Speedy.

Review #1070: Speedy.

Cast: 
Harold Lloyd (Harold 'Speedy' Swift), Ann Christy (Jane Dillon), Bert Woodruff (Pop Dillon - Her Grand-daddy), Byron Douglas (W.S. Wilton), Brooks Benedict (Steve Carter), and Babe Ruth (Himself) Directed by Ted Wilde (#1044 - The Kid Brother)

Review: 
Speedy was the eleventh feature film starring Harold Lloyd, along with being his last silent film, released during the early transition from silent to sound features, with his next film Welcome Danger (1929) being filmed in both silent and sound but released in the latter. In any case, this is a fairly interesting film that manages to have its own share of charms. The plot involves Lloyd's character trying to save his love's grandfather from losing his business of operating a horse-drawn streetcar in New York City. Lloyd plays this carefree role convincingly enough, being quite charming and as useful as ever in his work with selling the gags. Christy and Woodruff are fairly decent, showing a bit of charm in each of their scenes with Lloyd. The other members of the cast are decent enough, although there isn't any particularly memorable adversaries or companions this time around, though the gags manage to make up for it enough.

There are numerous scenes showing the landscape of New York City, such as the scenes at Luna Park at Coney Island, or parts with Yankee Stadium, with the credit going to the filmmakers for not resorting to sets to try to simply have the film all filmed in sets, although a street of the Lower East Side was constructed on property that Lloyd owned on Westwood, California to complete the film. In any case, it's certainly interesting to look at this film as a time capsule of the city 80 years ago. The sequences on Coney Island are pretty entertaining, particularly the dollar-bill gag. Over halfway through the film, Babe Ruth (along with Lou Gehrig, appearing for a few seconds) shows up in an extended cameo role, being one of Lloyd's passengers on the taxi, which is pretty amusing. It may interest you to know that Wilde was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director of a Comedy for this film, awarded at the 1st Academy Awards, although he lost to Lewis Milestone for his work on Two Arabian Knights (1927). This was the only Oscar ceremony in which there were separate categories (in this case, "Dramatic" and "Comedy") for Best Director. Naturally, the film ends with a big spectacle chase, filled with laughs and amusement that will surely prove charming to watch. On the whole, this is a fine piece of film-work that will certainly charm fans of silent films or fans of Lloyd - with me falling into both categories. It isn't as great as something like Safety Last! (#758), but it will fall under the line of an acceptable gem to focus 86 minutes on - take it for what it's worth.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.