Langdon*
and the asterisk next to his name
By Dave Stevenson – Editor of Slapstick! Magazine
The process of discounting the relevance of Harry Langdon begins with the assumption that he is to be either liked or disliked with equal amounts of enthusiasm. This is the essence of misunderstanding, for Langdon is far too subtle and deliberate a comedian to be evaluated by such criteria. The calculated difficulty with which Langdon moves through the world may often evoke in us a sense of embarrassment, but that’s okay – we’re adults who have learned a great many more of life’s lessons than he. After all, fully evolved comedic Harry is just a twelve-year-old boy who will never become thirteen. We like heroes, however, and hold high expectations for them – even the twelve-year-old-boy variety. In the end success does come to him, even if it is hurled upon him in the same fashion as the preceding reel-and-two-thirds of woe. Accordingly, Langdon can be a difficult protagonist but not an impossible one. Most of his contemporaries are unquestionably adults – ambitious, fleet of foot, and wily. Harry Langdon is none of those things; his awkward nature and seemingly hopeless shortcomings can appear as character deficiencies rather than intended comedic devices.
