The First 100 Years (1924)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Directors:

F. Richard Jones
Harry Sweet

Release Date:

17 August 1924 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Comedy

Plot:

A man saves his lady love from Black Mike then comes wedded bliss. He hires a cook, who's brusque, domineering...

Plot Keywords:

Number In Title

Cast

Harry Langdon	...	A Newly-Wed
Alice Day	...	His Wife
Frank J. Coleman	...	His Friend (as Frank Coleman)
Louise Carver	...	His First Cook
Madeline Hurlock	...	His Second Cook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Mack Sennett Comedies

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: A plate wobbles after it is thrown into the cupboard by Annie (suggesting a reverse process).

Movie Connections:

Edited into When Comedy Was King (1960)

At long last this comedy—most of it, anyway—can be enjoyed again

Thanks to the efforts of dedicated film restoration experts several of Harry Langdon's early short comedies have been painstakingly recovered, cleaned up, and pieced back together again for home viewing. Until very recently, Langdon's two-reel short THE FIRST 100 YEARS could be seen only in the form of brief, tantalizing excerpts in Robert Youngson's 1960 compilation WHEN COMEDY WAS KING. The new Langdon DVD set features a 13-minute version of this film, which means that some footage is still missing, but on the bright side this represents about two-thirds of the original movie, far more than has been available for many years. Happily, the surviving material gives a full sense of the storyline and includes a lot of good moments for Harry and his supporting players. In its restored version the film stands with the best of Langdon's early work for the Mack Sennett Studio.

The opening sequence is set high on a cliff overlooking crashing sea waves, and what follows is so off-the-wall we assume it will surely turn out to be a daydream or hallucination on somebody's part: Harry plays the stalwart hero of a melodrama, bravely defending the leading lady from "Black Mike," a top-hatted villain. There's a fight and Harry lands a hay-maker on Mike's jaw, causing the villain to sail off the cliff and fall to a distant ledge—though he immediately jumps up and shouts threats at Harry, shaking his fist as he hops up and down! "And then came wedded bliss," the title card informs us, and we realize that this prologue was intended as some kind of shorthand metaphor to explain how Harry won his girl from a rival. (Or perhaps it was just meant to be funny?) The newlyweds have to wash their own dishes until the arrival of their new cook, a formidable-looking gorgon played by Louise Carver, who looks like her previous job may have been as a guard at a women's prison. She quickly takes over the joint and bosses her employers. Harry's problems mount when an "old friend" of his arrives and immediately starts flirting with his wife. Unfortunately this is where the footage gets a little choppy, but there's a great bit where Harry tries to intimidate Louise with a newly-acquired bulldog, who takes one look at her and heads for the hills. Indignant, Louise quits the household, only to be replaced by slinky Madeline Hurlock, a dark-eyed beauty who wastes no time vamping the master of the house. When she kneels before him and massages his feet Harry's wife is taken aback, but Harry looks quite pleased with the new help.

The second half of the film turns into a haunted house comedy, as a storm blows in and the newlyweds find their home filled with mysterious bearded men in black who pop out of unexpected places. (Silent comedy buffs may be reminded of the later Charley Bowers short THERE IT IS, which takes this sort of craziness and multiplies it to the tenth power.) Eventually we learn the true identity of Harry's "old friend," the new cook, and all those bearded guys. Apparently the original finale is missing, but the surviving footage ends with a gag which serves to wrap up the plot on an amusing note, so at least this restoration doesn't cut off in mid-scene. Even in abbreviated form, THE FIRST 100 YEARS is an enjoyable viewing experience and a nice addition to the Harry Langdon canon.

P.S. There is some controversy about whether Harry's wife in this film is played by Alice Day, who is billed in the credits, or her lookalike sister Marceline, best known as Buster Keaton's leading lady in THE CAMERAMAN. According to the commentary track on the DVD Marceline substituted for her sister at the last minute, but Alice was nonetheless erroneously credited in the film and its publicity material. This casting mystery will provide an extra element of interest for buffs who wish to guess which Day sister is actually in the movie: Alice? Marceline? You be the judge!