Hot Water (1924)

Episodic look at married life and in-law problems. Adventures include a ride on a crowded trolley with a live turkey; a wild spin in a new auto with the in-laws in tow; and a sequence in ... See full summary »

Directors:

Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor

Writers:

Sam Taylor (story), John Grey (story),

Stars:

Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Josephine Crowell

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Harold Lloyd	...	Hubby Harold
Jobyna Ralston	...	Wifey
Josephine Crowell	...	Her Mother
Charles Stevenson	...	Her Big Brother Charley
Mickey McBan	...	Her Little Brother

Storyline

Episodic look at married life and in-law problems. Adventures include a ride on a crowded trolley with a live turkey; a wild spin in a new auto with the in-laws in tow; and a sequence in which Hubby accidently chloroforms his mother-in-law and is convinced that he has killed her. When she begins sleep-walking, he thinks that she has returned to haunt him.

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Plot Keywords:

mother in law | chloroform | trolley | traffic ticket | turkey the bird | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 1924 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hubby

Filming Locations:

General Service Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Harold Lloyd Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 59 min 60 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The real-life name of the turkey in the film is Genevieve.

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Goofs

When the traffic cop issues Hubby Harold a ticket, in part it reads "You are hereby notified to appear at Police Headquarters within twenty-four hours of the above date....", but there is no date or time or any other handwritten data on the ticket save for the policeman's signature, nor is there any designated space to write such information.

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Quotes

Boy: [to the motorcycle cop coming out of the pond] Hey, don't you know swimming ain't allowed in there?

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood (1980)

User Reviews

Fun, Resourceful Comedy

This Harold Lloyd comedy is fun and resourceful, squeezing a surprising amount of material out of a couple of simple ideas. The situations are simple and the plot is nearly non-existent, but the characters are entertaining and there are lots of props and gag ideas that are used creatively, with everything helped along by Lloyd's energy and expert timing.

The story is essentially three different loosely-connected sequences. Harold goes on a shopping trip and has all kinds of difficulty on a streetcar, then he takes his in-laws on a tumultuous ride in his new car, and then he faces some unsettling domestic disturbances. Each sequence has a slightly different feel, and uses Lloyd's character in somewhat different ways, giving him a chance to perform a number of different comedy ideas.

Josephine Crowell as the mother-in-law makes a good antagonist, and Charles Stevenson strikes the right note as the oafish brother-in-law. Jobyna Ralston doesn't get the chance to do a lot of comedy, but she is engaging as always.

It's good comedy, and it builds things up fairly well. There are many details that are used once for their own sake, and that then return in the frenzied climactic sequence, and some of the ideas are pretty clever. It's often deliberately far-fetched, and in a manner that comes off rather well.