I recently became a Harold Lloyd fan, drawn in by his classic silent features of the 1920s. The DVD set I purchased also included some talkies, which (so far) haven't impressed me.
Lloyd is always a likeable guy, and this character is well-suited to him. But it could have been played by just about ANY comedic actor of the era (as proven when it was remade a decade later wtih Danny Kaye). Lloyd's earlier films stood out because of their incredible visual humor. But when the jokes are mostly spoken, the charm of the visuals is lost. This film was better than the previous talkie "The Cat's Paw," but not by much. It's no surprise that after a few more talkies, Lloyd bowed out of the screen biz.
Lloyd is always a likeable guy, and this character is well-suited to him. But it could have been played by just about ANY comedic actor of the era (as proven when it was remade a decade later wtih Danny Kaye). Lloyd's earlier films stood out because of their incredible visual humor. But when the jokes are mostly spoken, the charm of the visuals is lost. This film was better than the previous talkie "The Cat's Paw," but not by much. It's no surprise that after a few more talkies, Lloyd bowed out of the screen biz.