Nothing On a Stage Is Permanent: The Harry Langdon Scrapbook by Harry Langdon, Jr., and: Harry Langdon: King of Silent Comedy ed. by Gabriella Oldham and Mabel Langdon (review)

Even at this late date, comedian and filmmaker Harry Langdon is still something of a polarizing figure. Fans of classic Hollywood-era comedy seem to find him an original and hilarious artist or a baffling and frustrating minor talent. More significant though, is film history's critical evaluation of Langdon and his film work. Langdon's rise to fame in the mid- to late 1920s has been well documented, as has been his rapid fall from grace as the silent-era ended. Langdon's critical status as both performer and film-maker was set by accounts of his former collaborator, filmmaker Frank Capra, largely through critic James Agee's influential and canonical essay of 1949, "Comedy's Greatest Era," based mainly on information from Capra. Langdon had fired Capra. Capra later contended that Langdon was ignorant of his own talents and appeal and that fame made Langdon arrogant and self-important. Other writers replicated the Capra-Agee version, and even popular silent film comedy compilations, such as The Golden Age of Comedy (1957) and When Comedy Was King (1960), perpetuated that story of Langdon in their brief mentions of his life and work. Capra's autobiography The Name Above the Title (1971) further tarnished Langdon's reputation.

It was not until the mid-1980s that researchers began to publish accounts that rectified the injustice done to Langdon as person and artist. Notable volumes, first by William Schelly and then by Joyce Rheuban, not only corrected the record but also spurred further research. Since then, other books and articles and the increasing availability of his films, have added to a more balanced understanding of Langdon as person, comedian, and filmmaker. And now, we have two new books about Langdon from his relatives, one from his son, famed photographer Harry Langdon Jr., and one from his last wife (and Jr.'s mother), Mabel Langdon, in posthumous collaboration with scholar Gabriella Oldham.

The volume by Harry Langdon Jr. is a self-proclaimed scrapbook covering his father's life and career in roughly chronological order, primarily through visual documentation. The book is divided into five sections, presenting Langdon's story according to key segments of his professional career from early vaudeville years to his posthumous standing. The work ends with a twelve-page filmography and a bibliography of writings, web-sites, and DVDs related to Langdon and his career (184–93). The images that make up the scrapbook consist of publicity photographs and private snapshots as well as reproductions of print ads, posters, lobby cards, newspaper clippings, and even a telegram, a paystub, and one of his film contracts. Most welcome are several of Langdon the elder's own artwork, consisting of watercolors, ink cartoons, and charcoal drawings (136–41). All images are clear and clean, and many are in color. Significantly, they are presented large enough for detail to be discerned, and the layout is consistently uncluttered and smooth to the eye.

Though the written text is clearly secondary to the book's purpose of simulating a career scrapbook, it is no less useful. No single block is more than a paragraph in length and most are but a few sentences, yet they provide key information beyond mere description. For example, an entry on the film Heart Trouble (1928) is only three sentences but packs a lot of facts in: "Langdon had one more film under his First National Contract. Heart Trouble received a somewhat better critical reception than the two previous films, but faired poorly at the box office. The film had a limited release and soon disappeared, and today is considered a lost film"(88). There are two exceptions to this succinct...