Speedy (1928)

Today I watched a wonderful restoration of the Harold Lloyd gem "Speedy". Released nearly 90 years ago, this silent film demonstrates the power of great story telling and the genius of Harold Lloyd.Lloyd plays the titular character, Speedy--an optimist who can't keep a job. He's a big Yankees fan and the daily exploits of the Bronx Bombers are his obsession. Babe Ruth appears in an extended scene, including an at-bat in Yankee Stadium.The film is a tour of New York City, showing the skyline, Times Square, and numerous other locations. When Speedy takes his girlfriend, Jane (Ann Christy, to Coney Island--where he wins her a kewpie doll, a golliwog doll, and other trinkets--there are some nostalgic scenes of the park. Even the crush of the crowds on the NYC subway are grist for Lloyd's comedic mill.The film is a dramatic triumph, including tender moments, hectic chase scenes, a comic street fight, and some terrific examples of physical comedy and dangerous stunt work. And it was all filmed without special effects, except rear projection. The director, Ted Wilde, was nominated for a best director Oscar in the comedy category.For a glimpse of American comic cinema at its finest in 1928, just before sound changed the art form forever, there is no finer record of Harold Lloyd's mastery than "Speedy". A beautiful snapshot of New York City is a bonus, as are the references to Yankee Stadium and The Babe in the midst of his historic (1927) 60-home run season on Murderers' Row.

Lloyd's last silent movie (and his last good pic) is - despite some great gags, high production values and eye-catching set-pieces - first and foremost a wonderful time capsule of New York City, 1928.The direction evokes an authentically busy and buzzing Big Apple atmosphere, set in contrast to the relaxed good ol' times when horse carts were still popular.There's not much plot to speak of, rather a string of sequences, with the middle section being particularly funny while the two(!) showdowns are too drawn out.7 out of 10 cab drives with Babe Ruth

For a number of people, this is their Harold Lloyd film, especially if they are from New York City. I can understand that, as it's a funny movie and has great shots of what it looked like in NYC in 1927. (The film was released in 1928). It also is famous for having a 5-minute guest appearance by Babe Ruth.My vote still goes to "The Freshman," as Lloyd's best but that's all subjective. This is a solid entry and if nothing, else it's a great showcase to see what The Big Apple looked like 80 years ago.This gets off to good start, too, unlike a number of silent comedies. Harold's ice- cream parlor antics, as a soda jerk, are a lot of fun to watch. I loved the way he signaled his co-workers on how his beloved home team, the Yankees, were doing inning-by-inning. After Harold loses that job, he winds up driving a cab and then, at the end trying to help his girlfriend's father. The elderly man drives the last horse-trolley in the city and is being threatened by someone who wants to buy him out, and Harold comes to the rescue with a dramatic race to beat the clock in the final hectic 15 minutes of the film.While he was driving the cab, he gets the famous Ruth as one of his customers and he's so excited he almost cracks up the cab and Ruth goes crazy in the back seat. It's a funny scene.Also tied in with the film is a nice, long scene with Lloyd and his girl (Ann Christy) having a wild day at Coney Island. That, too, was fun and interesting to see. In all, a fun movie and a chance to see Lloyd finish up his great silent career, before films changed to "talkies."

I really wasn't that familiar with Harold Lloyd until I saw this silent. I wasn't going to watch it at first, but I got immersed in it almost immediately! What glorious and successful use of slapstick! I'm not even into slapstick that much, but this one had me "rolling in the aisles," or should I say my living room chair.Mr. Lloyd had a knack of making fun of himself, which to me is the essence of anything comical. I guess that's why I don't watch anything too recent, since so much comedy these days is either at somebody else's expense, or just plain stupid. Here we have the hero, Lloyd, trying to do something nice for someone else, while having absolute perseverance throughout impossible trials and tribulations. That makes it even better. No violence, thank goodness! Mr. Lloyd was a genius, and he ranks with Buster Keaton in bringing timeless laughs.