-Cinema Spotlight Speedy 1928

When it comes to sikent films three best known slapstick comedians Harold Lloyd usually comes in third, behind Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, but there's a lot to be said for Harold Lloyd

His be-speckled, ambitious characters captured the can do spirit of the optimistic 20s and his movies remain funny and charming.  (Plus he's the only silent era comedienne to have a character on the sci fi comedy cartoon Futurama named after him, Dr. Zoidberg's uncle Harold Zoid) 

Prolific even by early cinema standards Lloyd made nearly 200 films.  The best of the ones I've seen is Speedy, 1928

In the film Lloyd plays Harold "Speedy" Swift.  An ambitious, baseball obsessed young man with a sweet steady girl friend, Jane, played by charming flapper actress Ann Christy.  She really looks good in a cloche.

Jane lives with her grand daddy a curmudgeonly charmer who drives one of the last horse drawn trolleys in New York and who doesn't look to kindly on Speedy's tendency to loose jobs.

Which happens early in the film after his love of baseball gets in the way of his job as a soda jerk at the world's chicest soda fountain.

Not to be discouraged by his job loss Speedy does what any  love struck young man in 1920s New York would  do.

To get to Coney Island Jane and Speedy have to take the subway, and thus follows the best mass transit scene in cinema history

Coney Island's hey day was the 1920s and I've never seen film capture its former glory better then Speedy.

The adventure ends with Speedy and Jane having lost all their money,  but gained a mischievous stray dog.  The two hitch a ride home in the back of a furniture wagon, which Speedy arranges to look like the apartment they hope to share one day.  Note the dog at their feet!

Eager to earn the money to make his fortune come true:

Speedy takes a job as a taxi driver

With predictably disastrous results:

Though the bright spot is he gets to drive his idol Babe Ruth to yankee stadium.  Its a lot of fun for the modern viewer to see this early example of a celebrity cameo and Babe does a great job.

After the Babe Ruth incident leads to using yet another job, Speedy takes over Jane's grand-daddy's horse drawn trolley.

Eventually with the help of his dog he manages to save the trolley from thieves, becoming the hero of the day, and finally getting engaged to Jane.

Speedy is a delightful film perfect for established fans of silent slapstick comedy or those new to silent film.  Its available to stream on hulu and amazon prime.

Ill be going on blogger break for the rest of the summer until after labor day so I can enjoy my vacation. Enjoy these last summer days.