Speedy
Directed by Ted Wilde
Written by John Grey, Lex Neal, and Howard Emmet Rogers
1928/US
The Harold Lloyd Corporatio (Distributed by Paramount)
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel
Harold “Speedy” Swift: Aw, Jane – why worry about losing a job on Saturday, when we can go to Coney Island on Sunday?
Yet another 1929 Oscar-eligible film with a segment at Coney Island! And an excellent one at that.
Harold “Speedy” Swift (Harold Lloyd) is an earnest young man who is prone to mishaps and unintentionally causes chaos everywhere he goes. He is in love with Jane Dillon (Ann Christy), the granddaughter of “Pops” Dillon who is the owner/operator of the last horse-drawn street car in New York City. Pops is allowed to keep his route as long as his car is run once every 24 hours.
After Harold is fired from one in a series of very short jobs, he takes Ann for a fun-filled day at Coney Island.
A syndicate is trying to put together a merger of the streetcar business and must buy up the small operators if it is to succeed. After Pops is unwilling to sell out except at a high price, a gang of thugs is hired to board the car and do away with the old man. Harold, who can’t get married until Pops is settled, determines to run the car and save the day.
Harold also gets a job as a taxi driver who is forced for one reason or another to drive at a breakneck speed through the streets of New York. Both goals result in some spectacular chases.
This was Harold Lloyd’s last silent film and it’s a dandy. If you don’t smile at one gag you have only a few seconds before you are laughing at another. The high-speed chases are truly incredible and ahead of their time. Lloyd is constantly making a fool of himself while also being a real hero. I think the only other Lloyd film I have seen is The Freshman. I will have to remedy that some day.
The film has been beautifully restored.
