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!

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.

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 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.

Lloyd is a struggling broadway writer while Bebe daniels is a show girl aspiring to be a star. They live next door to each other in a boarding house struggling to make ends meet. They meet one day and Lloyd offers to pay Bebe's rent while forsaking his own rent, thus setting off the hijinks. Three sets are used in this smart and insightful comedy; the boarding house, the broadway stage and set and an underground speakeasy which is raided by the cops. As Lloyd is chased up and down the boarding house eventually ending up in an old woman's home who was crying out for a man, you cannot help but smile. On the broadway set, as he tries to meet the director and sell his story before being forcefully thrown out, you grin. And after following Bebe to protect from the playboy star of the show who has dragged her along to the speakeasy where all hell breaks loose and harold uses a coat hanger to great comic effect, you must applaud. Final scene is perfect denouement to an enjoyable mish-mash.