This is a very dark and maudlin style of film--a bit departure over previous Langdon films I have seen. While he, of course, looks like a little cherub, in this film he's not quite the sweet guy you might have come to love. After falling for a woman (who he didn't know was a one-lady crime-wave), he didn't want to follow through with his upcoming marriage. So, to get out of it, he tries to bring himself to kill his fiancée on their wedding day!! I told you--this is NOT your typical sweet Langdon film! After breaking up and NOT killing her, Langdon goes to see this other lady who he THINKS is being falsely imprisoned. When he arrives, she's just escaped and she drags him along for a wild crime spree.
Unlike some other Langdon full-length films, this one is relatively short (at 58 minutes) and well-edited--without the usual overly long scenes. After having just seen three of Harry Langdon's full-length films on DVD (and a couple others years ago), I am left feeling that perhaps Langdon's reputation as a comedy great is a bit exaggerated. Having seen these films and a few of his shorts, I feel that there is a bit of a gap between his work and those of the truly great comedians of the 1920s--Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. At no point did TRAMP, TRAMP, TRAMP or THE STRONG MAN or LONG PANTS ever approach the greatness of these other star's better films (such as THE KID BROTHER, OUR HOSPITALITY or THE GOLD RUSH). Still, this is an entertaining film and it's too bad that apparently Langdon's ego destroyed his career--I've read about this several places (including IMDb). It seems that this is the last of Langdon's best films--as afterwords, he fired his amazingly talented director (Frank Capra--yes, THAT Frank Capra) and he never regained his original comedic touch.
Overall, this is a funny film and worth seeing. However, it's far from a great film and I wish they'd left all the darker elements out of the movie as they seemed to compromise the integrity of the character.
Unlike some other Langdon full-length films, this one is relatively short (at 58 minutes) and well-edited--without the usual overly long scenes. After having just seen three of Harry Langdon's full-length films on DVD (and a couple others years ago), I am left feeling that perhaps Langdon's reputation as a comedy great is a bit exaggerated. Having seen these films and a few of his shorts, I feel that there is a bit of a gap between his work and those of the truly great comedians of the 1920s--Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. At no point did TRAMP, TRAMP, TRAMP or THE STRONG MAN or LONG PANTS ever approach the greatness of these other star's better films (such as THE KID BROTHER, OUR HOSPITALITY or THE GOLD RUSH). Still, this is an entertaining film and it's too bad that apparently Langdon's ego destroyed his career--I've read about this several places (including IMDb). It seems that this is the last of Langdon's best films--as afterwords, he fired his amazingly talented director (Frank Capra--yes, THAT Frank Capra) and he never regained his original comedic touch.
Overall, this is a funny film and worth seeing. However, it's far from a great film and I wish they'd left all the darker elements out of the movie as they seemed to compromise the integrity of the character.