The First 100 Years

I watched the thirteen-minute partial reconstruction of this short, available on the "Harry Langdon Collection: Lost and Found" DVD set. If you have access to the full twenty-minute-or-so version, contact a film archive as soon as you can.

I don't like to use the word "tragedy" to describe seven minutes of film being misplaced, but I really wish this film existed in a complete version. It's a hilarious comedy of Harry Langdon's total inability to deal with a tough cook he and his wife have hired, her suspicions of the seductive replacement they take on, and a malicious intruder in his house. Placing the wide-eyed innocent Harry among such sordid elements is inspired and places him in his best element. Relatively early in his career he is already playing the entire film like a master, and the direction allows him time to relax and react at a methodical pace. It's his comedy genius that turns what could have been another iteration of a common gag (that catsup looks like blood!) into something hilarious and unforgettable with just a few seconds' worth of facial expressions.

Alice Day seems to have picked up a little of the technique, in fact, and she is great as she reacts Louise Carver's burly cigar-smoking cook, and her suspiciously beautiful replacement. Carver is so over-the-top in her characterization that it's perfect.

This is a great thirteen minutes of comedy in its present form -- my thanks to those who have preserved it, and my hopes for the recovery of the rest!