Number, Please? (1920)

Directors:

Fred C. Newmeyer
Hal Roach

Writer:

H.M. Walker (titles)

Release Date:

26 December 1920 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

Our hero (Lloyd) chases his girl friend's dog around a seaside resort, on the roller-coaster and merry-go-round.

Plot Keywords:

Carnival | Dog | Rivalry | Two Reeler | Goat

Cast

Harold Lloyd	...	The Boy
Mildred Davis	...	The Girl
Roy Brooks	...	The Rival

Runtime:

23 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

UK:U

Filming Locations:

Amusement Park, Venice Beach, Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Rolin Films

Harold Lloyd and Hal Roach!

Produced and Directed by Hal Roach. Co-Director: Fred Newmeyer. Cinematography by Walter Lundin. Titles by H.M. Walker.

Starring Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Roy Brooks with Charles A. Stevenson, William Gillespie and Noah Young.

Number, Please, one of Harold Lloyd's many short comedy subjects is in many ways just another typically hilarious Lloyd comedy but it is one of his most beautiful films visually, making use of many different locations. Particularly at the beginning of the film, we are told of grim and difficult tales of men who have loved and lost and Walter Lundin photographed some beautiful silhouettes and very striking scenes such as a man who lost his wife and now starts to lose even more by bidding high stakes at the gambling table. And then comes another man who has loved and lost, and we see a close-up of Mr. Lloyd on a roller coaster at an amusement park and following some hilarious gags, Lloyd winds up on the coast and finds a strikingly beautiful woman played by Mildred Davis but Mildred has a boyfriend already played by Roy Brooks and the two try their hardest to win the girl of their dreams and of course Harold is the one who always gets the girls. By the time Number, Please was released, Lloyd was probably the most famous comedian in the world until the following year when Chaplin would shine again in the spotlight by releasing his first feature and also Keaton released some excellent short. In late 1921, Lloyd would start making feature-length comedies and would achieve his proper place in history as one of the greats of cinema. Number, Please is an excellent short comedy and a very funny film.