Film & Shorts Discussions > Random Comedy Reviews

His Marriage Wow (1925) - Harry Langdon

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Paul Pain:


IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015916/

HIS MARRIAGE WOW can be summarized thusly: a classic, shining example of Harry Langdon at his best and a perfect case study in the relationship he had with the incredible Vernon Dent.

You should recognize the church, the one Harry sits in by himself at the beginning, in this short.  Yes, it's the church Buster Keaton used a year later in SEVEN CHANCES!  A case of damfino to the one who got this right!

This short is in four vignettes that each move things forward: Harry getting the Church, Harry getting married, Harry at home, and Harry in distress.  Except for the first one, all of these are driven by Vernon Dent's incredible Professor McGlumm character.  This plot is best presented in the silent film format as it relies almost exclusively on reading the non-verbal conversation between Harry and Vernon.

The ambiance in this one is fantastic at well.  It starts with the incredible short of Harry in the large church; the morbidity in the minister's office at the other church; the darkness in the dinner scene; and the sunshine while Vernon laughs his fool head off.

Rear projection shots usually have glaring flaws in them, but there are two things I must observe about this short.  First, when Vernon Dent throws the steering wheel out of the car, you can see a steering wheel bouncing in the road.  Is it possible they actually filmed parts of this scene along the road using a camera mounted to a second car (likely connected to the one with Harry and Vernon)?  Second, during the rear projection shots, Vernon's turnings of the steering wheel actually correspond correctly to the way the car moves.

I disagree with the naysayers: this film really shows off Harry's ability to react to nearly any situation.

metaldams:
Here’s a cool picture filming the car scene.

Freddie Sanborn:
I don’t think rear-projection was common or perfected in 1925. The usual way of filming dangerous car stunts is to drive slowly, have the actors move slowly and undercrank the camera to speed the action up.

metaldams:
      This is another excellent short I have seen a million times.  One of the three included on the SLAPSTICK ENCYCLOPEDIA set which was released before the Langdon DVD set, so one of the few I had access to for a while.  Upon my most recent viewing, this is the first time I ever made the analogy that Vernon Dent’s Barney Google and Harry Hope have sort of a Caligari/Cesare relationship.  Barney’s simple negative predictions can easily sway the sleepwalking Harry about whether to get married or not.  Also check out the way Harry just follows Barney when running towards that building to throw a brick.  Vernon’s character even looks a little like Caligari.  If you folks have not seen THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI, check it out, it’s easily available online.  But yeah, as for Vernon here, it’s one of my favorite roles of his ever.  The make up job and vacant stares are all great and it all comes to a head as he goes crazy towards the end.

      Harry is fantastic here as well.  Again a case of doing much with little.  Just look at the way he is running around the street lost for direction when trying to find the right church.  What could be such a boring act for most is hysterical for Langdon, he’s so fascinating to watch.  I really love it when he’s with the cop and runs off in one direction.  In the same angle with the cop, he runs back towards him from a completely different direction!  Another funny bit is Harry drinking the bad cup of coffee.  Again, he’s not really doing much in the technical sense, yet he is so fascinating to watch as that close up just stays on him.  Another wonderful example of his minimalist comedy.

      Another case where the whole short is great.  I’ll just throw out there that I’ve always loved the ring on the tire gag and Harry wrapped around the pole at the end after the crash.  The camera stays on Harry for the longest time and fades after he finally lets out a blink.  Another classic.

      Paul, I’m assuming BOOBS IN THE WOOD is next, right?  I got that short before this one on my DVD set.  I’m fine with whatever order you do them in (it can get confusing with filming and release order), but just want to make sure we’re not skipping that one.

Umbrella Sam:
Agreed, definitely a classic. Much like the other classic Harry shorts, this one goes to show how unique Harry was compared to the other silent comics. Most comics would go with the idea of everything in the wedding going wrong, but Harry puts on the unique twist of not enough going wrong, since Vernon almost talks him out of the wedding and as a result, he tries to make it seem as though he’s lost the ring. Vernon Dent is absolutely hilarious here; I too love that sort of Caligari look he has going on and it’s funny seeing Harry react to all the crazy things he does. It’s not over-the-top and not really even scared until the very end; he’s just flat out confused, and that’s very funny to me because it’s so unexpected. Harry does indeed make a lot out of his attempts to find the church; his interactions with the cop are very well timed. The ring on the tire gag is also really good; it’s funny seeing him attempt to put the tire back together but eventually giving up and informing the driver, kind of like his interaction with the cop who’s foot he accidentally hit in FEET OF MUD. The overall tone of thinking his wife is going to kill him also works for Harry. I still haven’t seen LONG PANTS yet, but I definitely am interested, because it seems to me like Harry really could pull off dark ideas in a way many other comics couldn’t. COLD TURKEY is another example of this; his character always being confused helps because it makes him transcend reality in a way. A great short done in the way that only Harry Langdon could pull off. This is definitely worth checking out.

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