A Blitz on the Fritz (1943) Online

Harry Langdon is back to being the baby-faced imp with the clownish hat in this story about trying to do his bit for the American war drive for surplus materials and ends up foiling a ring of Nazi saboteurs (among them, Vernon Dent and Bud Jamison) in grand comic style! He tries to impress his wife and her friends, who have formed a committee of emergency nurses, and make a practice dummy out of him. He then he goes off on his own to see what he can do for the war effort. Thanks to the writing and coaching skills of Clyde Bruckman, who no doubt worked with Harry to set up the big brawl at the end, this is a very amusing and enjoyable old-time comedy!

Harry Langdon was well past his big money starring days by the time he made this short subject, but he had not outlasted his talent. By this time, Harry had figured out how to make his character work in talkies, and the only shame is that this one is pretty unknown and hard to see.

In short, Harry is his usual childish dimwit -- with a 40's patriotic fervor to do the right thing, but somewhat at a loss at how to do the right thing. Through the writing skills of Clyde Bruckman (who is busily raiding the comedy attics of all the comedians he has worked for), Harry figures it out, but not before providing some good laughs (and the occasional pratfall.) The final sequence is a standout, as is the three or four minutes where Harry becomes a guinea pig for his wife's first aid class.

Much better than most Columbia shorts of the period.