An excerpt from Sawdust Is Thicker Than Water by Scott Linker It’s now sometime in the late Autumn months, 1985. It’s too dark to see any passing scenery. The steady rhythm of the train feels relaxing, but I’m starting to get restless. Train runs are great for getting caught up on sleep and correspondence. I’ve done all…
By Trav S.D. – Author of Chain of Fools – Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to YouTube and No Applause – Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, and renowned blogger – http://travsd.wordpress.com This is strictly anecdotal of course, but it seems to me there are three concentric circles to the public’s relationship to silent film…
By Wayne Powers The evolution of Langdon’s unique “elf” character has been explored, acknowledged and acclaimed internationally by some of the most respected film historians and scholars. Langdon’s trail-blazing comedic approach had a tremendous impact on the output of his peers, (especially Stan Laurel), and launched a sea change in the direction of film comedy.…
The Curious History of Harry Langdon, Hal Roach, and Laurel & Hardy Nobody’s Baby – Part V by Chris Seguin Gone, but not forgotten While Harry’s performing career took a serious blow (you might even say “fatal” – there would be no big comeback hopes after this), he was back on the script-writing team for…
The Curious History of Harry Langdon, Hal Roach, and Laurel & Hardy Nobody’s Baby – Part IV by Chris Seguin Exit Laurel. Enter Langdon. Hollywood, August 17, 1938 (U.P.) – Stan Laurel, pickle-faced little screen comic, Wednesday was given his walking papers at Hal Roach studio which immediately signed Harry Langdon to form a new…
A chapter borrowed from Lame Brains & Lunatics: The Good, The Bad, and The Forgotten of Silent Comedy by Steve Massa Laurel and Harry Harry Langdon was the silent comedy comet that shot across the motion picture skies in the mid-1920s. Although his trajectory was brief and he crashed before the end of the silent era,…
Originally published in RADIO RECALL, the journal of the Metropolitan Washington Old-Time Radio Club – http://www.radiorecall.com The Old-Time Radio of Harry Langdon by Michael J. Hayde Those of you who blinked twice and quizzically re-read the above title may be forgiven. Harry Langdon? If you’ve heard of him at all, it’s as a vaudevillian-turned-motion picture comedian…
The Curious History of Harry Langdon, Hal Roach, and Laurel & Hardy Nobody’s Baby – Part III by Chris Seguin The fine Italian hand of Harry Langdon So by March 1930, Harry was out of the Hal Roach lot… but not out of work. He played supporting roles to Slim Summerville and Ben Lyon in…
Make sure to check out a recent post regarding some of Harry’s talkies on Anthony Balducci’s insightful blog: Anthony Balducci’s Journal. His observations are spot on and he even backs them up with clips from Johnny Flattire’s YouTube channel (which is also highly suggested viewing!).
The Curious History of Harry Langdon, Hal Roach, and Laurel & Hardy Nobody’s Baby – Part II by Chris Seguin “Well well well well well!” Hal Roach and the Talkies With Harry’s First National contract over and done with, Hal Roach was in a position to capitalize on the opportunity: He would finally have Harry…
