Los – Harold – los (1928)
11KLos – Harold – los: Directed by Ted Wilde. With Harold Lloyd, Ann Christy, Bert Woodruff, Babe Ruth. Harold “Speedy” Swift, a fan of Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees, saves from extinction the city’s last horse-drawn trolley, operated by his girlfriend’s grandfather.
“This is simply a wonderful film and is among the greatest films of Harold Lloydu0026#39;s career. Unfortunately, it was also the last silent film he made, as 1928 was a transition year in Hollywood–with a decent number of sound pictures being produced. By 1929, just about all the movies they made were talkies.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHarold is a well-meaning guy who just canu0026#39;t seem to hold down a job. Despite this, he takes his girl to Coney Island for an outing. While this segment of the film doesnu0026#39;t have a lot to do with the plot, I really enjoyed it because it gave an excellent view of Coney Island of 1928–with all the amazing old rides.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnother segment that really didnu0026#39;t relate to the overall plot was his brief run-in with Babe Ruth. He rushes him to the ballgame and gets to watch some of the game. Like the Coney sequence, this is a wonderful historical curio, as you get to see The Babe and Yankee stadium.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe girlu0026#39;s father owns a very old-fashioned non-electric trolley line in a small township in New York City. A big transit company is trying to buy him out, but he really wants to keep his business going. However, the scumbags at the big company figure out a loophole–if the small trolley line fails to operate for 24 or more hours, the contract is canceled and the big guys can steal the trolley line. So, they order a group of thugs to steal the trolley and hide it. Harold, up until then had been a lovable loser. However, he shows his mettle and goes to the rescue–leading to an amazing and fun extended chase as Harold tries to keep the trolley from missing its rounds.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall, this may not be the very best Lloyd film (I still think THE FRESHMAN is a tiny bit better), it is definitely among the very best and a great example of silent comedy at its best. Definitely on-par with the best of Chaplin or Keaton.”
