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.