The Chaser
About The Chaser
Harry (Harry Langdon) stabs his mother-in-law (Helen Hayward) by accident with a lodge sword and is sentenced to hard labor in the kitchen. He means to poison himself and drinks castor oil instead. His wife (Gladys McConnell) and her mother think he has died when he disappears. He comes back to make them sorry. Trade summaries also say the judge (Charles Thurston) orders him to take his wife's place in the house, clothes included, for 30 days.
Cast & crew
More about The Chaser
Harry Langdon directed. Arthur Ripley wrote the story. Clarence Hennecke, Robert Eddy, and Harry McCoy wrote the scenario. E. H. Giebler wrote the titles. Frank Evans and Elgin Lessley photographed it. Alfred DeGaetano edited. First National released it on 12 February 1928. AFI lists 58 minutes, 5,744 feet, six reels. Copyright LP24902, 23 January 1928. Bud Jamison plays his buddy. Frank Brownlee plays a repo man.
Themes
Making
Langdon, directing himself, built the feature on one court order and then a string of household gags, ending on the castor-oil mistake.
Look
Frank Evans and Elgin Lessley photographed the kitchen sentence and the lodge-sword accident.
Preservation
The six-reel First National release is the version listed by the AFI at 58 minutes.
Notes
- The AFI synopsis is the kitchen sentence, the castor oil, and the return. The 30-day clothes order is the plot given in short descriptions of the same film.
- Don Eddy was production manager. Ben Critchley was assistant director.
- Film Daily reviewed it on 15 April 1928. The New York Times notice is 10 April 1928. Variety's is 11 April 1928.
- First National, not Langdon's company, distributed it.
- The wife has no character name in the AFI cast. She is credited as the wife.
Scenes
- The lodge sword catches the mother-in-law, and the judge sends Harry to the kitchen.
- He drinks castor oil, thinking it is poison.
- They take him for dead until he walks back in.
