Charles 'Chic' Sale
Charles 'Chic' Sale was primarily a stage comedian, who, although he infrequently appeared on Broadway from 1902-30 and appeared in a handful of silent films, spent the majority of his career treading the boards of vaudeville as a comedian, usually in the persona of 'Lem Putt', a carpenter from Urbana, Illinois who specialized in the building of outhouses.
By age 49 his stage act had become so popular that he felt compelled to write, with the help of two newspaper writers, a 3000-word collection of his monologues (at the urging of his lawyer who expressed dismay over lesser comedians stealing his act), which was published as "The Specialist". The book was a huge hit, published in nine languages, and remains in print to this day. (Sale took six months off touring to personally answer fan mail resulting from the book. A sequel was published as "I'll Tell You Why".) During the 1930s and '40s there were outhouses sporting "Chic Sale" signs all over the world, his name becoming synonymous for toilet (which didn't please him in the least) and the butt of fellow comedian Groucho Marx's jokes.
After appearing in a flop Broadway show in 1930, Sale headed for Hollywood for good and became, thanks to effective makeup and complete mastery of his lanky body, a character actor. Still in his mid to late 40s, he convincingly played octogenarians. He did this so well that it was quite a shock to see him out of make-up; he was unrecognizable from his old man screen persona.
Chic Sale died of pneumonia in 1936 at just 51 years of age. He was survived by his wife Marie.
Acting
Movie
You Only Live Once
as Ethan
1937
Movie
Treasure Island
as Ben Gunn
1934
Movie
The Star Witness
as Pvt. Summerill
1931
Movie
The Fighting Westerner
as Tex Murdock
1935
Movie
The Expert
as John T. Minick
1932
Movie
Important News
as Elmer 'Scoop' Stevens
1936
Movie
The New School Teacher
as Professor Timmons
1924
Movie
The Great American Pie Company
as Ephraim Deacon
1935
Movie
Stranger in Town
as Ulysses Crickle
1931
Movie
Men Of America
as Smokey Miller
1932
Movie
The Chief
as Uncle Joe
1933
Movie
When a Feller Needs a Friend
as Uncle Jonas Tucker
1932
Movie
His Nibs
as Theo. Bender (segment "His Nibs")
1921
Movie
Old Shep
as Farmer
1936
Movie
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
as Self (archive footage)
1987
Movie
Dangerous Crossroads
as Rufe Marvin
1933
Movie
The Ladies' Man
1928
Movie
The Man I Marry
as Sheriff Clem Loudecker
1936
Movie
The Gentleman from Louisiana
as Deacon Devlin
1936
Movie
It's a Great Life
as Grandpa Barclay
1935
Movie
Man Hunt
as Ed Hoggins
1936
Movie
Whisperin' Bill
as Mr. Bowman
1933
Movie
The Perfect Tribute
as Abraham Lincoln
1935
Movie
Lucky Dog
as Arthur Wilson
1933
