Pleasant Comedy With A Good Assortment of Gags & Stunts
29 November 2001
This is a pleasant comedy with a good assortment of gags and stunts. It also gives Harry Langdon a showcase for his brand of comedy, which is distinctive, although a cut below the comedy greats of his era like Keaton and Chaplin. Langdon's approach is slower and more child-like, sometimes overly so, but often it works well (which is no doubt thanks in large part to some good writing).

"Tramp, Tramp, Tramp" has a light, deliberately silly plot that sets up many good moments. Harry is trying to win a cross-country walking contest to win a prize that would save his father's business, while also trying to impress the girl he loves. (It is quite interesting to see a young Joan Crawford in this role - she does not look very much like she would in her later starring roles.) There are several very entertaining scenes, and even if you are not fond of Langdon's personal style, there are some creative gags, and most of the sequences work well. There's also a rather breath-taking stunt on the side of a cliff that even Keaton or Harold Lloyd would have been proud of.

While it may be of interest mainly to those who already like comedies of the era, most silent film fans should find this worthwhile and entertaining, if a notch beneath the great comedy classics of the era.
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