55-minute feature first titled ''Bank Night'' and then ''Neighborhood House'', the film faced legal action from the actual Bank Night corporation, which organized cash giveaways in America's movie theaters. The film was withdrawn, cut down to 22 minutes, and released as a standard Charley Chase short by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

. The often cited release date of May 9, 1936, is erroneous. That was when the unreleased feature version was scheduled for distribution; the ''Motion Picture Herald'' trade review of the feature was published on May 9. The short-subject version was released later in the year.

Plot

Charley Chase and his wife and daughter look forward to their weekly visit to the local movie theater, a "neighborhood house." The special attraction of the evening is "Bank Night," a cash award given to the holder of a lucky-number ticket. The theater manager, a former beau of Mrs. Chase, greets the Chases cordially and wishes them luck. He selects Chase's little daughter to pick the lucky number, but she calls out Chase's number. The audience cries fraud, so another number is chosen -- and it belongs to the little girl herself. Again the audience howls in protest. A third number is chosen -- and it belongs to Mrs. Chase. After the manager awards her the $500 jackpot, the outraged audience members form a motorcade, honking their horns furiously, and follow the embarrassed Chase family all the way home. Chase, mortified, resolves the situation by staging his own "Bank Night" giveaway at the theater.

Cast

as Charley Chase *

as Rosina Chase *

as Mary Chase *

as Adolph *

as Policeman *

as Perkins * Harry Bowen as Irate Movie Patron

Deleted material

The 55-minute version included a subplot, in which gangsters raid the theater and hold Chase captive; this footage was removed. Featured players

Margaret Irving Margaret Irving (January 18, 1898 – March 5, 1988) was an American stage and film actress. Biography Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1898, Irving is best remembered today for her roles as Aunt Gus in the 1950s sitcom '' The People's Choic ...

George Chandler George Chandler (June 30, 1898 – June 10, 1985) was an American actor who starred in over 140 feature films, usually in smaller supporting roles, and he is perhaps best known for playing the character of Uncle Petrie Martin on the televi ...

, Charles Lane, and Tom Dugan were cast in the feature,''Motion Picture Herald'', May 9, 1936, p. 43. but they do not appear in the revised short-subject version.

References

External links

* 1936 films American comedy films 1936 comedy films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{1930s-comedy-film-stub