When most people think of silent comedy, they likely conjure up an image of Charlie Chaplin and his Little Tramp character swinging around a cane. Perhaps, some picture Buster Keaton performing some sort of death-defying stunt with an expressionless face. But how many people immediately think of Harold Lloyd and his Glasses character trying to make his way in the world?
Of this trifecta of silent comedians, Lloyd is undoubtedly the least well-known, especially among the general population. He lives largely in the shadow of Chaplin and Keaton, despite having been just as successful as his contemporary competitors. Additionally, Chaplin and Keaton's works, on the whole, have endured as iconic classics in ways that few of Lloyd's films, save perhaps Safety Last!, have. This has always been puzzling to me. Lloyd's films have a comedic style all their own that differentiated him from his contemporaries and still proves just as delightful and entertaining as Chaplin or Keatons' trademarks.
Harold Lloyd is actually the actor who got me into silent comedy. Having only seen Keaton's The General several months before, I tuned into a marathon on TCM for what would have been Lloyd's 125th birthday and caught Haunted Spooks. I was hooked. Taken by Lloyd's charming bashfulness combined with his impeccable comedic timing, I could not wait to seek out more of Lloyd's work, and my love for silent comedy and silent film came along with that. Lloyd played his Glasses character, the one around which his image and career were built, with a very unique combination of heart and physicality. He was a go-getter who would tackle challenges but often found himself in over his head, which is where most of the comedic value came from in his films.
Perhaps what I love most about Lloyd, and what makes him the perfect complement in this trinity of silent film comedians, is the way he fits in with Chaplin and Keaton. I was finally able to put a finger on it after watching The Freshman:
...Lloyd combines the heart of Chaplin and the physicality of Keaton into a synthesis all his own and it's one that I love and still feels so modern. While Chaplin tackles bigger societal problems in his films, Lloyd's heart comes from the everyday problems he faces. In so many ways, his glasses character is the most "every man" of the holy trinity of silent comedy
@Bresfilms41, Letterboxd, The Freshman (1925)
The more I think about this spectrum theory when contextualizing Lloyd, the more I believe it to be true. Looking at story-heavy Chaplin versus gag-heavy Keaton (heavy just meaning that is what they are best at, not meaning too much of it), Lloyd does fit perfectly in the middle. Chaplin is remembered for his emotionally stirring stories, such as The Kid and City Lights, while Keaton is most remembered for his unbelievable stunts, showcased in The General and Steamboat Bill, Jr. Lloyd's films have a considerable amount of heart to them, but they also have a tremendous amount of perfectly timed physical comedy and gags. In that way, Lloyd takes the best of both worlds to reach this unique equilibrium that makes his films altogether enjoyable to watch in their own way.
Of the silent comedy trifecta, Lloyd made the most successful transition to sound, creating several well-regarded sound films making use of his Glasses character. Chaplin moved very slowly to making sound films, albeit being very successful upon doing so, and Keaton had an infamously rocky transition coinciding with his disastrous move to MGM. Lloyd, on the other hand, continued his prior success. I believe it is the synthesis of story and gags that allowed Lloyd to thrive in early talkies. His films were never so dependent upon a moving story that early dialogue would "cheapen" it, but they were also never so gag-heavy that a dialogue-driven plot felt superfluous and forced. In that way, Lloyd and his style were perhaps the best suited to make the transition to sound, and he certainly was successful in doing so.
Perhaps it is because Lloyd did not make auteur-style films in the same sense as Chaplin and Keaton, who retained all control over their still-revered masterworks, that he is not as remembered today as his contemporaries. Lloyd did not direct any of his most popular films, barely stepping behind the camera as a director at any point. Perhaps it is because he is overshadowed by his contemporaries, Chaplin as a titan of storytelling and Keaton as a titan of physical comedy. Whatever the reason, Lloyd does fly under the radar outside of film circles today, and undeservedly so. His style of comedy is unique to him and finds the sweet spot of blending emotional, timely storytelling with well-executed and engaging gags. It makes him entertaining to watch in his own way, and truly deserving of his spot among the ranks of Chaplin and Keaton in the heights of silent film comedy.
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