Temple Raider said:
I meant his moments when he comes off as like a buffoon, like the umbrella bit. We're to believe he's a wise man and yet he comes off with silly moments like that.
Being a buffoon IS part of Henry Sr.'s personality. These "bad/silly moments"
are "right for the character" because that's the way he is. Unlike Marcus' case in "Crusade", he was never shown being serious in a previous film so, in 1989, there was nothing to compare with (unless, of course, your first introduction to Henry Sr. was via the later TV series, where he is younger and displays no buffoonery).
From his very first scene, Henry Sr. is portrayed as a goofball when he is more concerned about the broken vase than with his own son's head! Then he throws the vase to the ground, making even more noise, which is followed by this:
Henry Sr.: "But I thought you were one of them."
Indy: "Dad, they come in through the doors."
Henry Sr.: "Good point."
Indy: "D'uh!"
Later on, he ineptly drops the lighter and stupidly makes the fire worse by blowing on the flames from a distance. Is that a wise thing to do when you're trying put them out? Plus, Indy tells his dad to fire the machine gun at 11 o'clock and the old coot doesn't understand the meaning. Not to mention the daffy professor shoots their own plane and won't admit it.
Henry Sr. may be intelligent but he is an accident-prone buffoon. (That said, his character is not what makes "Crusade" my least favourite of the original 3.)