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.

Filmography

• 1966The Specialist — Writer
• 1937You Only Live Once — Ethan
• 1936Important News — Elmer 'Scoop' Stevens
• 1936Man Hunt — Ed Hoggins
• 1936Old Shep — Farmer
• 1936The Gentleman from Louisiana — Deacon Devlin
• 1936The Man I Marry — Sheriff Clem Loudecker
• 1935It's a Great Life — Grandpa Barclay
• 1935The Fighting Westerner — Tex Murdock
• 1935The Great American Pie Company — Ephraim Deacon
• 1935The Perfect Tribute — Abraham Lincoln
• 1934Hollywood on Parade No. B-9 — Hick
• 1934Treasure Island — Ben Gunn
• 1933Dangerous Crossroads — Rufe Marvin
• 1933Lucky Dog — Arthur Wilson
• 1933The Chief — Uncle Joe
• 1933Whisperin' Bill — Mr. Bowman
• 1932A Slip at the Switch — Lem
• 1932Men Of America — Smokey Miller
• 1932Stranger in Town — Ulysses Crickle
• 1932The Expert — John T. Minick
• 1932When a Feller Needs a Friend — Uncle Jonas Tucker
• 1931The Star Witness — Pvt. Summerill
• 1930Lem Putt, the Specialist
• 1928The Ladies' Man
• 1924The New School Teacher — Professor Timmons
• 1921His Nibs — Theo. Bender (segment "His Nibs")
• Marching On

Appearances as themselves (3)

• 1987James Stewart: A Wonderful Life — Self (archive footage)
• MGM Parade — Self
• 1928Charles (Chic) Sale in They're Coming to Get Me — Self