Post by teleadm on Jun 15, 2019 8:51:55 GMT
Once considered during the 1920s silent comedies haydays to be an equal of Charles Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, who at the height of his career, was making $7,500 per week, a fortune for the times. Yet he is not that well remembered nowdays, but at least his birthtown, Council Bluffs Iowa, renamed one of their streets to Harry Langdon Boulevard in 1999.
Harry Langdon was born 135 years ago in Council Bluffs, Iowa, he began working in medicine shows and stock companies while in his teens. By 1906, he had entered vaudeville, and by 1915, he had developed a sketch named "Johnny's New Car", on which he performed variations in the years that followed.
In 1923, he joined Principal Pictures Corporation, a company headed by producer Sol Lesser. He eventually went to The Mack Sennett Studios, where he became a major star. At the height of his film career, he was considered one of the four best comics of the silent film era. His screen character was that of a wide-eyed, childlike man with an innocent's understanding of the world and the people in it. He was also a first-class pantomimist.
Most of Langdon's 1920s work was produced at the famous Mack Sennett studio. His screen character was so unique and his antics so different from the broad Sennett slapstick that he soon had a following. Success led him into feature films, directed by Arthur Ripley and and a Frank Capra. With such directors guiding him, Langdon's work rivaled that of Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton.
After his initial success, he fired Frank Capra and directed his own films. These films were more personal and idiosyncratic, and audiences of the period were not interested. Capra later claimed that Langdon's decline stemmed from the fact that, unlike the other great silent comics, he never fully understood what made his own film character successful.
History shows that Langdon's greatest success was while being directed by Capra, and once he took hold of his own destiny, his original film comedy persona dropped sharply in popularity with audiences. This is likely not due to Langdon's material, which he had always written himself, but due to his inexperience with the many fine points of directing, at which Capra excelled.
Langdon's babyish character did not adapt well to sound films; as producer Hal Roach remarked, "He was not so funny articulate" (he featured Langdon in several unsuccessful sound shorts in 1929–1930). But Langdon was a big enough name to command leads in short subjects for Educational Pictures and Columbia Pictures.
In 1938, he adopted a henpecked-husband-type character that served him well. Langdon continued to work steadily in low-budget features and shorts into the 1940s, playing mild-mannered goofs.
Some examples from his career:
The Cat's Meow 1924, one of many lost silent films, directed by Roy Del Ruth.
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp 1926, directed by Frank Capra, his co-star was a young Joan Crawford.
The Strong Man 1926, also directed by Frank Capra
His First Flame 1927 poster
Heart Trouble 1928, one of the movies he directed himself, it was also his final silent movie. The movie is considered lost, and chances are slim to find a copy, since only around 100 copies was made for distribution, and that's how uninterested they were at the time of this movie.
A Soldier's Plaything 1930, with Ben Lyon, directed by Michael Curtiz. An early widescreen version (Vitascope) was also made, but that version is considered lost. The film was planned as a full-scale musical comedy, but most of the musical numbers were cut out before general release in the United States, because the public had grown tired of musicals by late 1930. This accounts for the short length of the film. The complete film was released intact in other countries where audiences still appreciated musicals. It is unknown whether a copy of the full version still exists.
See America Thirst 1930 promotion. His co-stars were Slim Summerville and Bessie Love. A bit of trivia, the movie introduced a new kind of sandals that we nowdays call flip-flops.
Hallelujah, I'm a Bum 1933, with Al Jolson, directed by Lewis Milestone. A big costly ambitious flop were everone talks and sings in rhyme.
Atlantic Adventure 1935, reduced to just looking on while Lloyd Nolan and Nancy Carroll kisses.
Zenobia 1939, with Oliver Hardy, "replacing" Stan Laurel.
On the set for Pistol Packin' Nitwits 1945, one of many shorts he made for Columbia. This movie happened to be his last short, since he passed away a few weeks after filming. His last role in a feature film was in the Republic musical Swingin' on a Rainbow 1945.
He acted in nearly 100 movies, he also wrote scripts for movies he didn't appear in, including Laurel and Hardy's Block-Heads 1938.
His nicknams were The Sad Clown and The Little Elf
Harry Langdon left us a few days before Christmas 1944, aged only 60, due to cerebral hemorrhage.
At 6927 Hollywood Blvd
Thanks for watching!
Thoughts, ideas, discussions of all kinds are as always very welcome, the speech is free!
Harry Langdon was born 135 years ago in Council Bluffs, Iowa, he began working in medicine shows and stock companies while in his teens. By 1906, he had entered vaudeville, and by 1915, he had developed a sketch named "Johnny's New Car", on which he performed variations in the years that followed.
In 1923, he joined Principal Pictures Corporation, a company headed by producer Sol Lesser. He eventually went to The Mack Sennett Studios, where he became a major star. At the height of his film career, he was considered one of the four best comics of the silent film era. His screen character was that of a wide-eyed, childlike man with an innocent's understanding of the world and the people in it. He was also a first-class pantomimist.
Most of Langdon's 1920s work was produced at the famous Mack Sennett studio. His screen character was so unique and his antics so different from the broad Sennett slapstick that he soon had a following. Success led him into feature films, directed by Arthur Ripley and and a Frank Capra. With such directors guiding him, Langdon's work rivaled that of Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton.
After his initial success, he fired Frank Capra and directed his own films. These films were more personal and idiosyncratic, and audiences of the period were not interested. Capra later claimed that Langdon's decline stemmed from the fact that, unlike the other great silent comics, he never fully understood what made his own film character successful.
History shows that Langdon's greatest success was while being directed by Capra, and once he took hold of his own destiny, his original film comedy persona dropped sharply in popularity with audiences. This is likely not due to Langdon's material, which he had always written himself, but due to his inexperience with the many fine points of directing, at which Capra excelled.
Langdon's babyish character did not adapt well to sound films; as producer Hal Roach remarked, "He was not so funny articulate" (he featured Langdon in several unsuccessful sound shorts in 1929–1930). But Langdon was a big enough name to command leads in short subjects for Educational Pictures and Columbia Pictures.
In 1938, he adopted a henpecked-husband-type character that served him well. Langdon continued to work steadily in low-budget features and shorts into the 1940s, playing mild-mannered goofs.
Some examples from his career:
The Cat's Meow 1924, one of many lost silent films, directed by Roy Del Ruth.
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp 1926, directed by Frank Capra, his co-star was a young Joan Crawford.
The Strong Man 1926, also directed by Frank Capra
His First Flame 1927 poster
Heart Trouble 1928, one of the movies he directed himself, it was also his final silent movie. The movie is considered lost, and chances are slim to find a copy, since only around 100 copies was made for distribution, and that's how uninterested they were at the time of this movie.
A Soldier's Plaything 1930, with Ben Lyon, directed by Michael Curtiz. An early widescreen version (Vitascope) was also made, but that version is considered lost. The film was planned as a full-scale musical comedy, but most of the musical numbers were cut out before general release in the United States, because the public had grown tired of musicals by late 1930. This accounts for the short length of the film. The complete film was released intact in other countries where audiences still appreciated musicals. It is unknown whether a copy of the full version still exists.
See America Thirst 1930 promotion. His co-stars were Slim Summerville and Bessie Love. A bit of trivia, the movie introduced a new kind of sandals that we nowdays call flip-flops.
Hallelujah, I'm a Bum 1933, with Al Jolson, directed by Lewis Milestone. A big costly ambitious flop were everone talks and sings in rhyme.
Atlantic Adventure 1935, reduced to just looking on while Lloyd Nolan and Nancy Carroll kisses.
Zenobia 1939, with Oliver Hardy, "replacing" Stan Laurel.
On the set for Pistol Packin' Nitwits 1945, one of many shorts he made for Columbia. This movie happened to be his last short, since he passed away a few weeks after filming. His last role in a feature film was in the Republic musical Swingin' on a Rainbow 1945.
He acted in nearly 100 movies, he also wrote scripts for movies he didn't appear in, including Laurel and Hardy's Block-Heads 1938.
His nicknams were The Sad Clown and The Little Elf
Harry Langdon left us a few days before Christmas 1944, aged only 60, due to cerebral hemorrhage.
At 6927 Hollywood Blvd
Thanks for watching!
Thoughts, ideas, discussions of all kinds are as always very welcome, the speech is free!
