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The Sea Squawk (1925) - Harry Langdon

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Paul Pain:




IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016325/

THE SEA SQUAWK was the first short released in 1925.  This short, according to some sources, was held back due to copyright issues due to the title being a parody of a novel.

Harry Langdon is fully Harry Langdon in this short, and we get to see some of his childlike behaviors and reactions.  No one can handle an upset stomach like Harry Langdon; nor can anyone panic at the sight of a firearm like he.

Christian Frank is great as a villain, but he and Harry just don't gel so well.  He's a good actor, but he's not the right man for this film.  Christian and Charlotte Mineau, who plays the gun moll in this, were real life husband and wife! 

The main plot device in reel two is the old and unfunny trope: men in drag.  It isn't too funny here, and the major plot mover in this reel is another old and unfunny trope: monkeys.  Men in drag and monkeys usually aren't funny, and they aren't funny here either.  The best part of reel two is watching Harry react to everything.  His facial expressions alone are worth the price of admission.

HomokHarcos:
There was a similar Harry Langdon comedy on a boat that we watched recently, with an inversion there being that instead of Harry in drag, it was his girlfriend with a moustache on. I don't find drag to be the funniest topic either, aside from when Bugs Bunny is doing it. Seeing Harry in drag definitely reminded me of Stan Laurel, probably more so than other time watching him so far.

I enjoyed Shanghaied Lovers a lot more than this short, I think that was the better use for a water setting, and I liked the story of how they ended up there better. You're right that if did feel like Langdon, I could forget while watching this that it was a Sennett production.

Umbrella Sam:
Yeah, the drag stuff isn’t great, but the stuff before that is still pretty good, especially seeing Harry get out his tiny gun compared to Christian Frank’s. agreed, the best stuff here is Harry’s bizarre reactions to everything. Not really much to say about this one; it’s funny in parts, but the fact that a lot of it does rely on drag comedy doesn’t make it that memorable.

metaldams:
      Sad to say, the only silent Harry Langdon short I’m not fully on board with.  I agree with Sam, I enjoy the whole gun gag and I like the part where Harry sneaks into bed and gets scared by the balloon.  Stuffing the diamond down Harry’s throat brought forth some funny reactions too.  After that?  Meh.

      Yeah, the whole drag thing is a drag.  The whole point of Harry Langdon is seeing how he reacts, or doesn’t react, to the world.  When you put a comic in drag, the humor derives from how people are reacting to him.  Once Harry was in drag, this felt like material that could have been done by many other comedians.  I suppose Harry’s unmistakable face and strange dancing adds a little Harry flavor, but not enough.  Add to the fact I’m just not a drag comedy fan and that right there disqualifies me from being the best person to comment on this short.  I guess I can’t like them all, but I like most of them, and that’s pretty good, gosh darn it.

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