SPEEDY is one of Harold Lloyd's most delightful movies, a fast-paced love letter to 1920s New York City. It's certainly one of his funniest movies, with a lot of clever gags and flourishes. The title cards are great too; out of all the silent comedians and comediennes working during this decade, I don't think a single one had better titles in their pictures than Harold Lloyd did.The story is simple: Harold "Speedy" Swift is a go-getter who goes from one job to the next, though he never lets his spotty luck get him down. When his girlfriend's grandfather is in danger of losing his horse-drawn streetcar to the forces of modernity and big business corruption, Lloyd has to help the old guy from having his business sabotaged by greedy businessmen. The story is very loose: about twenty minutes of this eighty-six minute movie are devoted to Speedy and his girl having fun at Coney Island, with little that happens in those twenty minutes contributing to the overall story in any big way, but it does not matter. The movie is more about clever sight gags, the energetic NYC atmosphere, and likable characters, which makes it a good film to relax with after a long day at work.

Unable to hold a steady job, an avid baseball fan nevertheless manages to impress his girlfriend by saving her grandfather's transportation business (and meeting Babe Ruth too) in this Harold Lloyd silent comedy. More of a collection of skits than a cohesive narrative, 'Speedy' lacks in the tension and urgency departments but makes up for it with several very funny moments throughout. While some of the gags are telegraphed a little too far in advance (a twitchy dog tied to a table), most are delightfully spontaneous, with some of the best parts involving Lloyd failing to get paying taxi passengers and using a police officer mannequin to his advantage. The single cleverest scene though has Lloyd trick a couple of unsuspecting passengers into giving up seats for his girlfriend and himself. There are also some incredibly funny moments to be had from Lloyd somehow getting a crab stuck in his pocket while at Coney Island; the reactions of a baffled balloon salesman beg to be seen. The bit part players here are actually universally solid though and indeed as funny as Chaplin or Keaton could be in their heyday, there is something to be said for how the biggest laughs in this Lloyd comedy come from the way others react to the strife he gets into. The pacing sometimes lags here with an extensive number of title cards for a physical comedy, but this is generally solid stuff.

Today I watched a wonderful restoration of the Harold Lloyd gem "Speedy". Released nearly 90 years ago, this silent film demonstrates the power of great story telling and the genius of Harold Lloyd.Lloyd plays the titular character, Speedy--an optimist who can't keep a job. He's a big Yankees fan and the daily exploits of the Bronx Bombers are his obsession. Babe Ruth appears in an extended scene, including an at-bat in Yankee Stadium.The film is a tour of New York City, showing the skyline, Times Square, and numerous other locations. When Speedy takes his girlfriend, Jane (Ann Christy, to Coney Island--where he wins her a kewpie doll, a golliwog doll, and other trinkets--there are some nostalgic scenes of the park. Even the crush of the crowds on the NYC subway are grist for Lloyd's comedic mill.The film is a dramatic triumph, including tender moments, hectic chase scenes, a comic street fight, and some terrific examples of physical comedy and dangerous stunt work. And it was all filmed without special effects, except rear projection. The director, Ted Wilde, was nominated for a best director Oscar in the comedy category.For a glimpse of American comic cinema at its finest in 1928, just before sound changed the art form forever, there is no finer record of Harold Lloyd's mastery than "Speedy". A beautiful snapshot of New York City is a bonus, as are the references to Yankee Stadium and The Babe in the midst of his historic (1927) 60-home run season on Murderers' Row.

We are so fortunate that this film among many of Lloyds films that had not been in release for many years has recently been restored to it's original glory. This is a well done light romantic comedy which is what Lloyd not only specialized in but nearly invented as a medium.While it covers new ground, it also covers stuff Lloyd has done before with the street cars. If you have seen Girl Shy, you will realize that a lot of the street car stuff was done in that movie too though that one has a stronger story than this one.Lloyd's soda jerk chasing the young girl of his dreams in the basic plot. The wonderful covering of the old New York City area including the original Coney Island rides makes this film historic. Keep in mind, this was filmed in 1927 & released in 1928. That means when Babe Ruth makes his appearance in this movie, he is having on of his great seasons with the 27 Yankees. He is hitting 60 home runs that season. It would be over 30 years before Roger Maris broke that mark in 1961.This film does have some of Lloyds clever humor.