''The Strong Man'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film starring Harry Langdon. Along with ''

Tramp, Tramp, Tramp ''Tramp, Tramp, Tramp'' is a 1926 American silent film, silent comedy film directed by Harry Edwards (director), Harry Edwards and starring Harry Langdon and Joan Crawford. Premise The film tells of Harry (Langdon) a ne'er-do-well who falls in ...

'', ''The Strong Man'' is Langdon's best known film. Capra would also direct Langdon's next feature, '' Long Pants'' (1927), which would be their final collaboration.

Plot

Paul Bergot (Harry Langdon) is a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

emigrant to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

who has fallen in love with Mary Brown (Priscilla Bonner), a blind woman. They met as pen-pals when he was fighting in Europe during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Mary even sent Paul a photo of herself. Paul searches for Mary Brown by asking every woman he meets if she is Mary Brown. By accident he rescues her town from crooks and bootleggers.

Cast

Harry Langdon Harry Philmore Langdon (June 15, 1884 – December 22, 1944) was an American comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films (where he had his greatest fame), and talkies.Obituary ''Variety'', December 27, 1944, page 39. Life and career Bor ...

as Paul Bergot * Priscilla Bonner as Mary Brown *

Gertrude Astor Gertrude Astor (born Gertrude Irene Eyster; November 9, 1887 – November 9, 1977) was an American motion picture character actress, who began her career playing trombone in a woman's band. Early years Gertrude Irene Eyster was born in Lakew ...

as Lily of Broadway *

William V. Mong William V. Mong (June 25, 1875 – December 10, 1940) was an American film actor, screenwriter and director. He appeared in almost 200 films between 1910 and 1939. His directing (1911–1918) and screenwriting (1911–1922) were mostly for ...

as Holy Joe * Robert McKim as Mike McDevitt *

Arthur Thalasso Arthur Thalasso (November 26, 1883 – February 13, 1954) was an American stage actor of vaudeville and musical comedy in the 1910s and, subsequently, a screen actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1919 and 1945. He was born the ...

as Zandow the Great

Reception

Critical response

The staff at ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' magazine liked the film and wrote, "A whale of a comedy production that has a wealth of slapstick, a rough-and-tumble finish and in the earlier passages bits of pantomimic comedy that are notable. Harry Langdon has a comic method distinct from other film fun makers. The quality of pathos enters into it more fully than the style of any other comedian with the possible exception of Chaplin. His gift of legitimate comedy here has a splendid vehicle." More recently, critic Maria Schneider reviewed Langdon's work and wrote, "Not surprisingly, Langdon was most often cast as an oblivious innocent adrift in a corrupt world, a formula that made him terrifically popular in the mid-1920s. Of the three features Kino has released, ''The Strong Man'' (1926) is the best...Crisply timed and almost perfectly paced, it is also notable as Frank Capra's directorial debut." Critic Richard von Busack wrote, "A little tragedy and a lot of laughs can be seen in 1926's ''The Strong Man''... Later, on the crowded bus out west, Langdon demonstrates a sterling silent comedy bit: the one about the goof who mistakes a jar of stenchy Limburger cheese for Vicks' VapoRub. With exquisite deadpan, Langdon keeps the incident from being too sad; he deftly, repeatedly, sucker-punches a bully who protests against the smell. Director Frank Capra's energy and sturdy plot sense counterpoint Langdon's wonderful strangeness." Reviewing Langdon's career and movies, silent film critic and author Dan Navarro wrote, "When Harry Langdon's ''

'' premiered in March 1926, it was greeted by moviegoers as a worthy challenger to the great films of

Charles Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consid ...

, Buster Keaton, and

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary '' Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film c ...

. Langdon was hailed as 'the fourth comedy genius.' That heady feeling was reinforced when, in September 1926, Langdon appeared in an even better picture, Frank Capra's ''The Strong Man''...

he film He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

was Frank Capra's first directorial effort, and his genius shines through."

Awards

In 2007, ''The Strong Man'' was selected for preservation in the United States

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

References

External links

*
''The Strong Man'' essay
by

Bill Schelly William Carl Schelly (November 2, 1951 – September 12, 2019) was an Eisner Award-winning author who chronicled the history of comic books and comic book fandom, and wrote biographies of comic book creators, including Otto Binder, L.B. Cole, Jo ...

* * * *
Harry Langdon
article at ''Images Journal'' by Gary Johnson
Strong Man'' essay by Daniel Eagan in ''America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry''
A&C Black, 2010 , pages 119-120 {{DEFAULTSORT:Strong Man, The 1926 films American silent feature films Silent American comedy films American black-and-white films Films about blind people Films directed by Frank Capra United States National Film Registry films 1926 directorial debut films 1926 comedy films 1920s American films