Harold Lloyd

Harold Clayton Lloyd was born on April 20, 1893 in Burchard, Nebraska, United States. He was the second of two brothers, and it could well be said that from his father James ‘Foxie’ (cunning), who gave him the nickname of Speedy (fast) that he used in several of his films, he inherited his taste for adventure; and his mother Elizabeth, in addition to his stage name, his taste for acting. Happy combination, which allowed him to study at the San Diego School of Dramatic Art, but which did not prevent his parents from divorcing when he was 17 years old.

He made his stage debut at the age of 12, a role in the representation of “Tess of d’Ubervilles”, based on the novel by Thomas Hardy, assembled by the Burwood Stock Company of Omaha. Harold was an usher at the theatre, and his sympathy led one of the actors, John Lane Connor, to support the little boy; there his natural talent was evident, which would be confirmed and improved by his subsequent academic training. He would join a company, but more than the theater it was that invention called cinematography that called him, and since 1913 he had a very prolific presence on the screen, which would last until 1947. The Edison company was shooting a western in San Diego, and the adventurer Harold dropped by. His would not be a memorable role, he simply appeared as an extra giving life to one more red skin. But the seed of his later career had already been laid. And as soon as he had the opportunity, he decided to dedicate himself full time to celluloid. In 1914 he will meetHal Roach , producer of a thousand films, and considered the discoverer of his comedic talent, as well as that of the popular Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy . So he was an extra, but an inheritance from him allowed him to produce his own films with Lloyd. This, after a brief period with Mack Sennett, returned to Roach’s side. So they started a series of movies, where the reference was Charlot. But Lloyd wanted something more personal, a character he felt more comfortable with. So Lonely Luke was born. But it really wasn’t until 1917 that he and Roach came up with the ideal composition. Lloyd, “the boy”, would be a tall, optimistic character with a perpetual smile, with horn-rimmed glasses and a straw hat, who could be seen for the first time inOver the fence . Like Charlot, he too would have to overcome a thousand and one obstacles, but he would do it in a more casual and friendly way, without the typical selfishness of the little bum. In addition, the boy, who was almost always named after him, Harold, was an ordinary young man, student, worker or wealthy heir, and not an outcast, which immediately connected with viewers of the growing middle class.

Co-star in many of Lloyd’s early shorts was Bebe Daniels , who would also become his girlfriend, a regular partner at all social engagements. However, her professional and sentimental relationship broke down, and from 1919 he was paired on the screen with Mildred Davis until 1923, the year in which they both got married, and she retired from the screen. They would remain married until Mildred’s death in 1969, and they had three children. In the movies the actor would count from then on, as a female partner, with Jobyna Ralston and Barbara Kent among others. With his own production company, and a team of regular collaborators (in addition to Roach, Daniels and Davis, Alfred G. Goulding,Fred C. Newmeyer , Sam Taylor , John Grey , Tim Whelan , Ted Wilde , Walter Lundin , Noah Young , Wallace Howe …) things would go smoothly. The work was done at a good pace, and from simple plots, which linked well to the elaborate and very well choreographed gags, stupendously accompanied by HC Walker’s ironic labels, the films would gain in complexity and duration; in 1921 he made Freshwater Marine , which lasted 45 minutes, and began to reach masterful heights in titles such as Grandma’s Pampered (1922), The Fly Man(1923) –his climbing image hanging from a building clock is an icon in the history of cinema– The shy tenorio (1924), Married and with a mother-in-law (1924) and The novice student (1925). The making of films would be spaced out to gain technical and artistic perfection. He successfully moved to a rural setting in Little Brother (1927) and was a baseball fan in Lightning (1928), where the legendary player Babe Ruth displayed unexpected acting skills.

The chases and stunts would be a trademark of Lloyd, who was very physically involved in the films. In fact, he suffered a terrible accident in 1919 that in someone less temperament might have made a permanent dent. The actor was preparing to take a promotional photo of Tribulationswith his character lighting a cigar with a bomb, when the uncontrolled explosion temporarily blinded him, as well as causing him to lose the index finger and thumb of his right hand. Far from being intimidated, he had a prosthesis ever since, and did not flaunt his disabled status, but continued to perform his own risky scenes. He confessed to the actor that “the most dramatic moment of my life was the one in which I was about to lose it”, but he preferred that the public ignore him for now.

It is difficult to single out one gag above another in Lloyd’s filmography. Camouflaged behind a coat, hanging from a coat rack; giving a ridiculous dance step as a university salute; ducking to cause the opponent to fall from him; spanking a ‘flapper’; with his mother-in-law’s veil blocking his visibility in the car; flying on top of a beam that drives a crane; rehearsing various methods to take his own life… The memories multiply, and in all of them the broad smile dominates, which turns into a face of surprise and perplexity; or the tender look of the lover; or that face determined to undertake a risky undertaking. Great Lloyd, more expressive than ever when the cinema did not speak.

But the cinema began to speak. And many did not take it well. Harold Lloyd is one of those who knew how to put on the best face when he arrived, but his sound titles are far from the genius of his silent stage. Wellcome Danger (1929) was the first, which incorporated sound when there was already enough material shot, which may give an idea that its preparation was complex and the result not fully achieved. In general, Lloyd’s films with sound suffer from a too sober use of music, which is to their detriment. In any case, he continued to offer stunts in ¡Ay, que me caigo! (1930) and addressed cinema within cinema in Cinemanía (1932). Curious is La garra del gato (1934), a political parable with Caprian airs, andThe Milky Way (1936) was filmed under the orders of Leo McCarey . The poor reception of Don’t Sleep, Professor (1938) convinced him that the best path was to withdraw, but he still tried again, the final point of his career, in 1947. It was with Preston Sturges in a film by foreboding title, Harold’s Sin , which was neither Lloyd’s nor Sturges’ best. The idea was to recover the “novice student” from his 1925 film, to show what had become of him over the years.

Harold Lloyd had a comfortable retirement, owning the rights to his films. He was then able to dedicate himself to his hobbies, for example photography or travel. Curiously, he refused to have his movies broadcast on television, which helped the new generations to know his exquisite and great humor. In 1953 he would receive an honorary Oscar for his career. In the family environment there was no shortage of sorrows, which he bore in the best possible way. His death would come two years after his wife died, in 1971, due to prostate cancer.