Harry Langdon Films Out From Kino Video

I know it might be considered blasphemy to post this on a Chaplin newsgroup, but Kino Video has released three films of Harry Langdon on video, and they are definitely worth a look.

Langdon's career was short but meteroric. In a few years he went from being a complete unknown to being compared with Chaplin. His fall was just as swift.

The three films are 'Tramp Tramp Tramp,' 'The Strong Man' and 'Long Pants. '

'Tramp Tramp Tramp' is hilarious. Co-written by Frank Capra and directed by Harry Edwards, Langdon is a poor schlub who enters a cross-country walking race to win the heart of a very young Joan Crawford. This would make a great double bill with Lloyd's 'Speedy.'

I haven't seen the Kino 'The Strong Man' yet, but I've seen the previously released HBO Video print, and it's probably one of the best silent comedies ever

Not really. I think Chaplin's contemporaries are a legitimate topic of discussion here. Langdon is an interesting case, and I for one am eager to see more of his films. I like _The Strong Man_, but I don't think that's where CC got the inspriation for _City Lights_. After all, in his earliest story idea it was the Tramp who would go blind.

Blind girls are not uncommon in early twentieth century fiction. A French writer who had published a novel about a blind girl complained that Chaplin got the idea from him, but I doubt it. Which is not to say that Chaplin never got ideas from other people.

Connie K.