Long Pants.

Review #2542: Long Pants.

Cast: 

Harry Langdon (Harry Shelby), Gladys Brockwell (His Mother), Alan Roscoe (His Father), Priscilla Bonner (Priscilla, His Bride), Alma Bennett (Bebe Blair, His Downfall), Betty Francisco (His Finish), and Glenn Tryon (Glenn Tryon) Directed by Frank Capra (#102 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, #319 - It's a Wonderful Life, #456 - It Happened One Night, #1356 - Meet John Doe, #2036 - The Strong Man)

Review: 

Sure, why not? You might remember that Harry Langdon had made his way to feature films with the release of 1926's Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926) and The Strong Man, which saw him directed by Harry Edwards and Frank Capra, respectively. Langdon served as producer on this film for First National Pictures, with Robert Eddy and Tay Garnett being credited as writers while Arthur Ripley came up with the story. Capra related briefly about the making of the film in his autobiography, noting that the publicity that came with the success of The Strong Man eventually bubbled over into making Langdon develop a considerable ego; he was quoted as stating that Langdon's screams for more pathos was misguided because the pathos "is in your comedy" rather than trying for pathos, while Langdon derisively called Capra a director he made out of a "two-bit gag man". Langdon booted Capra right as the film was about to finish (after getting into an argument over daring to need the lead actor's hands for an insert shot). The movie (at one point with the working title "Johnny Newcomer") was a decent hit with audiences (as claimed by Capra) and critics. Langdon worked with Edwards once more with His First Flame (1927) before Langdon became personally involved with directing with Three's a Crowd (1927). A rumor spread around from the First National Pictures lot (from Langdon, who else) that Capra wasn't actually a director and that Langdon did all the work. Desperate to stay around, Capra did For the Love of Mike (1927) and wasn't even paid for the eventual flop, went through a divorce, went back to the gag work and landed upon Columbia Pictures for what became a lengthy association starting with That Certain Thing (1928)*.

Work with me on this premise: A relatively young man (note: Langdon was actually 43 when this came out) has been wearing knee-pants (or "knickerbockers", as they say*) for years and years until at last, he gets a pair of...long pants. I guess the clothes really do make the man, because he quickly finds himself falling for a femme fatale from the big city who happens to have a mob boyfriend. Hijinks ensue for the runtime of 60 minutes (since it is a public domain movie, there are a few copies that are a little shorter or don't even have music, incidentally). There are a few moments that invite the idea of Langdon going into darker territory, mainly because on his wedding day, he tries to escape it the best way he can: trying to shoot the bride. Naturally, he gets stopped because of a goofy hat and gets spooked by someone doing target practice. It is a strange little movie when you think about it, what with people growing up in a flash because of pants, falling for bad girls into a life of crime and, eventually, wind up back into the "normal" world. The best gag is probably when Langdon tries to get a "policeman" to move that sees him fake a fire and other various things only to try and take a swing at just as an actual policeman takes his place. Langdon has been a slippery one to really appreciate, and this is probably the one that probably best defines that strange ability to go for a different type of humor that wasn't necessarily based on his baby-faced nature but something murkier with basically a goof type of character. Sometimes it is funny, and other times it just flies over with the pace of a one-winged mosquito. One focuses on his oddball stuff more than say, Bonner or Bennett, which is mostly on par with the usual average silent comedy in terms of just rolling with the gags over who goes where (yes, crime does pay, even for women). If you like what you saw from Langdon's earlier features, you'll be fine here, even if it is a bit of a hit-or-miss kind of movie in actually getting to the point beyond, well, pants. You never know until you seek it out...

   

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Song of the day!

*It really sounds like a joke, but this is straight up what Capra put in his autobiography: Capra got told Columiba wanted to see him because Harry Cohn was looking at a list of unemployed directors and saw "C" for Capra listed first and said "God picked Abraham because his name came first. Good enough for me. Send for Capra."

*Knickerbockers you say?

The Strong Man.

Review #2036: The Strong Man.

Cast: 

Harry Langdon (Paul Bergot), Priscilla Bonner (Mary Brown), Gertrude Astor (Lily of Broadway), William V. Mong (Holy Joe), Robert McKim (Mike McDevitt), and Arthur Thalasso (Zandow the Great) Directed by Frank Capra (#102 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, #319 - It's a Wonderful Life, #456 - It Happened One Night, #1356 - Meet John Doe)

Review: 

"If there is any shortcut to fame and fortune in motion pictures, it is as a gag man. Here you may jump to the top overnight, after the short probationary period, which is long enough to show you whether you have the stuff that makes gag men." - Frank Capra

"Comedy is a satire of Tragedy...deliciously comic moments, on the outside, are full of sad significance for those who realize the sinister characterization of the situation.” - Harry Langdon

In 1926, Frank Capra made his feature film debut as a director. But I'm sure when you think about Capra, you think first of those iconic films he did in the sound era such as It's A Wonderful Life (1944). But the story of Capra is one with plenty of interesting turns beyond just being a television staple every year. The son of Roman Catholics who left Italy for America when he was five, Capra studied chemical engineering at the California Institute of Technology but found himself having to do quick little jobs to get by during and after college, one of which involved selling books. He entered the film industry because when a film studio opened up in San Francisco, he implied he had "film experience" that got him into the door of directing various little films and getting himself other jobs, and one of those was as slapstick comedy director for the famed Mack Sennett, which he did in two separate stints in 1918 and 1924, with other stints in between including Hal Roach's Our Gang. Sennett, who had his own film stage and studio with Keystone, was once known as "King of Hollywood's Fun Factory", and various people appeared in Sennett productions that ranged from Harold Lloyd to Gloria Swanson (of course, the apparent talents of the actor vs. influence of Sennett is an interesting point to raise). Capra would direct his first film (12 minutes) with the independent Fireside Productions in 1922 with Fultah Fisher's Boarding House, which he also wrote, casted and edited based on the poem "The Ballad of Fisher's Boarding-House" by Rudyard Kipling. And then of course there is Harry Langdon. The Strong Man is one of two films that he made as star and producer with Capra, with the other being Long Pants (1927). In 1925, Langdon had signed a deal with First National Pictures that let his corporation (named after him) have full creative control to produce movies.

Admittedly, Harry Langdon was basically forgotten by me for a long time when it comes to mentioning the big names of the silent comedy era. Remember that his first feature was Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1925), which was a success for the man once referred to as "The Little Elf". But Harry Edwards did not return to direct the next Langdon feature due to going overbudget. Online spelunking reveals several writers, with Arthur Ripley credited for the story while having Hal Conklin and Robert Eddy being labeled as "adaptors" and Reed Heustis for titles to go along with other writers with Tay Garnett, Clarence Hennecke, James Langdon, and Tim Whelan. One thing I can say about Langdon is that breaking into film when one is nearing their forties is quite remarkable. The Iowa native had honed his craft within medicine shows, vaudeville, and stock performances, so he obviously had an in-route to being a film presence that could both differ from the usual expectations that had come from being in league with Mack Sennett for the short films (i.e. Langdon was not a frantic comic) and the comic presences of the time that rivaled him in stature (to put it in perspective, in a film essay for 1949, Langdon was thought to be one of the four kings of silent comedy but the first biography of Langdon did not come out until 1982). All of this makes for saying he was a worthy pantomimist that makes for a useful team with his director in Capra (who knows who came up with a lead character being a Belgian emigrant) that does within careful pacing for a generally sweet feature. It is warmly funny in a way that feels entirely his own within an episodic structure (roughly five of them) with a handful of highlights, whether that involves him asking around just who "Mary Brown" is on every corner to the point where he falls under the situation with a vamp that leads to an amusing chase in a big house. Of course, the sequence involving him trying to help with a cold while on a packed trip that leads to him picking the wrong batch to rub over his chest (cheese!) is likely the most amusing sequence in execution that rewards timing. While Bonner does not have as much screentime as one might think about when it comes to doing a silent comedy with a "love interest", she does fine with the material presented here, with the sequence of the two meeting each other in town and sharing just who they've been since "The War" being a sweet little moment in understanding. By the time the film gets to its climax (for a film that runs at 75 minutes) involving a big coat and a cannon, the movie has shown the talents of its star within clownish rhythm that will please fans of silent comedy in what they see from one of the big names that came across at the right time for it.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Meet John Doe.

Review #1356: Meet John Doe.

Cast: 
Gary Cooper (John Doe/Long John Willoughby), Barbara Stanwyck (Ann Mitchell), Edward Arnold (D.B. Norton), Walter Brennan (The Colonel), Spring Byington (Mrs. Mitchell), James Gleason (Henry Connell), Gene Lockhart (Mayor Lovett), Rod La Rocque (Ted Sheldon), Irving Bacon ("Beanie"), Regis Toomey (Bert), and J. Farrell MacDonald ("Sourpuss") Directed by Frank Capra (#102 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, #319 - It's a Wonderful Life and #456 - It Happened One Night)

Review: 
Frank Capra was a director of tremendous skill who came out of the rags to make great memorable entertainment in the 1930s and 1940s. He had emigrated from Italy with his family at the age of five to America, eventually ending up in Los Angeles. By the time he was 25, he had done a variety of jobs before and after graduating college, ranging from selling newspapers to working at the laundry facility at the California Institute of Technology (where he graduated from in chemical engineering). He would serve in both World Wars, serving as a teacher of mathematics to artillerymen in the former and as a director for war information documentaries (Why We Fight) in the latter. He found his way to films in gagwriting and luck. He directed his first film with independent Fireside Productions in 1922 with Fultah Fisher's Boarding House, getting the job by touting his experience with film (which was scant) but it proved effective. He also wrote gags for the Our Gang series alongside scripts for comedian Harry Langdon, which led to his feature film debut with The Strong Man (1926). After one more film with Langdon, he was fired by the comedian. He eventually found himself with newly named Columbia Pictures, which at the time was a start-up studio in minor status compared to the big icons that had their own facilities and distribution. From 1928 to 1939, he made 25 features for the company, including numerous classics such as Lady for a Day (1933) and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) among others, winning Best Director at the Academy Awards three times in a period of four years. This film was one of two films that he did with Warner Bros (the other being Arsenic and Old Lace) along with the last before America entered World War II. The screenplay was done by Robert Riskin (his tenth and last collaboration with Capra) with story from Robert Presnell that was adapted from Richard Connell's A Reputation, a 1922 story originally published in Century Magazine.

Of course who better to headline the film than Cooper and Stanwyck, both veteran actors who had previous experience with Capra that would have decades-long careers of success. They both prove important to the film's success in material that is dark but still relevant in its message about the everyman and creeping corporate influence when dealing with hope. Cooper makes it worth his while as a folksy everyman, rising to the occasion through gradual evolution from anonymous tramp to club-creating philosopher. Stanwyck proves just as well, ambitious but warm to follow along with in her zealous energy. Arnold proves a conniving clever presence, and Brennan proves a worthy tramp foil for Cooper alongside Byington for Stanwyck. Gleason makes a worthy hard-driving role, particularly in one scene where he reveals a deception about to take place to our star while espousing about the good done by him (including unwittingly creating a grassroot movement) to folks that need it. Lockhart and the rest prove just as worthy with filling the details for the film to make its statements without needless aspects for a diverting 122 minutes. The ending is certainly an interesting one. There were numerous ideas shot or edited that found their way into previews, owing in part because Capra hadn't had a clear idea of how it should end when production began. All of them revolved around the exposing the truth of John Doe (done at a convention), with one ending directing ending on the convention scene with his disgrace. Another apparently ended up with him committing suicide, while others involved him being saved or the reforming of Arnold's character. A comment from a preview led to a fifth and eventual ending, where some of the club members show up to express their still-present belief in him and the club (along with a statement by Stanwyck's character about how another "John Doe" already gave himself up for humanity). The film holds itself together without too many troubles, making its point about media and hope without becoming sanctimonious or overly cynical. It's a fair comedy-drama, balancing its way through with enough competency worth a viewing alongside other Capra movies. In fact, it is an easy one to do because of its public domain status (occurring due to a failure in copyright renewal). For each of its main talents at stars and director, it's a good one to go with for curiosity and perhaps some subsequent discussion afterwards.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: It Happened One Night.

Review #456: It Happened One Night.

Cast
Clark Gable (Peter Warne), Claudette Colbert (Ellie Andrews), Walter Connolly (Alexander Andrews), Roscoe Karns (Oscar Shapeley), Jameson Thomas (Westley), Alan Hale (Danker), and Arthur Hoyt (Zeke) Directed by Frank Capra (#102 - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and #319 - It's a Wonderful Life)

Review

It's been a while, but after a little (six day) break (also replace that word with: laziness), I got back on to watching a movie, and this was the film I landed on. Clark Gable does a fine job in this film, he doesn't overcrowd the film itself, Colbert also does a fine job, she manages to be engaging, and she also shines well in the hitchhiking scene, probably one of the more memorable scenes ever filmed. It's just so amusing to see her lift up her leg and immediately get a ride. Capra as usual does a fine job with his characters, and it has its moments of amusement. It's the basis for many, many, many romantic comedies, but this one is still the best. It's a fine film overall.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: It's a Wonderful Life.

Review #319: It's a Wonderful Life.

Cast
James Stewart (George Bailey), Donna Reed (Mary Bailey), Henry Travers (Clarence Odbody), Lionel Barrymore (Henry F. Potter), Thomas Mitchell (Billy Bailey), Beulah Bondi (Ma Bailey), Frank Faylen (Ernie Bishop), Ward Bond (Bert), Gloria Grahame (Violet Bick), and H. B. Warner (Mr. Gower) Directed by Frank Capra (#102 -  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington)

Review
I know it sounds incredibly cliche to review this film, that it sounds all cheerful (The word Wonderful is in the title after all) and all that Christmas spirit and such (which either ends on December 26th or keeps on going until January for some reason). But as it turns out, it's a strangely depressing yet strangely useful film. Capra and Stewart are a good pair, and it works in this film extremely well. I actually thought this would be that film that would be extremely overrated, and that their was another Christmas classic everyone was talking about. I was wrong. Stewart and Travers are the main standouts (though Travers doesn't play a big role till about the last hour), with Bailey not just being a goody goody boy scout, Stewart also convey the darkness that is believable to the end. While it might sound caramel sweet at times, it has some good acting combined with humanity and good will. And isn't that what Christmas needs? Classics to watch, and goodwill toward men and women. While this film wasn't a success in its original release, it would later gain a reputation as one of the Christmas classics. Merry Christmas.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Review #102: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Cast
James Stewart (Jefferson Smith), Jean Arthur (Ms. Simmons), Claude Rains (Joseph Paine), Edward Arnold (Jim Taylor), Thomas Mitchell (Diz Moore), and Guy Kibbee (Hubert Hopper). Directed by Frank Capra (#319 - It's A Wonderful Life and #456 - It Happened One Night)

Review
This film is a classic that is well acted and well done. James Stewart is the best in this film, he plays such an innocent naive man who evolves into a man who defends himself even in times of doubt and exhaustion. Arthur does great too, playing a woman who has been corrupted by greed, but she comes to come back full circle. But the one who makes his moments is Rains as the antagonist of this film. He's evolved once from a man who cared and compromised into a machine of himself. The film teaches lessons and makes it's case in a informative format. It truly is a great film after 73 years.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.