I really enjoyed this one. It’s true that it is a bit disjointed, but at least they kind of tie it together in the end, and the short is pretty much just about Harry being Harry, which is all I can ask for. Harry eating the sandwich is played much slower than most comedians, but because it’s Harry, he makes it work, and it’s funny seeing him walking and crawling around as though he’s drunk. I too like seeing him try to act like a cop and fit in with the older cop; very funny seeing him try to walk in the same way and having difficulty catching up. Pretty much the entire second half feels like what we’d normally expect from Harry Langdon and while I can’t say Harry Edwards is entirely to thank for that (especially given his later history at Columbia), it is worth noting that the pacing does feel more along the lines of a Harry short here than a Sennett one.
The first half is good, not quite as good as the second. The shaving scene is indeed the highlight. Interestingly, the part with Harry being tied to the criminal may be the most famous scene from this, as it was featured in Robert Youngson’s THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMEDY. It’s a good compilation, but I think Youngson misfired with this choice, as there are so many better comedy scenes here. The stuff in the berths is fine; certainly better than most of these berth comedies, but I think it truly does pick up when they get to the shaving scene. Overall, though, what’s good is really good and I enjoyed it too.
