Bumping Into Broadway

This is a very entertaining Harold Lloyd comedy, with some good settings and good joke ideas. There is lots of action, with Bebe Daniels, Snub Pollard, and Noah Young all adding to the fun. Much of the emphasis is on the various characters chasing each other or attempting to elude one another, and Hal Roach is in his element, keeping the pace and the timing on track.

There are basically three sequences, first at a boarding house, then backstage, and then at a gambling club. The first sequence, with Young as the landlady's enforcer, and the third one, with lots of manic chase action, are both very good, and the middle sequence also has some good moments.

The settings and many of the story developments must have been highly contemporary at the time, and yet the enthusiasm from Lloyd and the cast makes it seem fresh and up-to-date. When Lloyd was in his best form, he made you feel as if you knew his characters and understood their troubles, and that's one of the things that makes this one fun to watch.

This is the third comedy short I watched on the Kino DVD "The Harold Lloyd Collection" starring Lloyd in his famous "glasses" character with Bebe Daniels and Snub Pollard. Ms. Daniels plays a showgirl to Lloyd's playwright and they both now have to pay the $3.75 rent since they both got the same typed warning for the third time. Lloyd gives Bebe his money since she's broke but now Harold has to run from the landlady and her bouncer. Pollard has a brief part as a choreographer who's mean to Lloyd when they meet. There's also another funny chase scene involving cops infiltrating a gambling den where Lloyd meets Lady Luck. Very funny with all those chases and avoiding certain people. And what a sweet romance between Lloyd and Daniels. So on that note, I highly recommend Bumping Into Broadway.

Despite the title, the plot of this Harold Lloyd short is evenly distributed among three different settings: a boarding-house, a theater and an exclusive club. As in FROM HAND TO MOUTH (1919), comedy emerges out of the characters' desperation - but there's no denying the assuredness of the gags (in fact, I'd say that this one's an even better film) and, in any case, H.M. Walker's title cards are among the wittiest for a Silent that I've come across! Lloyd is in his element as the perennial dreamer, a novice playwright, and Bebe Daniels is an ideal co-star as an aspiring Broadway star. Still, the best scenes are probably those set in the casino - where the penniless Lloyd accidentally cops himself a large sum of money but, needless to say, he's not allowed to reap the rewards of his fortune because the joint is raided soon after by the Police!

The restored version of this film plays pretty well. The orchestration on the TCM set version is pretty good. A couple of sequences are a little grainy & choppy. As usual, this is a LLoyd Romantic Comedy but the pace in this 25 minute short is more frantic than the features he did later. There are lots of physical stunts packed into this essentially 2 reeler. Bebe Daniels fans should enjoy this as she does very well in her role as LLoyds love. In real life, she was his love at this time as Harold had given her an engagement ring, but she decided to leave Harold for her career.

This restored version even has some shots in Septia tone instead of black & white. I thought septa tone was not used much until the 1920's. Much of the sight gags & situations in this one got worked into later LLoyd films also. In fact, GIRL SHY later borrows from it, as far as how Harold's Character is set up in this one. While I prefer Girl Shy over all, if you like some stunts & comedy in shorts form, this one will make you a happy camper as well. It is not as elaborate as the feature, but great fun just the same.

This short provides a lot of what I like in a Harold Lloyd film---risky stunts, clever comedy, and an engaging story.

Harold is a poor tenant who can't pay his rent, but he gives his few dollars to an attractive neighbor played by Bebe Daniels, landing him in trouble with the landlady and her thuggish enforcer. Harold and Bebe spend the entire film running from everyone, allowing him to display his acrobatic prowess and his imagination.

At the end, Lloyd charmingly breaks the fourth wall for a kiss.