Feux croisés

At the beginning of his career, Harold Lloyd copied other comedians' styles (such as his "Lonesome Luke", which was a derivation of Chaplin's "Little Tramp"). However, by 1917 Lloyd had perfected the look of his later characters (the glasses, hat and suit), but it took him another 'three or four years to soften and improve upon the character. You see, up until about 1920 or 1921, Harold Lloyd's characters in film were not especially sweet or likable--a far cry from his decent "everyman" character he later played to perfection in films like SAFETY LAST and THE FRESHMAN. Here in TWO-GUN GUSSIE, Lloyd is slightly more likable than he had been in many previous films, but still he isn't quite the sweet guy we're used to seeing in later films.

Lloyd is a piano player and for some odd reason, he leaves his society home and goes West. Here he is mistreated until he is mistaken for a dangerous criminal. While this is excellent material for the comedian, his "fat-headed" reaction to his new-found respect makes him less than lovable, as he begins believing the stories and starts pushing people around for no particular reason. Also for no particular reason the film comes to an end with no real resolution. Sadly, Snub Pollard and Bebe Daniels are pretty much wasted in this rather forgettable film.

By the way, don't assume I hate Lloyd. He is, in fact, my favorite of the silent comics. It's just that his early stuff, like Chaplin's, is very rough and relies too much on slapstick.