Burleigh Sullivan (Harold Lloyd) is a bumbling milkman. His hatcheck girl sister Mae gets harassed by two drunken brutes and he stands up to them. When Mae gets back to the scene, the drunks are knocked out and one of them turns out to be boxing champ Speed McFarland. Speed's manager Gabby Sloan is outraged at losing a big fight as Speed becomes a laughing stock. Burleigh's ability to duck makes him hard to hit. Desperate for money to save his hospitalized delivery horse, he accepts Gabby's scheme to train him to be a boxer. Unknown to him, Gabby had fixed all of his fights to fatten him up for a slaughter by Speed.Harold Lloyd continues to be a great everyman. I like all the relationships. I like the characters. I like the conflicts. The only thing missing is a love interest for sassy Ann Westley. She's got great sarcastic takes. In a movie like this, she needs a romantic pairing. There is plenty of fun. There are real laughs not just from the expected Harold Lloyd physical comedy but also from some great comedic dialogue. The boxing is hilarious and almost rivals that of Chaplin. This is great screwball fun.

Mild-mannered milk truck driver Harold Lloyd (as Burleigh "Tiger" Sullivan) defends his sister against a drunken middleweight boxing champion, then is mistaken for a fighter. He can't really box, of course, but manager Adolphe Menjou (as Gabby Sloan) makes Mr. Lloyd a famous fighter by fixing fights. "The Milky Way" is neither the best nor the worst of Lloyd's talking pictures. He is given an able director, adequate vehicle, and an extended "comic" support. With his distinctive voice, Lionel Stander (as "Spider" Schultz) makes a strong impression. Some of former box office champion Lloyd's best material involved special effects, and he still looks magical performing "hat tricks" herein. Nevertheless, it's obviously not working as well as Lloyd's classic silent features.***** The Milky Way (2/7/36) Leo McCarey ~ Harold Lloyd, Adolphe Menjou, Lionel Stander, Verree Teasdale

I taped this movie when it was shown on TCM recently and I've rewatched it several times since, enjoying it more with each viewing. It's a hilarious and energetic movie, and the editing, framing, and compositions of characters are always fresh, funny, and cliché-free. I especially like how the film echoes Burleigh's "ducking" abilities by cleverly using "ducking" techniques, or ellipses, in various ways: in telling the story, by leaving out certain scenes and revealing them later; and even in framing (in one scene Adolph Menjou plays a scene hidden behind a tree branch, "ducking out" of the frame). This film is as good as The Awful Truth and to me has the same strange beauty of that wonderful film.

A mild-mannered milkman finds himself swept into the world of dishonest professional boxing.Although forever famous for his silent classics, THE MILKY WAY once again illustrated Harold Lloyd's complete ease with the sound medium. Indeed, Paramount Studios and director Leo McCarey gave him the opportunity to entertain his fans with some very enjoyable gags & comedy routines. Whether frantically trying to find help for his sick horse, teaching stuffy society matron Marjorie Gateson how to duck punches, or sneaking a colt into the back of a taxi, Harold provides ample evidence that he hasn't lost the talent to amuse.A very talented cast of costars lend able support. Gum-chewing Adolphe Menjou scores as an unscrupulous fight promoter. As his long-suffering girlfriend, beautiful Verree Teasdale gets the film's best dialogue with her sarcastic one-liners. Hot-tempered William Gargan as the erstwhile middleweight champ & gravely-voiced Lionel Stander as a fight trainer complete the disreputable quartet.Helen Mack as Harold's sister, and Dorothy Wilson as his sweetheart, both offer perky performances; indeed, they are so much alike that some viewers may have a little difficulty in telling the two ladies apart. Dyspeptic George Barbier plays the blustery owner of Sunflower Dairies. Charles Lane once again reprises his role as a nosy reporter.