Film & Shorts Discussions > Random Comedy Reviews

Tired Feet (1933) - Harry Langdon

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Paul Pain:


Do not worry.  I compared, and this is the entire film even though it skips the opening credits.

TIRED FEET has a simple premise: Harry's a mailman who wants a day to sit on the beach and relax, and his landlady is a battle axe who demands they go hiking in the mountains for the day.  Right there, the short falls apart as the land lady brings the entire house and makes Harry set up camp and this and that... as if they're camping for the weekend.  Right here, it all disintegrates, and nothing is coherent the rest of the short.

The title recurs with these bits of Harry being forced to make unreasonably long and/or difficult treks, complete with cuts showing his throbbing feet.  Every scene revolves around this, and while they fail to tell a functional story each vignette has its funny moments.

At this point, it's a crime we never got to see a top-notch comedy legend film for Harry and Vernon Dent.  These two are a fantastic pair and always spark perfectly when on camera together.  The other actors... take them or leave them, but they added nothing to help this.  Sit back and just enjoy Harry and Vernon doing what they do so well, and you will not be disappointed at all.

The moment where Harry is at his best and most in-character is unfortunately the first scene.  Harry is so out of sync with life that he does his mail delivery routine while sleepwalking.  Only Harry could pull that off so well.

Oh, by the way, Stooge fans will recognize more than a couple of these gags.

Umbrella Sam:
The opening with Harry waking up and acting as though he’s actually delivering the mail in his sleep is pretty good; one of those scenes that shows Harry out of touch with reality and doing the type of thing you don’t usually see. Unfortunately, as time goes by, it becomes clear that this is one of those dreaded “in-law comedies” I despise so much. Yes, technically no one here is Harry’s in-law, but it’s the same basic principle of Harry being forced to spend time with people who constantly make him miserable and pretty much stay that way through the end. It’s one of those scenarios where I just feel sorry for Harry most of the time and the brief revenge on Vernon near the end isn’t enough to make up for the misery he’s had to ensue, and will supposedly continue to ensue when they return home. Very few gags after the opening work for me; I do like the brief bit with Harry punching the bee hive and the water fountain part kind of works, mainly due to Harry’s reactions. The whole drag thing at the end is pretty predictable and boring, while most of the other gags tend to revolve around the landlady getting angry at Harry and making him even more miserable. Not my kind of short, but there is still an occasional Harry moment to recommend and it is fun to see Vernon pulling off the “hot dog” gag 16 years before MALICE IN THE PALACE.

metaldams:
Another one I have not seen before until now.  I kind of agree with what most of what you two are saying, but even so - I enjoyed this.  Yeah, there isn’t much of a plot, but if you “sit back and just enjoy Harry and Vernon doing what they do so well,” agreed, I’m not disappointed.

I liked the wooded setting very much.  It reminded me a bit of the short Keaton did with Mack Sennett at Educational in that sense - oh, what’s it called?  (Opens up a new window and researches). THE TIMID YOUNG MAN!  Yeah, that’s the one!  I like seeing a neuro-divergent forty something in Langdon have a relationship with what appears to be an early twenty something swim wear model - at least she should be.  Warms my decrepit heart.  [pie]  I love the dive Vernon took when he chased that chicken.  Made me laugh pretty hard and one of the better physical feats I have ever seen from Vernon!  The adjusting of the maracas as boobs from Vernon and Harry was funny.  The abbreviated Laurel and Hardy hat routine at the beginning could have been more, but at least it gave Harry an excuse to make some funny noises.  The relative silent nature of Harry early in the short works well.  The prolonged camera shot of Harry telling everyone to come down to him instead of him coming up to them is bizarrely awkward.

Yes, enough held my attention here.  I dig it.

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