Hollywood - Ep 8 : Comedy is a Serious Business

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Frank Capra's thoughts on Harry Langdon are a part of  this documentary  .




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Harry Langdon Talkies

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Thelma Todd, Harry Langdon, and Nancy Dover.

Harry Langdon had been a star in the silent era only to have his career ruined by bad pictures, then made a series of two-reel comedies for Hal Roach, which have now been released on DVD. Much has been written about these films, not all of which I would agree with. Evidently the story that these films were failures when they were originally released isn't true. I agree with those who said that they didn't use Langdon's character correctly in these films, because of the way he was shown hitting people. Actually his character was supposed to react rather than initiate conflict.

SKY BOY actually has Langdon killing a man ( Eddie Dunn* ) at the end of the film. They also showed him killing the man after Thelma Todd had been rescued and was safe on the blimp, which made it look as if it was done to get even, rather than out of necessity ( presumably what they intended )

Earlier Thelma Todd had suggested cutting Eddie Dunn's throat with a razor, which he didn't do.

Dale remarked that making an innocent kid character kill people made him appear to be a dangerous lunatic.

THE HEAD GUY again ends with Langdon getting even rather than actually
 resolving the situation, because he is shown kicking his foe from behind when he leaves to board a train. In addition to not resolving the situation, this action does not appear heroic.

While it can be said that Harry Langdon's character was supposed to react rather than initiate conflict, this business can also be seen as part of the studio's entire output.  Spanky McFarland was shown hitting people at the same studio. Thelma Todd was shown hitting people, too. Such violence is supposed  to have been justified in their films, as they were supposed to be on the side of right. 

Thelma Todd's heroic action in overcoming adversity can be seen as a continuation of what Harry Langdon had done in his films at the same studio. It was standard stuff, as far as that goes. It just wasn't standard stuff for Harry Langdon's character, because that wasn't the way that he was supposed to act.

Thelma Todd didn't seem very important in most of the Harry Langdon films. Another girl would more or less have the lead and Thelma Todd would just be there. Maybe they stuck her in those films just so people would look at them. 

Nancy Dover was Langdon's leading lady in several of these films. Harry Langdon and Nancy Dover would work together again after this series ended, making MARRIAGE HUMOR in 1933. Later in her career, Nancy Dover was billed as "Judith Barnett".

*Eddie Dunn was in the "Harry Langdon announcement" which is included in the set, and had also previously been in HURDY GURDY with Thelma Todd, which was one of Roach's first talking pictures.

Harry Langdon Talkies:
https://jln4151.wixsite.com/jlneibaur-writer/post/dvd-review-harry-langdon-at-the-hal-roach-studios-1929-1930

https://thelostlaugh.com/tag/hal-roach/

Nancy Dover:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0057184/

Eddie Dunn:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0242554/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm



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Thelma Todd With Harry Langdon

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Thelma Todd With Harry Langdon

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Harry Langdon's Car Act

From Harry Langdon, Jr. on facebook:

My father ceated his own version made of wood. It was part of his extremely successful Vaudeville act called ' Johnny's New Car ' or ' On the Boulevard '. 1910. This was before he was in films.

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Thelma Todd With The Bear, And Harry Langdon, Too

There was a bear they used to photograph all the girls with, here is a picture of Thelma Todd with him.

This scene was later depicted in a SCREEN ODDITIES cartoon, with the caption "Thelma Todd has even the bears eating out of her hand.

Thelma Todd and Harry Langdon with the bear, in SKY BOY ( 1929 ).

The Harry Langdon puzzle may also be related to this film, as it shows him in the polar regions.

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Harry Langdon In The Fan Magazines

Harry Langdon item


HOLLYWOOD FILMOGRAPH June 21, 1930

Harry Langdon and costar Nancy Dover are profiled on the right-hand side of this page. Henry Armetta is profiled at top right.












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Harry Langdon At The Roach Studio

Harry Langdon's career went into a decline after the coming of sound. In 1929 he made a series of two-reel comedies for Hal Roach, but it didn't last and he soon moved on to other studios, later returning to Roach as a gagman.


Reblogged from http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2013/08/harry-langdon-heart-trouble-in_2.html

Scenes from the short promotional film Hal Roach made to announce that Harry Langdon would be working for his studio. Thelma Todd also appeared in this film.

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HOTTER THAN HOT Item

Harry Langdon and Thelma Todd stand in front of an old fire engine in a publicity photo for the 1929 Hal Roach production HOTTER THAN HOT.

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Scrapbook Pictures

A collection of pictures of Thelma Todd that Dusty Sage found in a scrapbook someone had made, from a post she made in the Thelma Todd group on facebook.

An early publicity photo shows Thelma with long hair. The studios cut her hair as was the fashion at the time.

Harry Langdon was a silent star who made talkies for Hal Roach in a comeback which ultimately proved to be unsuccessful. The bear in this picture was photographed with a number of movie actresses in this period.

The tires on the old cars weren't as good as what is available today, and punctures could be a problem.

Joe Breen ( bottom ) oversaw the enforcement of the production code. In other words, he was a censor.

Thelma Todd collected expensive perfume, which was stolen after this picture was published.

The husband of Thelma Todd ( mentioned on the right ) was Pat DiCicco. They made her diet regardless.

Thelma Todd did like flowers.



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Thelma Todd Photo

Thelma Todd in a publicity picture for THE KING, which costarred Harry Langdon. Hal Roach had hopes for Langdon, who had been a star in the silent era, but the comedies he made for him were not successful.

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1929 Thelma Todd Publicity From 1929

From the Hal Roach Studio group on facebook.


Exhibitors Herald World - November 16, 1929

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Harry Langdon With Nell O'Day

Harry Langdon with costars Nell O'Day and Vernon Dent in TIED FOR LIFE ( 1934 ).

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Thelma Todd With Harry Langdon

More pictures of Thelma Todd and Harry Langdon.



With Harry Langdon in THE HEAD GUY.

Harry Langdon, James Mason, and Thelma Todd.

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Happy Thanksgiving

From Harry Langdon!

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HOTTER THAN HOT

Harry Langdon with Thelma Todd in HOTTER THAN HOT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A review for SHANGHAI LADY mentions that HOTTER THAN HOT was part of the program.

Reblogged from http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2013/08/harry-langdon-heart-trouble-in_2.html







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Thelma Todd And Harry Langdon In HOTTER THAN HOT

In 1929, Harry Langdon began a series of two-reel comedies for Hal Roach. Here is one of a series of publicity pictures of Harry Langdon and Thelma Todd in HOTTER THAN HOT.

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HOTTER THAN HOT Item

From the Hal Roach Studio page on facebook.


Thelma is along for the ride in Harry Langdon's first Hal Roach film, HOTTER THAN HOT. From EXHIBITORS HERALD WORLD July, 1929

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Christine McIntyre

With Moe Howard.

DEFECTIVE DETECTIVES with El Brendel and Harry Langdon.

Christine McIntyre, Joe DeRita
'Scrappily Married' (Columbia, 1946)

 

 

 

Autographed photo ( Wilson was her married name ).

 

 

 

 

POSTERS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COVER GIRL 

 

 

 

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Birthday Of Stan Laurel

From the Hal Roach Studio page on facebook.



STAN LAUREL celebrates his birthday during the filming of BLOCKHEADS (June 16, 1938), with Oliver Hardy, Harry Langdon, Hal Roach Jr. and Patricia Ellis.

STAN LAUREL having a happy birthday celebration with wife Vera, Harry Langdon and Lew Porter, circa 1938.

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Page From a Fan Magazine

An undated page from a fan magazine with a photo of Thelma Todd in FOLLOW THROUGH as well as a photo of Buddy Rogers, Richard Arlen, and Gary Cooper, plus news items about Harry Langdon, Helen Twelvetrees, Jack Oakie, and other movie stars.

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