This is a Harry Langdon from his later talking picture period--well after his heyday. During this later period, he mostly worked for third-rate studios and many of his films were remakes or reworkings of his earlier films. In many ways, this film is a reworking of HIS MARRIAGE WOW (such as the ring stuck in the tire bit) and a couple other films of Langdon's that I have seen. As a result, it comes off as very predictable and familiar--certainly not a "must-see" as the earlier silent versions were better--better paced and funnier. My advice is try to find the originals on the recent release "Harry Langdon: Lost and Found"--a four DVD set of his mostly earlier shorts.
3 Reviews
"Oh, why certainly I do..."
hte-trasme10 September 2009
I saw what appeared to be a reissue print of this Harry Langdon short from Screencraft Pictures (it was originally issued by Educational Pictures) that only ran for thirteen minutes, so there's a strong chance I've missed something. I've been growing to appreciate Harry Langdon recently, and while it's clear that this two-reeler is not the highlight of his career, it does go over well.
The situation is that Harry is about to be married, and the film is really carried by two excellent sequences. In the first Harry's wedding ring gets caught in a passing car's tire and Harry innocently flattens the tire retrieving it. I haven't seen "His Marriage Vow," the earlier silent Langdon short that apparently originated this sequence yet, but I do think it was well played here.
The second is a surprisingly suggestive scene in which Harry and his new wife try to get up and make their way towards the sleeping car, while Harry's mother-in-law continually disapproves of any suggestion that they would share a bed. Even if the pacing of Langdon's films was changed by the introduction of sound, scenes like this prove the ex-Vaudevillian was certainly capable of playing comedy dialog well. A little later he gets (what from me anyway was) a big laugh just from his delivery of an innocent, understated, "I'll bet you think there's something wrong." Also, his long, hesitating answer in place of "I do" is somehow great.
There's a brief final scene set some time after which weirdly plays on the unexpected virility of Harry's character. Incidentally, based on this scene, I THINK, in response to a previous IMDb commentator, that Vernon Dent's character is not supposed to be a random driver who stalks Harry on his honeymoon after his tire got ruined, but rather Harry's new father in law, whose tire randomly happened to be the one Harry ruined.
A fun and enjoyable short even if it's not Langdon's most memorable.
The situation is that Harry is about to be married, and the film is really carried by two excellent sequences. In the first Harry's wedding ring gets caught in a passing car's tire and Harry innocently flattens the tire retrieving it. I haven't seen "His Marriage Vow," the earlier silent Langdon short that apparently originated this sequence yet, but I do think it was well played here.
The second is a surprisingly suggestive scene in which Harry and his new wife try to get up and make their way towards the sleeping car, while Harry's mother-in-law continually disapproves of any suggestion that they would share a bed. Even if the pacing of Langdon's films was changed by the introduction of sound, scenes like this prove the ex-Vaudevillian was certainly capable of playing comedy dialog well. A little later he gets (what from me anyway was) a big laugh just from his delivery of an innocent, understated, "I'll bet you think there's something wrong." Also, his long, hesitating answer in place of "I do" is somehow great.
There's a brief final scene set some time after which weirdly plays on the unexpected virility of Harry's character. Incidentally, based on this scene, I THINK, in response to a previous IMDb commentator, that Vernon Dent's character is not supposed to be a random driver who stalks Harry on his honeymoon after his tire got ruined, but rather Harry's new father in law, whose tire randomly happened to be the one Harry ruined.
A fun and enjoyable short even if it's not Langdon's most memorable.
A medley of Harry's Greatest Hits
wmorrow5925 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
There's something almost heroic about a silent comedy veteran who refuses to surrender in the face of changing times. Harry Langdon was a great comedian who did his best work in the mid-'20s, and here he is, valiantly attempting to summon up the old magic in the strange and hostile environment of the 1930's. And with the addition of sound, needless to add. Sound wasn't necessarily fatal to Langdon's brand of comedy: he had a high, piping voice that suited his appearance, and added to his air of eccentricity. Harry's first talkies made for Hal Roach varied in quality, but with time and experience he adapted to the demands of the new technology. During his subsequent stint at Educational Pictures he occasionally managed to come up with some fresh material, or at least to take what he was given and make it his own. But in Tied For Life, released through Educational, Harry simply falls back on reworking routines from his heyday. It's like watching an aging singer perform a medley of his Golden Oldies on a late night TV commercial for K-Tel. It's a testament to Langdon's talent that the second-hand material he's working with in this film works as well as it does.
We first meet Harry on the morning of his wedding day. He looks like he's been partying, but we know he's a sweet guy because he sleeps with a photo of his bride. Friends serenade Harry outside, but when he goes to the window to join in they douse him with water. As he prepares for his wedding, he looks in the mirror and it shatters. (This is a Ben Turpin gag that doesn't really suit Harry; he may have been a bit odd looking, but he certainly wasn't homely enough to shatter a mirror.) When the groom attempts to run to the church the ring slips out of his hand and is run over by a passing car. As anyone who has seen Harry's 1924 comedy His Marriage Wow can guess, the ring sticks to the tire, and Harry must climb on to the car to retrieve it.
The rest of Reel One follows its silent model fairly closely, but introduces a variant on the familiar plot: in His Marriage Wow the driver of the car is a bit player who disappears once Harry retrieves his ring, but in this film he's played by Langdon's frequent cohort Vernon Dent. This motorist is so angry about the damage Harry inflicts on his car that he follows him to the church, witnesses the wedding, then stalks Harry and his bride on their honeymoon trip, apparently determined to wreak vengeance! He seems to have plenty of time on his hands.
Reel Two, the honeymoon trip on the train, is a loose reworking of a sequence from The Luck o' the Foolish, another silent Langdon short from his heyday at the Mack Sennett Studio. This time, Harry and his bride are accompanied by her harridan of a mother, while angry motorist Dent spies on the couple, disguised as a porter in black-face. (The black-face routine is typical of comedies of the period, but doesn't exactly boost this film's entertainment value for modern viewers.) It all builds to slapstick mayhem involving mistaken identities in the sleeper car, which is modestly amusing at best. For the finale there's a strange coda set in a public park, presumably a year or two later. Harry and his spouse encounter Vernon and his wife and infant, and now they're all as friendly as can be. When Vernon proudly shows off his baby, Harry and his wife respond by showing off their quadruplets!
This short is pleasant enough for undemanding comedy buffs, but it's a far cry from Langdon's best work, even in talkies. Harry made better shorts than this for Educational, including one called Knight Duty that's quite good. Tied For Life is something of a Greatest Hits package which lacks the freshness of the star's more inspired efforts.
We first meet Harry on the morning of his wedding day. He looks like he's been partying, but we know he's a sweet guy because he sleeps with a photo of his bride. Friends serenade Harry outside, but when he goes to the window to join in they douse him with water. As he prepares for his wedding, he looks in the mirror and it shatters. (This is a Ben Turpin gag that doesn't really suit Harry; he may have been a bit odd looking, but he certainly wasn't homely enough to shatter a mirror.) When the groom attempts to run to the church the ring slips out of his hand and is run over by a passing car. As anyone who has seen Harry's 1924 comedy His Marriage Wow can guess, the ring sticks to the tire, and Harry must climb on to the car to retrieve it.
The rest of Reel One follows its silent model fairly closely, but introduces a variant on the familiar plot: in His Marriage Wow the driver of the car is a bit player who disappears once Harry retrieves his ring, but in this film he's played by Langdon's frequent cohort Vernon Dent. This motorist is so angry about the damage Harry inflicts on his car that he follows him to the church, witnesses the wedding, then stalks Harry and his bride on their honeymoon trip, apparently determined to wreak vengeance! He seems to have plenty of time on his hands.
Reel Two, the honeymoon trip on the train, is a loose reworking of a sequence from The Luck o' the Foolish, another silent Langdon short from his heyday at the Mack Sennett Studio. This time, Harry and his bride are accompanied by her harridan of a mother, while angry motorist Dent spies on the couple, disguised as a porter in black-face. (The black-face routine is typical of comedies of the period, but doesn't exactly boost this film's entertainment value for modern viewers.) It all builds to slapstick mayhem involving mistaken identities in the sleeper car, which is modestly amusing at best. For the finale there's a strange coda set in a public park, presumably a year or two later. Harry and his spouse encounter Vernon and his wife and infant, and now they're all as friendly as can be. When Vernon proudly shows off his baby, Harry and his wife respond by showing off their quadruplets!
This short is pleasant enough for undemanding comedy buffs, but it's a far cry from Langdon's best work, even in talkies. Harry made better shorts than this for Educational, including one called Knight Duty that's quite good. Tied For Life is something of a Greatest Hits package which lacks the freshness of the star's more inspired efforts.
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