Number, Please?

(1920) Number, Please?

SILENT COMEDY

Clocking between 23 and 25 minutes created by Hal Roach with a forgettable story line which conveniently centers around boy(Harold Lloyd) going to the fair/ amusement park then spotting the girl (Mildred Davis) he likes hanging around with her boyfriend with intentions to separate the two by first saving her dog and then return her hand bag which the boy didn't know it was hers. The title "Number, Please?" refers to the boy (Llyod) conversing and get through with phone company which if their is any reason to watch this, it would be to see the many amusing sight gags including Lloyd running away from cops, trying to discard the incriminating a lady's bag not knowing it belonged to the girl he is trying to impress, sitting at the end of a roller coastal ride with many wigs and hats flying to the back etc... It's just slightly outdated though but still entertaining. The eight of fifteen movies Harold Lloyd starred with actress Mildred Pierce.

A Hal Roach HAROLD LLOYD Comedy Short.

A young fellow desperately tries to win back the affections of his ex-girlfriend during a madcap day at a seaside pleasure pier.

Silent screen genius Harold Lloyd has a wonderful showcase for his comedic talents in this extremely funny little film. Among the difficulties confronting Harold are a couple of contrary canines, several suspicious cops, a grossly incompetent telephone operator and a rapacious goat. The sequences involving the crazy mirrors, the phone booths and the small black boy are absolute gems.

Mildred Davis--his future real-life wife--is the object of Harold's affections. Stout Roy Brooks plays the determined Rival.

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

Just watched this Harold Lloyd short on the DVD "The Cook and Other Treasures". It takes place in an amusement park in Orange Park, California. Plenty of gags involving a girl (Mildred Davis-Lloyd's future wife), rival Roy Brooks (who'd become Lloyd's assistant later on), telephone booths, a dog, a purse, a merry-go-round, and a little black boy who'd later become a member of the original "Our Gang" (Ernie Morrison). Producer/director Hal Roach appears in silhouette early on. Also early on is a gag involving a roller coaster and hats that provides the start of consistent laughs that I give through most of this entertaining short. The scene with the telephone booths and operators mixing up various calls was also one of the most hilarious in the short. I think I've said enough so on that note, I highly recommend Number, Please?

This is a very good short comedy, with some good material and a fine job by Harold Lloyd as one of his slightly amoral but still sympathetic characters. Lloyd was as good as anyone was at taking a simple situation and building it up with as much comic material as he could fit into it without going too far. The telephone booth sequence here is a great example, and it is as impressive in its creativity as it is enjoyable to watch. The rest of "Number, Please" also works pretty well, and while there isn't much of a story to speak of, Lloyd is creative enough that you barely notice. Lloyd's style works well in this one, and it's a very entertaining feature.

NUMBER, PLEASE? (1920)

*** (out of four)

Harold Lloyd two-reeler has Lloyd trying to mend a broken heart by going to an amusement part where he meets a lovely young lady but he must compete with her boyfriend. The first reel is wonderfully funny with all sorts of great gags including one where Lloyd is in the last cart of a ride with everyone else's hats hitting him. The second reel loses a lot of its punch but overall this was still a pretty good short that shows off what was to come in Lloyd's career.

Available on DVD through Kino and New Line.