John Seal
How did I live the previous 54 years of my life without being aware of Hairbreadth Harry? This delightful series of two-reel comedies (well represented on VCI's 'Weiss-O-Rama' double DVD set) relate the comic misadventures of Harry (Earl McCarthy, apparently felled by a heart attack at age 26!), a young man perpetually tasked with rescuing Beautiful Belinda (Charlotte Merriam) from the grasping clutches of villain Relentless Rudolph (John J. Richardson). These broad satires of the movies and of 1920s mores (witness this film's focus on all things Hawaiian) are hilarious in their absurdity, crude special effects, and over-the-top physical comedy. The moustache-twirling, top-hat and spats wearing Rudolph surely served as a source of inspiration for Jay Ward's Snidely Whiplash, and Richardson clearly relished the role, absolutely devouring the scenery in between intertitles of him screaming 'CURSES!'. Withal, any movie fan worth their salt will get a kick out of the series, of which Fearless Harry is the first entry.
