Topic: Soldier Man (1926) - Harry Langdon

[Paul Pain]

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017414/

SOLDIER MAN is unlike anything I've seen or you've seen.  This is a mash-up of THE PRISONER OF ZENDA and Harold Lloyd's HIS ROYAL SLYNESS.  The premise is simple: Harry's an idiot who doesn't realize the Great War is over and is a perfect double for a hated monarch in a Slavic Kingdom.

What makes this short so, so good is that the entire thing is perfectly tailored to Harry's talents.  Not only is it well-tailored, but it's a three reeler which allows Harry more time to do the things he does so wonderfully.  Every scene works around this.

In 30 minutes, Harry's a bumbling soldier, an abusive drunken monarch, a foolish king, and a bumbling lover.  It's hard to go into details on Harry Langdon because it's all dependent on him.  He takes these simple things: a foreign farmer, a cow, a man bowing to the king, a plate of cookies... and turns them into something fantastic.  He doesn't need a fancy set to give fantastic results, although here the plot necessitates a fancy set.

Check this one out if you're looking to test the Langdon waters; you won't regret it.

[Umbrella Sam]

Great short that puts Harry in a situation perfectly suited for him. The idea of a soldier thinking the war is still going on is in itself a great idea, as we all already know from the later, Langdon-involved BLOCK-HEADS. Unlike that film, though, they do spend more time on it and make the most out of a hilarious sequence with Harry chasing who he thinks is a solider while unknowingly having dynamite attached to his legs. Making this even funnier is when he thinks a cow has eaten the dynamite and thinks he’s seen it blown to pieces when it really has run away at the perfect time. Great stuff that takes advantage of the dark style of humor that Langdon often was able to get away with.

The kingdom setting is something that others did before Langdon, notably Harold Lloyd in HIS ROYAL SLYNESS, but, again, this is a perfect setup for Langdon. Langdon has to learn how to be a king, which Lloyd had to do as well, but in his case he had some measure of awareness and just wanted to do what he pleased. Harry is just flat out confused, and confused is what we want with Langdon. I love the little fight he gets into with the suit of armor over food, the way he reacts when people are bowing down to him, and his reaction when he thinks that the one guard has lost his head. Absolutely fantastic stuff that very well could make this Langdon’s best, except...

The ending. This probably doesn’t bother many people, but for me, it does. I don’t like the fact that they made it a dream. I understand people going the dream route in implausible situations, but...come on, it’s Harry Langdon! This is the kind of guy who can make the most unbelievable stuff work off of his personality and movements. They didn’t need to make it a dream. I just don’t like the idea that such a creative idea ends up being all for nothing in the end, since in the film’s universe, it didn’t actually happen. Again, I can understand this not bothering other people and it doesn’t ruin the film for me; it’s still a fantastic film, I just would have preferred that not be a part of it. But, still, it is classic Langdon, one that many people cite as an essential film in his catalogue, and I agree. As with the majority of the Langdon films we’ve watched through this silent run, you’re in for a very fun time with this one.

[metaldams]

      SOLDIER MAN, what a great short!  Yes, of course everybody rightfully talks about how Langdon being the last to know the war is over is similar to Stan Laurel in the Langdon co-written BLOCK-HEADS.  Very true.  However, I see two other gags we should all be familiar with.  Langdon mistaking the cow eating dynamite.  The cow gets away without Langdon knowing and then an explosion happens with meat falling from the air onto the ground.  Langdon thinks the cow is blown up when it is actually safe.  Where have we seen that set up before?  If you thought The Three Stooges in YES, WE HAVE NO BONANZA, have yourself a cigar.  Then there’s that whole procession gag where everybody is lined up perfectly, bowing to meet the leader.  Langdon sneaks in from behind the procession just like Groucho would years later in DUCK SOUP.  The difference is Groucho revels in the chaos and doesn’t care.  Langdon genuinely has no idea what is going on, thinking the man bowing to him is sick.

      This entire short Langdon has no idea what is going on.  This film may be the apex of that idea with Langdon’s character.  We have cited several examples in the past where Langdon seems out of step with those on screen.  He moves in the opposite direction so much, especially when he’s in a crowd like boarding a bus or in a race.  The bit where Langdon is the last guy to know the war is over is the best example of this idea.  Langdon is not only out of step with merely those he shares the screen with - but the entire world!  Everybody but Langdon knows the war is over.  Then the way he moves around dodging projectiles and chasing the poor guy with dynamite, only Langdon moves like this.  Only Langdon has timing like this.  It’s fantastic.

      We get some classic gags with Langdon and inanimate objects, always a good thing.  In this case it’s the knight and the headless mannequin, all very funny.  Before the knight, check out Harry eating the fruit and Vernon reprimanding Harry like a father to a little child.  Those vacant gazes from Harry are hysterical. 

      Speaking of food, it plays a big bit in his kissing scene with Natalie.  Harry has this unbelievably beautiful queen in his arm demanding kisses.  Yes, he kisses her casually, but seems more focused on eating food the whole time.  Only Langdon would react like that.  Of course it’s crazy that a guy like Langdon would have kisses that would cause Natalie to faint with passion, changing her mind completely about her murder plot.  The last guy in the world you’d expect that out of.  As she’s fainting, what’s Harry doing?  Still chewing on food, of course.  When she wants Harry to kiss her again, he nods “no” and eats more food!  So hysterically oblivious! 

      But hey, this whole thing’s a dream.  Doesn’t bother me because we get a nice punchline out of it.  It turns out Harry is really married to Natalie.  So he sees if this kissing thing works in real life - turns out Harry is no Casanova after all.  Another classic.

[metaldams]

Random thought and I don’t know where to post this.  I work in an office on a second floor.  I sit by a window.  There are window washers outside on a lift spraying water.  I know I watch a lot of silent comedy because all I can think about is gag construction linked to this situation.

[HomokHarcos]

Probably my favorite of the Sennett shorts so far, the situations Harry faces work perfectly for him. Harry thinking the war is over is terrific, and I believe it was also Langdon himself who came up with the idea for Block-Heads. Although he's not there as long as Stan Laurel is, Harry does seem to have more reason to believe the war is ongoing, facing the dynamite and another man.

I like the monarchy story, here Langdon doesn't accidently get put into the kind's chair, instead he is used deliberately to deceive others into thinking the king is carrying out orders. Langdon is understandably very confused, there's no way he can process this all. Here they mention cousin Wilhelm, which I think is an reference to the Kaiser, so I think I know what this was inspired by. I like the gag where he orders an execution, and they cut a mannequin's head off. Langdon feels bad about it, and scared that the corpse is chasing after him!

The ending does seem like a copout, especially sine the reveal comes out of nowhere and was not established previously.