Yeah, I too was impressed by how large the sets were. I know Columbia later tended to reuse sets from their features in Stooge shorts, but is there any indication Roach may have reused sets for multiple shorts? I’d find it odd to build a set so large just for a short, but then again shorts were treated differently back then, so who knows?
Overall, some pretty good gags in this one, especially the ones involving the soldiers following Harold’s orders. Harold getting the numbers I feel is a bit contradictory to the love story with Mildred, which usually tends to be so good given their natural chemistry together, but…hey, it’s still early, and I too did like the gag with the mirror so I’m willing to forgive it. If it were a feature, that might be a different story. There also are some really good gags based off of Harold’s happy-go-lucky personality: the hat gag, the way Harold detaches the horse, and the way he accidentally activates the cannon are all really fun moments. And, yes, it is cool seeing Gaylord get a major role for once.
Overall, a pretty fun short, and like metaldams mentioned, the revolution stuff isn’t played too deeply, so it does work for the climax.
