Film & Shorts Discussions > Random Comedy Reviews

His Bridal Sweet (1935) - Harry Langdon

(1/1)

Paul Pain:


https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026474/

I apologize again for the terrible quality.  Here, it severely hampers reel 1. 

This short is very strange... it's a bizarre mix of MEN IN BLACK, THE ELECTRIC HOUSE, and God knows what else.  It's unique for Columbia though.

This plot is just weird.  There are so many strange things here... the electronic gadgets, the dead drunk psycho wonderfully played by Billy Gilbert, the guy having seizures from smallpox.  It's all so strange, and it severely hampers the short.  The acting makes this as decent as it is.

The actors are excellent.  Bud Jamison is nicely irascible as the realtor showing the house, Harry and Geneva Mitchell are a fine couple, and Billy is a fantastic psycho.  Harry handles it well, especially the gags involving the A/C system.  There are number of cutesy gags here and there as well.  The climax though is the "fight" with Billy Gilbert at the end.  Everything fortunately ends happily, but hastily.

8/10 [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke]

Umbrella Sam:
Pretty fun short. I wasn’t initially sure about the pairing of Langdon and Billy Gilbert, but it surprisingly is very funny, with Gilbert going totally over-the-top and Langdon having to have confused and scared reactions, both of which he does well. I especially like when Langdon is so full of fear, he quacks at every possible moment, since Gilbert told him to do that as a way of recognizing him.

Those best moments with Gilbert are in the second half of the short. The first half has funny moments too. I especially like the gag with the air conditioner. I do agree, though, that it is somewhat of a strange setup; the whole idea of them looking at the house in the first place seems a little forced, especially since there doesn’t really seem to be a reason the wife should want the house in the first place. Most of the supporting cast is fine, but this is mostly Langdon and Gilbert’s spotlight, and both take advantage of it. I enjoyed it, even though I do agree certain parts of it are a bit too strange.

8 out of 10

metaldams:
Excellent short!  The whole idea of Langdon, of all people, being sexually aggressive and eager on his wedding night is funny in and of itself.  Watching the frustration add to a boiling point because of a quarantine circumstance and being paired with Billy Gilbert is priceless.  Anticipating Geneva Mitchell, ending up with Billy Gilbert - the sad lot of a Columbia comedian.

But yes, besides the frustration angle, like Paul mentions, we do get an ELECTRIC HOUSE style place which lends to some funny sight gags and some wonderfully confused Langdon reactions.  In addition to Langdon, this is a classic Billy Gilbert performance, who gets to act ape dookie to the extreme.  Think MEN IN BLACK insane, but his performance carries more of the short.  Love it when Gilbert mistakes poor Harry for a whiskey bottle.  Reminds me of Chaplin being mistaken for a chicken in THE GOLD RUSH.

Yeah, this is a good one.  The bizarreness works well here.

HomokHarcos:
There's an air conditioner, how futuristic! This has more of the lowbrow Columbia shorts-style comedy I love: the buttons bringing things out that smack Langdon, the vent that shoots beer and cake into their faces, the bed moving smashing his head against the wall. The part where he is in bed with Billy Gilbert is the highlight.

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