THE DVD SHELF: The Harold Lloyd Collection, Hitchcock's "Lifeboat" and a surprising Comedy Classic

By Steven Suskin
29 Jan 2006

THE DVD SHELF: The Harold Lloyd Collection, Hitchcock's "Lifeboat" and a surprising Comedy Classic

This month's column discusses the seven-DVD "Harold Lloyd Collection," Tallulah Bankhead in Alfred Hitchcock's wartime "Lifeboat" and an omnibus Comedy Collection containing a hidden jewel.

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Back in the years before the advent of the talking picture, Hollywood had three kings of comedy: Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and the relatively forgotten Harold Lloyd. Lloyd was arguably the most successful, in his day. He made 11 silent features, from 1921 through 1928, including his classics “Safety Last!” (1923) and “The Freshman” (1925). In the same period, Chaplin — struggling with divorce, paternity and artistic blocks — was able to complete only four features. Only four, yes; but they included “The Kid” and “The Gold Rush.”

Many great comics led tortured existences; Lloyd, apparently, didn’t. This despite a difficult childhood, with his father’s chronic unemployment and divorce causing the lad to be displaced so frequently that he apparently attended 25 different schools. In 1919, as he was approaching stardom, Lloyd suffered a disfiguring accident at a publicity shoot, with a bomb blowing away the thumb and forefinger of his right hand. Even so, Lloyd made it to the top of the Hollywood game, and — after negotiating a lucrative new contract in 1922 — became owner of his films outright. This made him inordinately wealthy, allowing him to build himself a 16-acre Beverly Hills Xanadu he called Greenacres. When his talents proved less adaptable to talking pictures, Lloyd eagerly turned to other endeavors, including photography and philanthropy.

Chaplin and Keaton had their demons, which were in some ways reflected in their work (and which has kept them in the forefront through the decades). Lloyd’s films are built on entertainment and thrills; things move fast, with Harold scrambling to keep up. If Lloyd is lesser-known today, one of the iconic shots from the American cinema is the horn-rimmed Harold dangling from the arms of a clock, high above the roaring streets of downtown Los Angeles.

“Safety Last!” was the film, one of Lloyd’s finest. “The Freshman” might be my favorite, with Harold fighting his way onto the gridiron and — as always — emerging triumphant. “Speedy,” too, was a major hit in its day, and includes not only location shots of 1928 New York but a cameo by Babe Ruth. Yes, Chaplin retains first place with me; but Lloyd has laughs, charms and thrills.

New Line has come out with a handsome seven-DVD set, The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection. Included are 15 feature films (highlighted by “The Freshman” and “Safety Last!”); 13 shorts; and “a treasure trove of extras such as Harold Lloyd’s home movies, star tributes, photo galleries, all-new interviews and featurettes and rare 3-D photos with a pair of 3-D photo glasses.” Not surprisingly, this collection can hold your attention for hours.  Continued...