Former monthly contribution by late TCM host Robert Osborne to the TCM newsletter Now Playing in November, 2005.
Of all the jesters, buffoons, clowns and funny men who swept across the silent screen, and there were hundreds of them, only three were considered to tower above the rest: Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. Hundreds of others were candidates to be included in that august company, but none quite made the grade. Chaplin, Keaton and Lloyd–like The Three Tenors–have always been The Big Three of silent comedy, the yardsticks by which all other silent screen comedians have been judged. Which is fine and dandy except that most of us have had to take that assessment on blind faith. Indeed, we've had the chance, thanks to networks like TCM, revival houses, film societies and the VHS and DVD revolutions, to study the great and masterful work of Chaplin and Keaton - but who among us, except for the most dedicated film buffs with keys to hidden vaults, has had a chance to see an actual movie starring Harold Lloyd? If we know Lloyd at all, it's because of that famous image of him perilously hanging over a busy city street, clutching the hands of a clock. It's a defining moment from his 1923 film Safety Last! and, the experts tell us, it's part of a wonderfully inspired and breath-stopping sequence filmed, for the record, without the benefit of special effects, but by the clever use of camera trickery at three different Los Angeles locales.
One reason moviegoers have had so little access to the Lloyd films is due in large part to the man himself. During his lifetime, he alone controlled the rights to his films and, for years, was very strict about their showings; by the time he did make them available for screenings, the public had basically lost interest in his work, preferring to check out newer comedians who had entered the marketplace. Two years following his death in 1971, a number of Harold Lloyd's movies were redistributed, but with two strikes against them: they didn't include the comedian's best work, and they were repackaged with a grating, badly conceived narration added to them, which further limited their appeal. That's why we're particularly excited about our 19-film salute to Harold Lloyd. We're going to make it very easy for you to see a virtual cornucopia of Harold Lloyd's films, both feature-length and shorts, including that one where he hangs from the clock (Safety Last!), plus The Freshman (1925), Girl Shy (1924), Hot Water (1924), The Kid Brother (1927), Grandma's Boy (1922), Why Worry? (1923), Movie Crazy (1932) and Speedy (1928).
After this, there should be no more arguments about whether or not he deserves that accolade as one of the most watchable, most original comedians of all time. It's a discovery I think you'll thoroughly enjoy making.
