Series: All Stars w/Harry Langdon
Director: James W. Horne, Charley Rogers
Producer: Hal Roach
Titles: H.M. Walker
Photography: Len Powers
Editor: Richard C. Currier
Sound: Elmer Raguse
Stars: Harry Langdon, Thelma Todd, Dorothy Granger
Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Released: 14 June 1930
Length: 2 reels
Production No.: S-31
Filming dates: February 7-22, 1930
Rating: -/10
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The King
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NOT ON DVD |
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"Where is the king?" - the queen demands to know. The royal advisor consults with a guard who tells him the king was fishing but is now hunting in the woods. Cue Harry Langdon - dressed more like a clown than a king - trying to shoot a tin can off a wall. After three failed attempts where he hits a window, a plant and the guard's hat, he simply throws a slipper at it instead. The royal advisor tells him that his presence is requested by the queen in the throne room. The queen's lady-in-waiting, Dorothy Granger also relays the message, poking her cleavage in the king's face and looking irrestistable and making him look very awkward. The queen and her entourage come outside the palace to find the king in the arms of the other woman and he makes a run for it. The queen catches him and bends him over her knee on a bench and begins spanking him (this would not be a punishment for some men!) whilst he consults with his advisor. As the king walks back to the palace a second maiden approaches him and after some small talk she kisses him. In a cringey scene that follows, the king fires his gun, falls down and pretends to be mortally wounded. He and the advisor walk back to the palace where they admonish a guard for winking (yes I think I spelt that right) at the advisor's wife. But the king goes one better and grabs her by the breasts at least three times (see favourite bit) as he tries to avoid getting splashed with the water the advisor is throwing in their direction to rouse her from her fainting. As she starts to come around she asks the king to "kiss me again". Her husband is immediately irritated! |
| The queen becomes equally irritated with the king and launches a physical attack on him. He finds himself flying across the floor, under a rug and head-first into a wall. The queen accuses him of chasing women and chains him to her before ordering him into bed. With their beds separated by a curtain the queen starts to undress (typical that we only watch HIS side of the screen as opposed to hers, you know, because we can't get enough of Harry Langdon!) He fiddles around for a while before threatening to peak at her through the curtain but she warns him not to try it. |  |
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Favourite bit This isn't even accidental. Langdon deliberately grabs Geneva Mitchell's tits. |
| Trivia • Copyrighted April 21, 1930. • Filmed in German as Der Konig. • This was the last film in the Harry Langdon series. Langdon was later re-appear in three features for Roach, beginning with There Goes My Heart in 1938, followed by Zenobia (1939) and All American Co-Ed (1941). • The scenes outside in the royal gardens (with the castle walls and pond) was shot on the Hal Roach back lot. • When Harry Langdon is trying to shoot the tin can on the wall the first shot he fires hits a window, which sends its shattered glass down onto the ground. Given that subsequent shots were fired from the same position, the glass would have fallen inwards rather than outwards. • It's always nice to see when Thelma Todd appears in a film that the beautiful Dorothy Granger is on hand to upstage her. • Wow, in a scene I absolutely couldn't believe I just saw with my own eyes: when James Parrott reveals the maiden to be his wife, Harry Langdon very deliberately grabs her breasts SEVERAL TIMES when Parrott isn't looking! How the hell did that get past the censors! What the experts say • "Harry Langdon is actually marginally watchable in this one" ~ Lord Heath. |
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Harry Langdon The King |
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Thelma Todd The Queen |
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Dorothy Granger Lady in waiting |
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Geneva Mitchell Royal advisor's wife |
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Otto Fries Guard |
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Brad Michigan Guard |
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James Parrott Royal advisor |
Charles McAvoy Guard |
CREDITS |
| SHOT ON THE LOT The following scenes were filmed on the Hal Roach Back Lot and are included in the TOUR |
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| Acknowledgements: Jesse Brisson (identification of Geneva Mitchell) This page was last updated on: 14 June 2019 |