Judge, 1927-06-18 · page 35 of 36
Judge — June 18, 1927 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **film advertisement** for silent comedian Harry Langdon, promoting his movies "Long Pants" and "The Strong Man" through First National Pictures. The cartoon at top depicts a shocked figure in a hat—likely representing an audience member or critic—learning he hasn't seen Langdon's films. The accompanying text humorously suggests this is a grave social failing: "you can't blame Elise, can you?" (referencing some scandal, unclear from context alone). The ad positions Langdon as serious cinema art, not mere entertainment. It sarcastically claims his "muted drolleries" follow "classic caperers of all time" and boasts endorsements from "twenty famous critics." The phrase "It's Funny—very, very funny—and it's Art!" captures 1920s debates about whether slapstick comedy could be legitimate art. This reflects the silent era when comedians like Chaplin and Keaton were gaining critical respectability. The ad targets educated audiences, positioning Langdon viewing as cultural sophistication rather than lowbrow entertainment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Youll FIND WIM AT HID BEST 1 PROOXED BY THE HARRY LANGDON CORP. HAT was the blow that killed Casper! — The poor boy might have been forgiven for thinking The Black Bottom was a detective story or that necking was a new dance step.—But THIS— THIS! Well, you can’t blame Elise, can you? * * * Do be serious about this! If you've been living in sinful ignorance of HARRY LANGDON, for goodness sake pull yourself together and rush off to his latest feature film, Without a goodly store of Langdon lore you simply don’t belong —anywhere ! At last!—Here is screen comedy that compliments your cerebrum. Langdon’s muted drolleries are in the best tradition of the classic caperers of all time—we have the signed statements of twenty famous critics to prove it.—His Technique is a Triumph — his Pan- tomime is Perfect. It’s Funny—very, very funny—and it’s Art! Take the Guesswork Out of “Going to the Movies” ‘LONG: PANTS’ 33 Bp He STTLONG MAN’ “TRAMP, TRAMP, TRAMP” AT THE MORE DISTINGUISHED PICTURE HOUSES comicbooks.com