The premise for this Harold Lloyd vehicle is the oft-used trope of the nice guy who is terribly shy around women, in this case, so much so that he begins stuttering and even trembling. What makes it amusing initially is that he's also an aspiring writer who, of all things, has written a how-to book for other young men called "The Secret of Making Love". The two fantasy sequences he dreams up while writing, for chapters dealing with a woman who is a vampire (vamp) and a flapper, are fantastic, and I wish there could have been more of them. Lloyd is of course cool, confident, and macho in his daydreams, at one point giving the flapper (Judy King) a spanking. In real life he can't even muster the courage to sit down next to a rich young girl who has tried to sneak her dog on a train (Jobyna Ralston). The love story that develops between Lloyd and Ralston is predictable, but sweet. The two of them carry around mementos of their meeting (a box of dog treats for him, and a box of Cracker Jacks for her), pining away for each other. Lloyd endures humiliation in many ways, the most memorable being when an entire office crowd around to laugh over his book, and then mock him mercilessly. These empathy building devices for the 'nice guy' are cliché today, but I found them endearing and interesting, especially since the film is from 1924. There are a few nice gags along the way, but what really makes the film is the madcap journey he takes aboard all manner of vehicles - a car, train, pair of horses, streetcar, motorcycle, etc. towards the end. It's an extended sequence that is brilliant and memorable.

In the small town of Little Bend, girl shy Harold Meadows (Harold Lloyd) is an apprentice tailor working for his uncle Jerry Meadows. He studies the female sex academically and writes a how-to book to meet them, "The Secret of Making Love". There are fantasy sequences portraying the different subsets of women. Mary Buckingham is a carefree rich heiress. Her car breaks down and she walks to the nearest train stop in Little Bend. There she runs into Harold who is going to LA trying to sell his book to a publisher. He immediately falls in love with her. Dogs are forbidden on the train and her dog runs away. Harold manages to retrieve the dog and returns it to the beauty. Neither knew that her boyfriend Ronald DeVore plans to propose marriage.The fantasy sequences are silly to the point of being insulting. There's a possibility that it's a deliberate spoof although the start doesn't set up the satire well. Right before that, the customer and her city cousins are too broad. Even their makeup seem harsh and theatrical. I wish those minor female characters have more realism. It would separate the real world from his imagined world. I actually love the publisher girls making fun of his book which is akin to those pretend-playboys who teaches using insults to get the supermodels. I also wish that Mary is more thankful about her dog immediately although their story is very cute. There is a pleasant flow to their chemistry development but they don't have the heated exchanges which is the hallmark of the standard rom-com formula. This is a sweet simple romance with Harold delivering the comedy and it works. Harold does his action comedy in the third act.

Many black and white silent movies have gone by the way side. As far as appreciation goes in this day and age they deserve a whole lot more than we give them credit for. Mostly because these movies require a lot more effort into consideration of the plot and witty humor. They are so simple at their core though... like this movie for example is so beautifully done because its so innocent. No pretentious special effects or made up stars just a pure scene unedited and raw, giving it a lot of organic texture and feel. The scene where Harold Meadows is writing his book and begins his flashback with the "vampire" woman is absolutely adorable, such delicate lighthearted humor is a breath of fresh air in an entertainment industry beginning to rely on shock value, ratings and financial success. Harold Lloyd is an underrated silent film actor for sure, silent movies would not be complete without the star to make them even more endearing than before and Lloyd certainly articulates his charming warmth and melodramatic expressions to an audience young and old in a way that we can all understand how the character is feeling.

Harold Lloyd ranks as one of the three greatest silent comedians next to Chaplin and Keaton. He combines great comic timing with crisp editing and physical daring-do that wows audiences. Girl Shy, written by Lloyd and the first film he produced, tells the story of a sweet-natured, stuttering bonehead who can not approach the girls. The irony is he has been secretly readying a book on how to be romantic with girls while working his day job as a tailor's assistant, back when a guy could still be a tailor's assistant. He takes a shine to Jobyna Ralston, his co-star in his best films, but then he's embarrassed by his publisher making fun of his book. The publisher decides to publish it as a joke to make the public laugh, and then Harold must spring into action quickly to save Jobyna from marrying a caddish two-timer. Did someone put a gun to her head though? Never mind, it's all in good fun and a set-up to the magnificent thrill comedy Lloyd was known for at the time. He employs just about every item of transportation known at the time to arrive to break up the wedding on time. It's all the more thrilling when you realize these are actual hands-on stunts Lloyd performs without a stuntman. Some of them are obviously quite dangerous upon viewing them. The large estate appearing near the end was Lloyd's own property. It's a terrific piece of good old-fashioned entertainment. *** of 4 stars.