The Flaming Urge (1953) User Reviews

Unusual but entertaining

[Hessian499 · 6/10 · 5 October 2001]

The Flaming Urge tells an unusual story but is moderately entertaining. The town it is set in is a slice of small town America, somewhat similar to the town of Mayfield in Leave It to Beaver; in other words, it is the perfect town, and one that doesn't exist in reality. The setting is upset by the arrival of a stranger, and soon fires break out all over town. This turns the story into a detective tale, and leads to a suprising ending.

The film is worth watching for the portrayal of the townspeople, whose sources of entertainment seem to be limited to going to the beach and chasing firetrucks; this latter activity leads to some funny moments.

Lots of black humor abounds.

The Flaming Urge is pretty much a forgotten film today, but worth watching if you get the chance to see it.

Coded Message

[aadamtx · 6/10 · 21 June 2010]

Just finished viewing THE FLAMING URGE, primarily on the basis of the Alpha Home Entertainment cover description of Harold Lloyd, Jr. ("tormented by chronic alcoholism and masochistic homosexual urges"). One of the other reviewers here noted something that I picked up on about halfway through the film--the "flaming urge" is a 1950s code term for homosexuality. The protagonist is a young man, always neatly dressed (highlighted by a colorful bow tie), extremely polite, who must move from town to town because of his uncontrollable urge. He is unfamiliar with the normal male rituals of the period and is pretty much a loner. But everyone seems to know how to cure him - his urges will stop once he's married! An oddly amusing movie overall.

Come On, Baby, Light My Fire

[boblipton · 5/10 · 10 February 2024]

Harold Lloyd Jr. Shows up in town, gets a room to stay at Florence Lake's house, and a job at Jonathan Hale's department store. He's worried about keeping his job. He has an irresistible urge to chase fires. He chose this town because it didn't have any fires, but now there's a rash of them, and suspicion falls on him.

Lloyd isn't very good, especially when talking with old pros like Pierre Watkins, whose daughter, Cathy Downs, has a crush on him, store manager Byron Foulger, fire chief Herbert Rawlinson, and Johnny Duncan, who runs the store's stock room, when he isn't singing. They provide most of the interest in this movie, with their images of small-town eccentricity. But someone there is a fire bug. Who can it be?

Worth watching only for the hidden history aspect.

[imdbbart · 9 November 1998]

This movie uses the pyromaniac urge as an extraordinarily transparent metaphor for homosexuality. While it's really not worth watching strictly on its merits as a film, as part of the history of hidden homosexuality and as an example of a "coded" film (easily translated), it's stupendous.

completely boring

[happytrigger-64-390517 · 1/10 · 13 October 2017]

If there is a movie I won't recommend, it is "The Flaming Urge". No strong cast, flat direction, very strange and boring story of a young man running after the fires. It happens in a little town, and everything is so calm, it seems completely amateur, like a movie shot by friends. Now, the question is : what I am gonna do with that print as I won't recommend it to anybody? Burn it (Ah Ah ...)? Total loss of time.

Charming Unusual film

[recluse2 · 7/10 · 26 March 2019]

Wow, what an usual subject matter---fire bugs. Never seen a movie dealing w/ this subject before. I liked the innocence of it: the small homey town and some of the friendly caring people in the town, and the un-chain dept. store, and the lakeside picnic, and Robbie the dog---who is also a fire bug and sits atop fire hydrants at the scene of the fires he runs to. It's all so innocent and cute.

Fire! Fire!

[eamoncarr · 10/10 · 26 July 2006]

A gem of a 50s film. The story concerns a mild mannered young man who cannot resist the impulse to chase fire trucks and firemen. In doing so, he risks losing his position as a clerk in a department store. After a few unexplained fires, his fellow townsmen come to believe he is an arsonist. The story was filmed entirely in Michigan and the film's unadorned presentation of small town America circa 1950 is appealing. A dog has a rather prominent part in the film and adds an unusual interest to the story. Harold Lloyd, Jr. is adept in his role and Cathy Downs is an attractive addition. The film is well worth a viewing.

No joke without fire

[FilmFlaneur · 8/10 · 23 July 2010]

FLAMING URGE is, in its way a remarkable film by one time director-writer Harold Ericson which ought to be better known. It concerns the arrival in a small town of Tom Smith (Harold Lloyd, Jnr). Tom has a problem - he is irresistibly attracted to fires and compulsively chases every fire engine which is en route to a blaze. He has chosen this town as the level of fire incidents is the smallest on record that he can discover, in order to help himself overcome his pyrophilia. Tom finds himself a job in a local store with an understanding boss, but soon discovers that the number of fires locally is suddenly increasing and, despite his protests, he becomes chief suspect as the local arsonist...

A pleasant and curious enough film about an unusual fetish on first viewing, it is only when one discovers (as other reviewers here note) that 'flaming' is homosexual slang for quick arousal/or 'flaunting effeminate traits' that the real sociological interest emerges. In real life Harold LLoyd Jnr was the great comedian's gay, alcoholic son who died early at age 40, victim of his life style. In manner and speech in this, one of his few starring vehicles, he reminds one of his famous father, albeit without the signature glasses. Thus FLAMING URGE's early comic scenes in the drapery store where the young man works, recall the elder LLoyd's work in the first half of SAFETY LAST, even to the point of a couple of sly, specific visual references to the older comedy. Lloyd snr of course was straight; some of the impact of FLAMING URGE is an implied gay deconstruction of a famous screen persona - one wonders what dad said when he saw it.

In short, a fun film with substantial gay coding throughout - right down to the good deal of banter situated around the tie counter (at one point the star creates a gigantic bow tie, by way of marketing) and play on pencils. Tom's 'problem' is treated with a calmness and respect for difference throughout - miles away from the sniggering and caricature with which it might have been received elsewhere. And while the film necessarily ends with a heterosexual wedding, it proves unconvincing. FLAMING URGE can be recommended, especially to those who like lesser known gay/camp classics such as TURNABOUT.

ODD

[random_ax · 10 August 2003]

My brother-in-law asked me to help him find a copy of this and I did. Turns out that the film-maker filmed a lot of the movie in my brother-in-law's grandmother's house!!! How odd is that to watch a movie that was shot in the house you spent your summers in as a kid!!!!!!!!!!

Flaming says it all

[lurch-17 · 8/10 · 29 October 2021]

This classic was a mirror of male homosexuality in the early 1950's. Written by 'Ray Pierson' and directed by 'Harold Ericson', likely both pseudonyms for father or son Lloyd, since neither ever directed or wrote another film.

Almost every line and image comes with double meaning - fire-chasing and homosexual urges.

Filmed in Monroe, MI - it depicts a very nice young gay man (Harold Lloyd Jr. - who was openly gay in real life) chasing his urges. If you catch all the double meanings, it is a very funny film.

Watched it again 7/2023 with a friend from Monroe, MI. He recognized some of the landmarks. It is much deeper than I realized in my first viewing. It covers much more about male homosexuality than I earlier realized. If you carefully follow each line's double-meaning, it is even deeper and funnier in the second viewing.

Watched it again 3/2024 with a group and got even more out of it. Notice that leading man Mr. Smith only gets the "flaming urge" when a new man comes to his tie counter. It is both groundbreaking and so entertaining in how it depicts the perception male homosexuality in 1953 USA. Favorite lines: "Go and see Mr. Chalmers, he's probably planning a fire sale and wants your advice" and "I was watching you the other day at the fire, and you were not enjoying it"

Brilliantly written - both inciteful and belly-laugh funny at the same time. Worth seeing if you can find.