Tied for Life

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.

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.