Topic: Smile Please (1924) - Harry Langdon

[Paul Pain]

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015342/

SMILE PLEASE is Harry's second Sennett short, and this one feels more like a Harry Langdon short than last week's.  We're still not there yet.  Stooge fans will recognize Louise Carver, who appears in the second reel.  The minister who marries Harry to Alberta is none other than Andy Clyde!

This one is a vignette in three parts with a villain in each reel.  The first reel sees non-stop slam-bang Sennett style action dramedy with most of the development driven by the antagonist.  The second reel feels much more like Harry Langdon, but it still isn't there.

The problem in this one is that everything is disjointed with too many things left unexplained or unresolved, and much of the antagonism, especially in the second reel, is purely cringeworthy and unfunny except for the interactions between Harry, Louise Carver, and Billy Armstrong (the father-in-law).  Overall, not a bright spot, but it will get better.

6/10

[metaldams]

I’ll rewatch this tonight and post my review, but one quick note about the father in law, Billy Armstrong.  I’ve been watching a lot of early twenties Sennett stuff lately and he appears in a lot of it.  He died the day before this short was released.  You’d never believe it by looking at him here, but he was only 33 years old.  It was turberculosis.

[Umbrella Sam]

Yeah, I agree. Still not entirely there as far as the Langdon style goes, but we’re getting closer. It pretty much is this sketch comedy that feels really hastily thrown together (being both the photographer and the sheriff seems like an odd combination). Still, there is some stuff that works, like the part where Harry realizes he still has his coat hanger on at his wedding or when he accidentally rescues the villain from the fire only to send him back. The gags with the kid in the second reel was kind of annoying, but I did like the father-in-law’s expressions and also really liked Harry’s reaction to the skunk and how he keeps just looking at the camera while putting it out the window. In the end, still more of a Sennett comedy than a Langdon one, but it has its moments and is certainly more tolerable than PICKING PEACHES.

[metaldams]

      The second Harry Langdon short to feel more like a Sennett short and you know what?  Probably the last.  The next few shorts after this feel 70% - 80% Langdon and then it’s full on Langdon, so this proto Langdon thing doesn’t last too long.  But with SMILE PLEASE it still feels like twenties Sennett and not a new world.  I mean, it’s one of the few worlds where husband Billy Armstrong can punch out wife Louise Carver and knock her to the ground.  That was just brutal but Sennett’s world was anything goes.  Langdon himself again gets a few slow moments, mainly observing the chase at the beginning and taking the bottle over the head later on and giving a slow reaction.

      The fire at the beginning of the short looked absolutely real and impressive and the electricity gags towards the end were a hoot.  Some pretty good chases throughout and the shot of Langdon getting the horse hoof on the head has always stuck in my brain over the years.  Another Sennett tradition is pretty girls and Alberta Vaughn was definitely cute.  As the Langdon shorts went on, pretty girls of course remained, yet felt part of the unique interaction with Langdon instead of being there for exploitative purposes.  For example, a prime Langdon film wouldn’t have Jack Cooper checking out Alberta’s legs through the dress.  They’d be flirting with Langdon while Langdon gives a blank stare.

      So yeah, we get the chases, we get the mayhem, we get the pretty girl, we get a Sennett short.  Your mileage will vary depending on how much you like Sennett but starting next short, Harry really emerges.

[metaldams]

Back to the pretty girls, another thought.  The scene of Langdon trying to get Alberta Vaughn into the developing room for (use your imagination) and coming out with a black eye is also out of character with what Langdon would be doing.  Funny scene, but the kind of thing Langdon would abandon quickly.  Compare to him being seduced by Gertrude Astor in THE STRONG MAN, for example.  Langdon is more innocent and not that aggressive.

[HomokHarcos]

I get the feeling from watching these shorts that Jules White was a big of Mack Sennett's work. It's pretty interesting that the Columbia shorts division was basically preserving his style of comedy. It's most notable with the marriage mixup bit, and yes it does seem completely random why Langdon is a sheriff. Harry Langdon does not quite feel like his childish character, instead playing more of a working man with his mishaps in marriage and work. Yes, the implication is kind of scary for what he was planning on doing to her in that room. I did like the part when he was jumping on the bicycles. They looked like dummies to my eyes, but a comedy is not hurt by something like that.

The end with the child reminds me of an Our Gang short where a photographer fails in his attempts to get a picture of Spanky and his family. Another part that might not be to everybody's tastes was the ending gag where the child was getting spanked (unknowingly) by his parents. The funniest part of the picture for me was when the firemen took their time doing exercises instead of going to the studio.

I like Sennett's work. Like the Columbia shorts the films are best if you spread out the viewings instead of binging.

I've found out just today that there was a series starring Alberta Vaughn called The Telephone Girl, I found one of them on YouTube. They are two-reel comedies.

[metaldams]

I get the feeling from watching these shorts that Jules White was a big of Mack Sennett's work. It's pretty interesting that the Columbia shorts division was basically preserving his style of comedy. It's most notable with the marriage mixup bit, and yes it does seem completely random why Langdon is a sheriff. Harry Langdon does not quite feel like his childish character, instead playing more of a working man with his mishaps in marriage and work. Yes, the implication is kind of scary for what he was planning on doing to her in that room. I did like the part when he was jumping on the bicycles. They looked like dummies to my eyes, but a comedy is not hurt by something like that.

The end with the child reminds me of an Our Gang short where a photographer fails in his attempts to get a picture of Spanky and his family. Another part that might not be to everybody's tastes was the ending gag where the child was getting spanked (unknowingly) by his parents. The funniest part of the picture for me was when the firemen took their time doing exercises instead of going to the studio.

I like Sennett's work. Like the Columbia shorts the films are best if you spread out the viewings instead of binging.

I've found out just today that there was a series starring Alberta Vaughn called The Telephone Girl, I found one of them on YouTube. They are two-reel comedies.

Jules White was directing short films as far back as the early twenties.  His brother Jack (AKA Preston Black) worked for Educational Pictures and brought Jules along.  If anything, Jules was competing with Sennett back then but yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if he admired Sennett’s work as well and was surely influenced.

I got into silent comedy because of all The Three Stooges links.  There’s a ton of them.

[HomokHarcos]

Jules White was directing short films as far back as the early twenties.  His brother Jack (AKA Preston Black) worked for Educational Pictures and brought Jules along.  If anything, Jules was competing with Sennett back then but yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if he admired Sennett’s work as well and was surely influenced.

I got into silent comedy because of all The Three Stooges links.  There’s a ton of them.

Getting into silent comedy has given a treasure load of content to discover. You weren't kidding that there's enough to last a lifetime. There's just so many more I haven't seen any of yet but would like to: Larry Semon, Raymond Griffith and for Education specifically, Lloyd Hamilton and Lupino Lane.

[metaldams]

I've found out just today that there was a series starring Alberta Vaughn called The Telephone Girl, I found one of them on YouTube. They are two-reel comedies.

I’ve been buying the “Accidentally Preserved” DVD series and vol. 2 just arrived in the mail today.  By pure coincidence, one of the shorts is SHERLOCK’S HOME from the exact series you mentioned.  They showed that one on Silent Comedy Watch Party too, but I’ll be watching more Alberta this eeekend.