Director: Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor (for the first two films); Ted Wilde, J. A. Howe, Harold Lloyd, Lewis Milestone
My local library recently added a free film streaming service to its online resources. Because it is meant to be an educational resource, the service has a great deal of early cinema classics, as well as foreign language films. This, naturally, suits me perfectly. A large number of Harold Lloyd films are included, and seeing as he appears briefly in the 1001+ list, I thought I'd check them out.
I can see why Lloyd was such a star; he is incredibly likeable. While he started his career imitating Chaplin's tramp character, Lloyd went on to develop his own persona. Where Chaplin is Dickenesque in his exploration of poverty through his tramp, and Keaton is stony-faced as he deals with the chaos going-on around him, Lloyd's Harold plays with ideas of masculinity. In Girl Shy he is just that, playing a tailor unable to speak to women without a considerable stutter; The Freshman follows Harold's attempts to be popular at college, using quirks he has copied from a film; and in The Kid Brother he is referred to as the boy of the family, and his often compared to his burly brothers and father. He even does the domestic work in the house. This underdog status, along with his sweet, shy smile, make him a rather adorable romantic lead.
Like Keaton, Lloyd was renowned for his athleticism. He scales the branches of an immensely tall tree just to keep his beloved in sight; he gets constantly tackled by football players; and in Girl Shy performs one of the most impressive chase scenes in film history. These three films cast him alongside Jobyna Ralston: they were in six films altogether. They have great chemistry, and Ralston sometimes gets to be part of the joke, not just the object of desire.
Only one of these films is included on the 1001+ list - The Kid Brother - the only entry from Lloyd's filmography. This is a shame, because any one of these, along with Safety Last! could be included; they are all funny, clever and impressive, showing the joys of silent comedy as brilliantly as Chaplin and Keaton do too.
Buster Keaton will always be my favorite of the great silent comedians, but Harold Lloyd does tend to be forgotten next to Keaton and Chaplin. He did have a distinct persona. Chaplin was all about the pathos and Keaton was often the guy who had things happen to him and had to fight through them. Lloyd's film persona was often that of a guy trying to achieve something and succeeding strictly from guts and determination rather than luck.
ReplyDeleteI've seen The Kid Brother and The Freshman (at least excerpts of it), and agree that Safety Last! should definitely be on the list. Speedy is worth watching, too, should you get the chance, although it's not as good as the others overall.
If you get the chance, track down some Fatty Arbuckle, who did a lot of work with Keaton early in Keaton's career. Arbuckle is very much forgotten these days. He was (obviously, based on his name) a bigger guy, but none of his films that I've seen used that as the point of any of the jokes. Just like, say Danny Devito plays guys who are short rather than short guys, Arbuckle played guys who are fat, not fat guys. Subtle but important difference.
Just curious--is the streaming service Kanopy? I have access to it, and I've been consistently pleased with the selection and the film quality.
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DeleteIt is Kanopy! Though I don't have access to everything they have (something to do with being Australian), I am enjoying what I can see, which is quite a few films I haven't found anywhere else.
DeleteI have certainly heard of Fatty Arbuckle, but haven't yet seen any of his work. I shall add it to the list.
It is a shame that Lloyd is largely forgotten in general. He was certainly talented, and his stunt work is still impressive.
Apparently, Kanopy has licenses for certain films in certain places. I've had a couple that I've tried to watch that I've been denied on as well.
DeleteStill, lots of good Criterion stuff and a surprisingly good horror collection.
I've seen all three of these and they are great fun! I especially love Girl Shy. It's non-stop hilarious! I watched it for the second time a few months ago on YouTube.
ReplyDeleteI like The Kid Brother well enough, but it's not nearly as good as Safety Last! or Girl Shy. I am completely baffled as to why The Kid Brother is on the List but Safety Last! isn't.
I have to say, I am too. It is certainly enjoyable, but Safety Last! is so iconic that it should be on there.
DeleteOf the three, I think The Freshman was my favourite, but they are all really good, and made me smile and laugh.
I forgot to mention how much I love Jobyna Ralston! I don't want to slight the other actresses that appeared with Keaton, Lloyd and Chaplin because they have their moments, especially Edna Purviance (have you seen A Burlesque on Carmen? She's so good!) and Mildred Davis. But Ralston seems to be able to hold her own with Lloyd on a regular basis and never gets overpowered by her co-star.
DeleteShe is great! You're completely right, she does hold her own against Lloyd, and they work so well together (no wonder they made six films together!).
DeleteDid you even know about Harold Lloyd going into this? I certainly did not, and here he turns out to be one of the silent superstars. How weird is that?
ReplyDeleteI liked Girls Shy quite a bit and The Kid Brother I think is better than most people seem to think. The tree pole scene is quite nice. I understand it is on the list. Still, leaving out Safety Last! is just ridiculous. Especially considering the amount of junk on the list.
Honestly I don't think I did, and it is a shame, because he was just as popular as the other two in his day.
DeleteWhat isn't on the List is sometimes baffling, especially when you look at what did make the cut. More Harold Lloyd would only improve it, I feel.