Bumping Into Broadway

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.

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.

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.

There are three segments to this two-reel short, and each one has their highlight. It begins with HAROLD LLOYD as a struggling writer who can't pay the rent (a flimsy amount of $3.70 is overdue!!) and this leads to a boarding house sequence that has him avoiding the grim landlady and her strong partner bent on giving deadbeats rough treatment. Lloyd excels in this segment as he narrowly avoids detection when they try to track him down.

BEBE DANIELS makes little impression as "the girl," also unable to pay her rent until Lloyd comes to her aid. Thereafter, there's a backstage Broadway scene that has Lloyd trying to sell his story to a producer with dismal results.

And finally, a gambling joint scene climaxes the film with a wild chase as the dumb cops try to nab Lloyd, who comes up with an ingenious coat rack trip that has to be seen to be believed--or described.

This all plays very quickly--fast and funny throughout with nary a lapse of pace, making it one of the most enjoyable of all the Lloyd silent shorts that I've seen. The TCM showing has it accompanied by a brisk musical score.

A Hal Roach HAROLD LLOYD Comedy Short.

An impoverished young fellow finds himself BUMPING INTO BROADWAY when he falls in love with a pretty showgirl.

This fast-moving romp gave Harold Lloyd an early success for his Glasses Character. Antic chases and sight gags abound, and Harold gets to showoff his buoyant physical dexterity in this film made before a freak accident so badly damaged his right hand. Swiftly moving from boardinghouse to street, on to the theater, and finally to an elaborate speakeasy, the plot gives Harold plenty of opportunity to amuse.

Bebe Daniels is his love interest. Helen Gilmore is the fierce landlady; tough guy Noah Young is the boardinghouse bouncer. In a brief role, Gus Leonard, in drag, is hilarious as the man-crazy spinster who lives one floor below Harold.

Robert Israel has composed an excellent film score which perfectly complements Harold's antics on the screen.