Fiddlesticks (1927/I)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Harry Edwards

Writers:

Frank Capra (writer)
Arthur Ripley (writer)

Release Date:

27 November 1927 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

Harry will do anything to be a musician, but it takes a junk collector to discover his hidden talents.

Plot Keywords:

Junk | Musician

Cast

Harry Langdon	...	Harry Hogan
Vernon Dent	...	Prof. Von Tempo / Junk dealer

Runtime:

20 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Mack Sennett Comedies

Harry Langdon in his prime: amusing, sweet, and kind of odd

It was poignant but not surprising a few years back when Kino Video offered several Harry Langdon comedies for sale under the series title "The Forgotten Clown." Even during his brief heyday Langdon was never a huge celebrity or a box office champ; he was always more of a critics' darling than a true crowd pleaser. Viewed today, his comedies are usually slow in tempo, whimsical in tone, highly idiosyncratic, sometimes downright bizarre, and very much an acquired taste. If you're looking for belly-laughs you should look elsewhere, for although Langdon's films can be quite funny at times they're not gag-driven. The best of Langdon's films are amusing little mood pieces built around a curiously passive, child-man protagonist the viewer may find appealing, lovable, or perhaps icky. I can see why some people can't stand him, as there's something undeniably eerie about a man in his 40s who looks and behaves like a kid --and a weird, pasty-faced kid at that-- but when the act works, it works.

For those curious about Harry Langdon, FIDDLESTICKS is a pretty good introduction. This was the last two-reeler he made for Mack Sennett before departing for First National to make features. Langdon was never a Sennett-style comic to begin with, but, after a shaky start at the studio, once the right collaborators had been found they concocted some highly enjoyable comedies, and FIDDLESTICKS is among the best. Langdon was working with his dream team, including director Harry Edwards and writer Frank Capra; Edwards reached his own career peak working with Langdon, while of course Capra was just getting started. Harry's co-star, as usual, is Vernon Dent, who has a real showcase here in two sharply contrasting roles, first as a balding music teacher and later as a crafty junk dealer. Dent's characterizations (and makeup jobs) are so distinctly different you might not realize at first that the same actor plays both parts.

Still, the star of the show is Harry, quite sympathetic here in his efforts to become a professional musician. Because the film is silent we can only imagine what a poor job he's doing, but that's the central storyline and the main joke: it's the reaction of the other characters to Harry's (obviously awful) attempts at music-making that drives the plot. The real heart of the film is Harry's characterization, and he's at the top of his game here. Towards the end there's a sight gag involving pocket watches that is probably the funniest thing in the whole movie, but it seems strangely out of place, since it's the sort of gag that could have been used by Andy Clyde or Billy Bevan or any of Sennett's other second-tier comics. Harry Langdon, at his best, didn't really need gags, at least not conventional ones. He's funnier, or more engaging anyway, during a sequence at a pawnshop when he is forced to buy back his own bass fiddle from a pawnbroker who mistakenly believes it's his merchandise. The solution to the problem is pure Langdon: more clever than funny perhaps, but unique to this comedian's special style.

FIDDLESTICKS can serve as a sort of Langdon litmus test for viewers. If it seems pointless and boring, proceed no further; but if you enjoy it, you may be a Harry Langdon fan and there's more good stuff where this one came from.