This wonderful comedy really gives Harry Langdon a chance to appear in a short film that is excellently suited to his comedy in its story and its style. Apart from being extremely funny, it's very distinctive both in content and style. The story, told in flashbacks, is great for Langdon ad really lets him bring his child-man characterization to the fore -- he just doesn't know that Nanette is supposed to be his friend's girl, and he just doesn't know that's he's not suppose to steal his friend's girl right in front of him, and he reactions are wonderfully slowly stunned when this doesn't work out well for him. Not only that, but the gags and character situations are well set-up and very funny. One or two of them -- such the one involving Harry's legs sticking up from a pile of dirt -- are great examples of black humor.
The structure of telling the story mostly in flashback actually allows a lot of space for Harry's little bits of business. I still can't get over how appealing and funny he can be just refracting his character, taking time to give his reflection in the mirror a friendly greeting, and wavering on the line between giving his old buddy another friendly greeting, or being terrified of his gun. The pacing of the comic tension in Harry's routines -- and in moments of danger such as when he lets a hand grenade sit around without being aware of the danger -- are a joy to watch. Vernon Dent gets paired with Harry here in a duo that would prove a very good idea, and he's a great fit for the part of Harry's ever-more-frustrated "buddy." This short is also very memorable for Harry Edward's excellent direction, which very forcefully highlights the story and comedy and also takes advantage of slow motion, contrast and depth, and the moving camera is really creative ways. He makes the studio scenes of the war still look great on film, and those opening shots in the theatre in which Harry has fallen asleep during "Parlor, Bedroom, and Bath" (which apparently was already a joke for being such an old farce -- seven years before Buster Keaton would be shoehorned into an adaptation) and wonderful, memorable, and actually sort of encapsulate Harry's character.
Some of the explosion and battle scenes at the end, possible an adapted version of the old reliable Mack Sennett chase, are a bit superfluous, but they don't really mar the proceedings. This is a truly funny hilarious Harry Landon short that gives him great latitude to perform his comedy and also looks very distinctive and effective as its own piece.
