Safety Last! (1923)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Directors:

Fred C. Newmeyer
Sam Taylor

Writers:

Hal Roach (story)
Sam Taylor (story)

Release Date:

1 April 1923 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

When a store clerk organizes a contest to climb the outside of a tall building, circumstances force him to make the perilous climb himself.

Plot Keywords:

Human Fly | Publicity Stunt | Stunt | Department Store | Ledge

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Harold Lloyd	...	The Boy
Mildred Davis	...	The Girl
Bill Strother	...	The Pal aka 'Limpy Bill' - construction worker
Westcott Clarke	...	The Floorwalker (Mr. Stubbs) (as Westcott B. Clarke)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Australia:G | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Brockman Building - 500 7th Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

Trivia:

Premiere ranked this movie as number one on its "The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time" list in 2006. (It should be noted that this list was ranked chronologically, so this movie's number one ranking only reflects that it is the oldest movie on the list.)

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: "The Boy" purchases a chain from a stereotypically-portrayed Jewish jeweler. He is shown buying it on a Saturday - when the jeweler would be expected to be closed.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Calendar: (1962-04-16)" (1962)

The new DVDs are not to be missed (including Safety Last!)

The picture quality is spectacular (Harold Lloyd owned his films, and many of them are in pristine condition), the commentary and other DVD features are interesting, and the films themselves are superb. I've always heard of Harold Lloyd, but have never seen the movies. My brother gave the new DVD set to our elderly mother (who saw the originals when they came out) and we have now had many entertaining hours with these wonderful films. Mr. Lloyd's setups and timing are impeccable. The clarity and cleanliness of this restored material is such that you think you are in a time warp back to the 20's. Safety Last! and several of the others are simply works of art. Plus quite funny...these films are happy pills, and you will marvel at the inventiveness. Highly recommended.