Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy, Volume 10

Building the cumulative, visual joke was a staple during the silent film era. The recognized master of the technique was Harold Lloyd, whose superb pantomime and refinement of slapstick brought to the screen some of its finest comic moments. His ordinary young man in glasses was a carefully thought out figure--a resourceful, success-seeking go-getter--who matched the zeitgeist of the 'roaring' 20's. His extended chase scenes and daredevil physical feats as an otherwise polite, bespectacled young man brought him worldwide fame, fortune, and an enduring place in the history of motion pictures. Happily, Lloyd managed to hang on to all three. Such visual jokes were an expensive proposition, however, and when sound was introduced, producers found it cheaper to rely on the humor of dialogue rather than action. In 1962, an anthology of clips from his most famous one and two-reelers was shown to critical acclaim, proving that the carefully built and timed sight gag still has the power to leave audiences helpless with laughter. While not stinting on the biographical details, this volume describes Lloyd's methods and films with comparisons and contrasts to the methods of his contemporaries -- Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Keaton and Sennett. Mr. Lloyd comments directly on some outstanding comedians and comediennes of the present day. Lavishly illustrated, this is a feast for silent film aficionados.