Safety Last! (1923)

A boy leaves his small country town and heads to the big city to get a job. As soon as he makes it big his sweetheart will join him and marry him. His enthusiasm to get ahead leads to some interesting adventures.

Directors:

Fred C. Newmeyer (as Fred Neymeyer), Sam Taylor

Writers:

Hal Roach (story), Sam Taylor (story)

Stars:

Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Bill Strother

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Harold Lloyd	...	Harold - The Boy
Mildred Davis	...	Mildred, The Girl
Bill Strother	...	Bill, The Pal
Noah Young	...	The Law
Westcott Clarke	...	The Floorwalker (as Westcott B. Clarke)

Storyline

In 1922, the country boy Harold says goodbye to his mother and his girlfriend Mildred in the train station and leaves Great Bend expecting to be successful in the big city. Harold promises to Mildred to get married with her as soon as he "make good". Harold shares a room with his friend "Limpy" Bill and he finally gets a job as salesman in the De Vore Department Store. However, he pawns Bill's phonograph, buys a lavaliere and writes to Mildred telling that he is a manager of De Vore. One day, Harold sees an old friend from Great Bend that is a policeman and when he meets his friend Bill, he asks Bill to push the policeman over him and make him fall down. However Bill pushes the wrong policeman that chases him, but he escapes climbing up a building. Out of the blue, Mildred is convinced by her mother to visit Harold without previous notice and he pretends to be the manager of De Vore. When Harold overhears the general manager telling that he would give one thousand dollars to to anyone...

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Plot Keywords:

department store | publicity stunt | human fly | national film registry | unemployment | 

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Taglines:

See him climb a twelve story building. You'll get a spine thrill and a big howl each step of the way. Manager's Note: Specially re-enforced seats with straps for hysterical patrons. Doctor in attendance at all shows. (Print Ad- Victoria Advocate, ((Victoria, Tex.)) 5 December 1923)

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to the dates on the pawn ticket at the beginning and the customer complaint form later on, the main action of this film takes place between 05 May and 30 June 1922. The entire action of the finale, therefore, takes place 01 July 1922.

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Goofs

"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.

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Quotes

Bill, The Pal: I'll be at the next floor up, just as soon as I am through ditching the cop.
Harold - The Boy: [feeling exasperated with Bill for the delay and scared from the height and exhausted from his having to keep climbing up one floor-level after another] You BE THERE - - or I will be THROUGH!

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Alternate Versions

In 1990, The Harold Lloyd Trust and Photoplay Productions presented a 73-minute version of this film in association with Thames Television International, with a musical score written by Carl Davis. The addition of modern credits stretched the time to 74 minutes.

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Connections

Featured in World of Comedy (1962)

User Reviews

Nail-biting effects, from 1923!

I found much of the building climbing scene of this movie unwatchable. Not because it's poorly done, but because it's too well done. A certain amount of doubt in my mind about exactly how many of the shots are faked, and how many are definitely Harold Lloyd (distant shots are apparently a double, but many hanging-from ledges shots are close up shots of Lloyd) meant that the palms of my hands were sweating while I watched it, and I felt sizable relief when he finally makes it to the top. The pre-amble to the climb is not really that wonderful, but the climb makes it all worthwhile. Interesting to compare this movie to a modern effects movie like Starship Troopers. Give me Safety Last any day.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

None English

Release Date:

1 April 1923 (USA)

Also Known As:

Safety Last!

Filming Locations:

Atlantic Hotel, Broadway, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$121,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min 74 min (Blu-ray)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1