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Written by Administrator
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Sep 14, 2009 at 10:10 AM |
 September 26th, "Speedy" loses his job as a soda-jerk, then spends the day with his girl at Coney Island. He then becomes a cab driver and delivers Babe Ruth to Yankee Stadium, where he stays to see the game. When the railroad tries to run the last horse-drawn trolley (operated by his girl's grandfather) out of business, "Speedy" organizes the neighborhood oldtimers to thwart their scheme.
Decades before boy wizard Harry Potter donned his round spectacles, Harold Lloyd became a Hollywood sensation by playing a silent-film character wearing glasses and showing optimism despite all odds.
Harold Lloyd will be featured at downtown Peoria's nonprofit Apollo Theater on Saturday, September 26, with two short subjects and his last silent feature, “Speedy,” co-starring baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth -- and accompanied with live music by local pianist and actor Kirk Bradshaw.
Specializing in visual gags, Lloyd's most famous role was the "Glasses" character, a young and average all-American who was eager to succeed despite any physical obstacle in his way. A memorable movie still is of Lloyd hanging from a clock in the 1923 gem “Safety Last!”
On the official Harold Lloyd web site – haroldlloyd.com – his enduring talent is explained: His films aren’t dated; his “Glasses” guy changes with each movie; and the films are family friendly.
Lloyd also was an upbeat role model, says his nephew, Scott Lloyd: “I was never quite as optimistic, brave, courteous, funny or courageous as Harold was, but he was always a symbol of the type of person I wanted to be.”
After working with innovators including Max Sennett and Hal Roach, Lloyd essentially retired at the age of 45, but his popularity remains. This summer, Nebraska school kids celebrated Lloyd’s what would have been 116th birthday with an appreciation of silent comedies – a story covered in variety magazine.
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Last Updated ( Mar 15, 2010 at 08:27 AM )
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