Soldier Man

This is another hilarious Mack Sennett short film starring Harry Langdon, with story and titles by Frank Capra. The story begins amusingly: Harry is the last American soldier left behind in Europe at the end of World War I. He is still wandering around the former battlefield, dazed, with his helmet and gun, wondering where everybody is. He had been captured by the Germans and then escaped 'because they were all busy celebrating something' (i.e., the end of the War). Meanwhile, King Strudel the 13th of Bomania, is feeling threatened because of the fall of his cousin Wilhelm (the Kaiser). King Strudel is a drunken degenerate who is hated by his entire Court, and not least by his wife. He does have one redeeming feature, however, he is the twin of our hero, as both characters are played by Langdon. A scheming courtier kidnaps the king and conceals him, but a loyal courtier stumbles across Langdon in his uniform and realizes he can act as the double of the king. So Langdon becomes King Strudel in order to sign the Treaty of Peace which the real Strudel had refused to sign. Endless comic situations ensue, and this film is truly hilarious. The film is considerably longer than the usual 20 minutes for a short, but I did not time it, and its duration is not recorded on IMDb. One reviewer says it is over 30 minutes, and that is certainly true. Another Langdon gem!