The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Preston Sturges

Writer:

Preston Sturges (writer)

Release Date:

4 April 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Yes Sir! Wednesday was WILD! Wednesday was RUGGED! THE WILDEST WACKIEST MOST HILARIOUS AND COMPLETELY BOLLIXED-UP DAY YOU EVER HEARD OF! (original print ad - mostly caps)

Plot:

Twenty years after his triumphs as a freshman on the football field, Harold is a mild-mannered clerk...

Plot Keywords:

Writer Director | Sequel | Actor Shares First Name With Character | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Harold Lloyd	...	Harold Diddlebock
Jimmy Conlin	...	Wormy
Raymond Walburn	...	E.J. Waggleberry
Rudy Vallee	...	Lynn Sargent
Edgar Kennedy	...	Jake
Arline Judge	...	Manicurist
Franklin Pangborn	...	Formfit Franklin
Lionel Stander	...	Max
Margaret Hamilton	...	Flora
Jack Norton	...	James R. Smoke
Robert Dudley	...	Robert McDuffy
Arthur Hoyt	...	J.P. Blackstone
Julius Tannen	...	Nearsighted Banker
Al Bridge	...	Wild Bill Hickock
Robert Greig	...	Algernon McNiff

Also Known As:

Mad Wednesday (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

89 min | USA:76 min (1950 re-release) | USA:90 min (2005 DVD release)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:G (Ontario) | West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #11970, General Audience) | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn/Warner Hollywood Studios - 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

California Pictures

Trivia:

It was Howard Hughes, Preston Sturges' partner in California Pictures Corporation, who re-cut the film and retitled it "Mad Wednesday" - not Columbia Pictures chief Harry Cohn, as has long been believed.

Quotes:

Jake: [when asked to prepare Harold's very first alcoholic beverage] You arouse the artist in me.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "American Masters: Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Can-Can

One of the greatest comedies ever

Calling this film brilliant isn't strong enough. The Dylan lyric "to laugh and cry in a single sound" fits because at the end of the film if your heartstrings are not being strummed then you may not be living.

Lloyd is an everyman squashed by life who encounters a bartender and asks for his first drink, ever. The bartender rises to the challenge and... well, Lloyd spends part of the film piecing together what he did after consuming it... I'm telling you, this film is BRILLIANT. The way it's shot, the acting, the brilliant casting, the writing all work together in a way that has no equal in cinema; the silent version of "The Thief of Baghdad" comes to mind for its sense of unbridled fun and its soaring spirit. This is so much more than a comedy, at some point the movie glides past that label and really grabs the brass ring, you know what I mean?

Truly brilliant, highest possible recommendation.