Speedy (1928)

Director:

Ted Wilde

Writers:

John Grey (story) &
Lex Neal (story) ...

Release Date:

7 April 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Family

Tagline:

LLOYD'S LATEST (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

"Speedy" loses his job as a soda-jerk, then spends the day with his girl at Coney Island. He then becomes...

Plot Keywords:

Soda Jerk | Railroad | Trolley | Grandfather | Yankee Stadium New York City

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Harold Lloyd	...	Harold 'Speedy' Swift
Ann Christy	...	Jane Dillon
Bert Woodruff	...	Pop Dillon - Her Grand-daddy
Brooks Benedict	...	Steve Carter
Babe Ruth	...	George Herman Ruth

Runtime:

85 min (22 fps)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

The Harold Lloyd Corporation

Trivia:

Lou Gehrig can be seen walking by as Babe Ruth gets out of the cab.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Pop first stops the horse car to let a passenger off, the window to his right is up. When he resumes his route, the window glass is suddenly gone.

Quotes:

Harold "Speedy" Swift: It smells like rain.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Airplane! (1980)

Soundtrack:

Speedy Boy

Once again, Harold Lloyd hits a home run!

This is simply a wonderful film and is among the greatest films of Harold Lloyd's career. Unfortunately, it was also the last silent film he made, as 1928 was a transition year in Hollywood--with a decent number of sound pictures being produced. By 1929, just about all the movies they made were talkies.

Harold is a well-meaning guy who just can't seem to hold down a job. Despite this, he takes his girl to Coney Island for an outing. While this segment of the film doesn't have a lot to do with the plot, I really enjoyed it because it gave an excellent view of Coney Island of 1928--with all the amazing old rides.

Another segment that really didn't relate to the overall plot was his brief run-in with Babe Ruth. He rushes him to the ballgame and gets to watch some of the game. Like the Coney sequence, this is a wonderful historical curio, as you get to see The Babe and Yankee stadium.

The girl's father owns a very old-fashioned non-electric trolley line in a small township in New York City. A big transit company is trying to buy him out, but he really wants to keep his business going. However, the scumbags at the big company figure out a loophole--if the small trolley line fails to operate for 24 or more hours, the contract is canceled and the big guys can steal the trolley line. So, they order a group of thugs to steal the trolley and hide it. Harold, up until then had been a lovable loser. However, he shows his mettle and goes to the rescue--leading to an amazing and fun extended chase as Harold tries to keep the trolley from missing its rounds.

Overall, this may not be the very best Lloyd film (I still think THE FRESHMAN is a tiny bit better), it is definitely among the very best and a great example of silent comedy at its best. Definitely on-par with the best of Chaplin or Keaton.