Now or Never (1921)

A young man, unaccustomed to children, must accompany a young girl on a train trip.

Directors:

Fred C. Newmeyer, Hal Roach

Writers:

H.M. Walker (titles), Sam Taylor (scenario)

Stars:

Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Anna Mae Bilson

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Harold Lloyd	...	The Boy
Mildred Davis	...	The Girl
Anna Mae Bilson	...	The Lonesome Little Child (as Anna May Bilson)

Storyline

Mary is looking after a young child whose parents have little time for her. So, when Mary travels home to meet her childhood sweetheart, she takes the child with her. Meanwhile, her boyfriend has a mishap on the road, and is tricked out of his money by a tramp. When the tramp then hitches a ride on a train, the boyfriend does so as well. At the station, he meets Mary and the child, and they plan to re-board the train together. But difficulties arise when Mary sees her boss boarding the same train - and there is also the problem that her boyfriend doesn't have a ticket.

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Plot Keywords:

train | maid | drunkenness | man with glasses | rendezvous | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 March 1921 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agora... ou Nunca

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rolin Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

35 min 35 min (2002 alternate)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Rock-a-Bye Baby"
(1886) (uncredited)
Lyrics by Effie I. Canning
Sheet music shown with lyrics printed

User Reviews

Uneven three-reeler from Mr. Lloyd

Harold's on his way to reclaim his childhood sweetheart as promised on the occasion of her eighteenth birthday. She is a nanny and brings her cute little charge along with her even though she isn't really supposed to. Harold, driving like a maniac – Lloyd certainly saw speed (and heights) as an infallible ingredient in his thrill comedies – ends up driving through a farmers barn and ends up riding under a train with the bum who cheated him out of his bankroll.

The second part of the film takes place on board the train, where Harold has been lumbered with the little girl because his sweetheart has spotted her boss on the same train. Although the kid is cute, some of the humour is strained here, with some gags lasting too long, and things feel a little flat after the breakneck pace of the film's first half. At 40 minutes, this film was longer than Lloyd's usual two-reelers and it's likely that he deliberately made the film this way so that it could be split into two short films if the longer running time failed to please his fans.

This isn't one of Lloyd's best film but it probably has just about enough highlights to keep most fans happy.