Harry Langdon's feature debut film removed him from the slapstick genre and modeled him after Chaplin, Keaton, and Lloyd. Like the big three comedians of the silent era, Harry is given a girl, a cause, and many obstacles and pratfalls to overcome. A very young Joan Crawford is the girl, saving his father's shoe business is the cause, and winning a cross-country foot race is the scenario for obstacles and pratfalls. Langdon dresses similar to Chaplin's tramp character without the cane. He even walks a little like him at times. Keaton and Lloyd were far more acrobatic than Langdon, but here Harry places himself in at least one hair-raising sequence, hanging from a fence, dangling from a cliff, and sliding down the steep hill on a section of wooden fence. There are a few sight gags but no where near the amount you'd expect to see from the big three. The film concludes with a neat cyclone sequence that recalls a scene from The Gold Rush the year before and which undoubtedly influenced Keaton's Steamboat Bill Jr. a couple years later. The special effects are pretty decent, although the cyclone is a bit hokey. Frank Capra was one of the writers of this film and would go on to direct some of Langdon's films. **1/2 of 4 stars.
Review of Tramp, Tramp, Tramp
