Harold Lloyd was a comedic icon with few real equals in early cinema, even if he may not have had the same name recognition as some contemporaries. Lloyd gave us the same reliable stunts, gags, situational humor, physical comedy, and general silliness, and there's not one of his silent classics that isn't a terrific, hilarious classic. Then again, while the man's career continued past the advent of talkies, his meaningful success thereafter is far more variable. 1932's 'Movie crazy' is a clever, delightful blast that definitely recalls the energy and wit of its silent predecessors, but the same can't be said for 1930's 'Feet first,' which was an improvement on 1929's 'Welcome danger'; in my opinion this title's immediate antecedent, 1936's 'The milky way,' was possibly the weakest picture Lloyd was ever involved with. It's not necessarily that there was a specific struggle with the new sound format, and the aforementioned sound features were still enjoyable in some measure, yet they're a big step down for a cinematic legend; somewhere along the line the cleverness and vitality just leaked away from the star's output. Sadly, I think 'Professor beware' tends to have more in common with that lesser side of his body of work, and it pales in comparison to Lloyd's best.
By all means, this 1938 flick earns some laughs. Regrettably, they are all too few. Like in 'The milky way,' the situational humor is somewhat overtaken by plot, and the plot is thin and less than convincing. Rather than inspire the desired reaction, some would-be sharp dialogue, some gags, and some of the abject ridiculousness just come off as hollow raucousness and empty hot air. The pacing is troubled, as too many story beats and intended jokes are disallowed from manifesting, breathing, and resolving in their own time; the film just rather blows past some of the writing, and as a result feels scattered and harried. In turn, 'Professor beware' becomes sadly ordinary and unremarkable: there are wide swaths of fare from the early to mid 30s that's reasonably well made, and which provides a good time to some extent, but which exists in a bland, middling space that fails to make any big impression. This, I'm sorry to say, distinctly seems to count among such so-so cinema. It's not outright bad, and there are far worse things you could watch. The whole thing, though, is that for a star who at his best earned one laugh after another and commanded our attention, a piece that struggles to earn either laughs or mere engagement is a huge fumble.
The writing favors utmost zest and pizazz over sly ingenuity, or judicious storytelling; even if that weren't true, Elliott Nugent's direction is far too uncareful - orchestrating scenes with high energy, sure, but treating the material poorly. There are ideas here that should be delightful, yet through to the bombastic climax, so much of it is instead simply overcooked and dull, like meat that's left on a grill until it's charred and flavorless. The cast fully embraces the bluster, bless their hearts, not least with Lloyd sacrificing his body, and this is well done in all other regards: sets, costume design, stunts, effects, and so on. It rather says a lot, however, that as the digital timer broached the one hour mark I had all but checked out of the viewing experience, and there was still another solid half-hour to go. If you want a 30s comedy, you'll get it, and it's a decent enough way to spend ninety minutes, but I strongly suggest that you follow this up by revisiting 'Dr. Jack,' 'The freshman,' or 'Why worry?' - any one of the icon's silent classics stand head, shoulder, knees, and toes above 'Professor beware,' and only by checking them out will you truly get a good sense of what Lloyd was capable of. Oh well.
