His First Flame

Fire Chief Amos McCarthy, a confirmed misogynist, advises his nephew Harry Howells to avoid marriage at all costs. Yet Harry is determined to marry his beloved Ethel. Everything changes when it turns out that Ethel is nothing but a gold digger. Disillusioned, Harry spends the night in his uncle's barracks trying to forget his troubles... until the fire alarm sounds. Will this clumsy man become a hero?

A fair judgment can hardly be made on this silent comedy when two fifths of the film are missing from the only copy, its image being horribly smoky into the bargain. However, what survives in spite of everything is Harry Langdon and his poetic man in the moon personality, one very funny gag (Harry, whose clothes have been stolen by a shoplifter, finds himself in the lady's outfit with all the developments one can imagine) and a rather stunning final sequence (Harry's new love interest starts a fake fire he will have to fight, hoping he will come out of the ordeal as a hero).

"His First Flame" was something of a hidden gem for me. This 46-minute comedy as as funny as anything I have seen in a long time. Harry is an innocent, child-like figure who will accept without question that he has just cleanly pulled off a woman's leg or mistake a mannequin for a real woman, but he lives squarely in the real world -- where a man dressed in woman's clothing will not be mistaken for a woman, but scorned by passers-by and rejected by his uncle, where people marry for money, and where domestic abuse occurs. If Harry sees any of this, he accepts it with the same blank passivity that would would an inexplicable piece of magic.

It's this simplicity of Langdon's and the harshness of the real world as presented in the film here that got me truly emotionally involved, making the comic situations work so much better, and making me really feel for him weeping at the window. Langdon's comedy, even when very physical, works so well because of his wonderfully-performed long reactions, slow realizations, and uncomfortable fidgets, and director Harry Edwards really allows that to work here.

In all this is infinitely funny and charming, and perfectly blends grim but hilarious black humour (the scene in which Harry, invited to visit one violent couple, only noticed the argument next door, exclaiming "Seems to be a lot of fighting around here!) with genuinely sweet moments (Harry stopping his firefighter uncle in the middle of a rescue to wave hello). This well deserves to be sought out.

The man's name doesn't necessarily carry as much weight in retrospect as contemporaries like Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin, or Buster Keaton, but there's still no mistaking that Harry Langdon was an early comedic icon of cinema. Of those films of his I've seen to date I think they are a tad inconsistent in strict terms of quality, but still it's hard to go wrong with his works. As this one begins it surely comes across as falling on the softer side of the star's oeuvre as it is more gently amusing than anything else, and in addition to the story about a misogynist uncle pressuring his lovestruck nephew there are further touches of contemporary values that seem all but alien almost one hundred years later. All the same 'His first flame' holds up pretty well after so much time, and it's mildly enjoyable if one has the chance to watch.

While the strength of the humor varies, some instances do ably elicit some laughs; over these forty-six minutes we're fed a fairly steady stream of gags and situational comedy, with some physical comedy on top. I think it does notably pick up more as the abbreviated length advances, for there's more fun to be had as light plot mostly becomes a mere excuse for the silliness. Given the most prominence Langdon naturally stands out as the protagonist, a hapless figure much like Charlie Chaplin's tramp - but his co-stars are just as terrific in embracing the zestful spirit of the proceedings, and between their acting and Harry Edwards' direction this boasts swell energy to keep things moving and viewers engaged. Edwards shows a keen eye for orchestrating shots and scenes generally, and the cinematography strikes me as being extra smart at no few points.

All along the way this is splendidly well made at large. The stunts and effects are pretty fantastic, lending to a minor sense of spectacle at times. From sets and costume design to hair and makeup everything looks great. I think the script is rather thin in terms of any would-be storytelling, yet it's obvious that 'His first flame' is intended only to provide a smidgen of mirth, and as that focus is foremost the goal is certainly achieved - and distinctly more so in the back end than in early scenes where exposition holds sway. One way or another this is hardly a major must-see, and it doesn't have the same staying power as many of its kin. Nonetheless the end result is funny and entertaining overall, and can even claim some small sparks of ingenuity in some of the bits. I'd even go so far as to say that the last minutes make up for the slower start, which quite speaks well to all involved. It's nothing one needs to go out of their way to see, but if you do come across this 1927 comedy it's a really good time, and worth a look even after all these decades.

This is a Harry Langdon short film made for Mack Sennett and is included with the "Harry Langdon: Lost and Found" four DVD set.

At 48 minutes, it's hard to think of this as a short, though the DVD set is made up of his surviving shorts. After watching it, I suspect that originally this was a full-length film as it looks as if in one spot a portion of the film is missing. Considering some abrupt transitions and how obvious the damage was in some portions, I think there is some missing film and would love to see this movie one day fully restored.

Harry is graduating college and eager to get married and settle down and raise a family. The trouble is that his fiancée has no real interest in Harry--just his money. At the same time, unknown to everyone, her sweet sister loves Harry for who he is.

Harry's uncle, the fire chief, hates women--having already been unsuccessfully married several times. Thinking he's doing Harry a favor, he calls the fiancée and tells her that Harry is broke--and soon she's out looking for another man. In fact, when the uncle rescues her in a fire, she vamps him and Harry comes upon them as the uncle and his girl are kissing--crushing poor Harry.

However, the sister sees him there at the fire and gets an idea to pretend to be stuck in a fire and get Harry to come to her rescue--and win Harry's heart. Considering that Harry is alone in the fire house, he reluctantly agrees to do the job himself--and by the end he's discovered the love of a truly worthy (but wacky) woman.

Although there were two pretty much unrelated scenes that occurred rather abruptly, these are pretty good and should be mentioned. One is a cute scene where a lady pickpocket is avoiding the police. She hits poor Harry over the head and switches clothes with him. Seeing Harry walking around town in drag was awfully funny--not something to be missed. The other is when he meets and old friend and goes home with him--only to find the friend and his wife AND the neighbors are all very, very unhappily married. Seeing these crazy couples fight is pretty funny for the soon to be married Harry.

So, this film has a decent number of laughs and a nice story as well. The only negatives are some poor transitions that, like I said above, probably come from having some loss of film stock due to the ravages of time. However, none of this seriously negatively impacts the film and it's one of Langdon's best.

FYI--In a very short scene, Harry enters a department store and mistakes a mannequin leg for a lady's leg. A better variation of this gag appeared in his first film, PICKING PEACHES.

After graduating from college, hapless Harry Langdon (as Harry Howells) wants to get married, and have children. His uncle, Vernon Dent (as Amos McCarthy), tries to ward Mr. Langdon off marriage. Uncle Dent has married frequently, but divorces have turned him into a woman-hater. Langdon feels he can bring more matrimony, and less alimony, into the world. He sets his sights on conceited Natalie Kingston (as Ethel Morgan). Langdon doesn't know it, but Ms. Kingston is only interested in his money - it's sweet sister Ruth Hiatt (as Mary Morgan) who loves Langton truly…

This Mack Sennett feature was held back, and released alongside Langdon's First National films "The Strong Man" and "Long Pants" - at the height of the infantile comedian's popularity. "His First Flame" has its moments, but it isn't on par with Langdon's better pictures. Along around the time Langdon dresses up like a woman, comic opportunities are obviously missed. And, the film requires viewers to care very much about the fate of a certain ring, which couldn't have survived the following segment's costume change.

It's almost certain Langdon and company - director Harry Edwards with writers Arthur Ripley and Frank Capra - were not completely satisfied with "His First Flame". Most likely, they would have polished the picture up some, had they not moved to greener pastures. The film appears badly damaged, once, during the running time.

**** His First Flame (5/3/27) Harry Edwards ~ Harry Langdon, Vernon Dent, Ruth Hiatt