Girl shy
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Girl shy |
| Original title | Girl shy |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1924 |
| length | longest version approx. 87 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director |
Fred C. Newmeyer , Sam Taylor |
| script |
Thomas J. Gray , Sam Taylor , Ted Wilde , Tim Whelan , Harold Lloyd |
| production | Harold Lloyd for Pathé Exchange |
| music |
Don Hulette (1974) Jim Parker (1992) Robert Israel (2002) |
| camera | Walter Lundin |
| cut | Allen McNeil |
| occupation | |
| |
Mädchencheu is an American silent film romance comedy from 1924 with Harold Lloyd and Jobyna Ralston in the lead roles.
action
Harold Meadows lives in the small American town of Little Bend and works as a tailor in his uncle Jerry's shop. The shy Harold is afraid of the female customers, in the presence of beautiful women he begins to stutter. In order to interrupt his stuttering, Uncle Jerry has to warble with a whistle (which runs through the film in various variations as a running gag ). So that he can overcome his fear, the inexperienced Harold is working on a book called The Secret of Making Love , in which he describes his allegedly countless affairs and wants to help other men in conquering women. After completing his book, Harold wants to travel to the big city with his manuscript to see the publisher Mr. Thornby. On the train ride into town, he meets the wealthy, beautiful, and friendly Mary Buckingham. Harold has to save Mary's Pekingese from the conductor several times because dogs are forbidden on the train. He and Mary have a long and hearty conversation in which Harold can also overcome his stutter. Once in town, Harold gives his manuscript to the publisher.
A few weeks later, Mary Buckingham is driving through Little Bend, secretly looking to meet Harold again. In Mary's company is Ronald DeVore, her unsympathetic and hapless admirer - who has already made her numerous marriage proposals. Another marriage proposal from Ronald distracts Mary and she comes off the street with her car. While Ronald is visiting a mechanic, Mary happens to run into Harold again, who is still thinking of her. Both spend a good time together - at least until Ronald returns. Harold hopes to marry Mary as soon as publisher Thornby accepts his book. But Thornby is horrified by Harold's naive love book and rejects it. When Harold meets Mary again, he is too ashamed to tell her that his book has been rejected. Because he has no money for a wedding to Mary, Harold instead pretends that she was just an experiment for his book. Thereupon the deeply disappointed Mary accepts another marriage proposal from Ronald, although he is actually not even sympathetic to him. Instead, Harold returns to his uncle's tailoring shop and buries his literary ambitions.
At the publishing house at Mr. Thornby, a turning point emerges when his staff find the manuscript highly entertaining in a comically absurd way. The publisher recognized the sales potential and decided to publish Harold's manuscript - now as a joke book that was not meant to be serious. Harold eventually receives a check for $ 3,000 from the publisher. With the money he could now marry Mary - but her wedding to Ronald will take place in a few hours on the estate of Mary's family in the big city. Everything seems to be lost until a tailoring customer recognizes Ronald's photo in the newspaper. The woman assures that Ronald is still legally married to her and presents Harold with a medallion as clear evidence. In a breathtaking chase, Harold tries to stop the marriage: With the help of various cars, a police motorcycle, horses, carriages and even a tram, he gets through the overcrowded city to Mary's house, leaving a trail of devastation on his way. He bursts into the wedding just in time. Since he gets nervous and stutters in front of the entire wedding party, he kidnaps Mary outside, where he can finally talk to her in peace. Both make up quickly and Harold tells her about Ronald's betrayal. Finally, he successfully proposes marriage to her.
background
Harold Lloyd was with film hits like Grandmother's Favorite (1922) and Skyscraper of all things! (1923) rose to become Hollywood's most popular comedian behind Charlie Chaplin . Girl Shy was Lloyd's first film after breaking up with previous producer Hal Roach , with whom he was privately friends. With this film, Lloyd wanted to gain greater artistic freedom and acted as a producer himself. His partner played Jobyna Ralston, for whom it was the second of a total of six films as Leading Lady Lloyds. With Joe Cobb, Jackie Condon and Mickey Daniels, three main actors of the Little Rascals , which were produced by Hal Roach, also made small guest appearances . While Mickey Daniels made a small appearance as a newsboy towards the end of the film, his real father Richard Daniels (1864–1939) played Uncle Jerry.
The film combines a comedy plot with a serious love story, which was an unusual combination at the time. Harold's adventurous journey at the end of the film was also noteworthy. The director Fred Niblo was so impressed that he took advice from Lloyd on the chariot race in his lavish monumental film Ben Hur (1925). The majority of his dangerous stunts in the film made Lloyd himself in 1967 Harold Lloyd also advised the film classic. The Graduate by Mike Nichols , the end of which that of Girl Shy is to be understood very similar and as a tribute: In The Graduate , the harried drive to the church were and Kidnapping of the bride taken from the wedding ceremony.
reception
Girl Shy grossed a very high $ 1.5 million at the box office. Until the 1940s, the comedy was repeatedly featured in lists of the most financially successful films of all time. Contemporary film critics also found the film funny, one magazine even wrote that one had never laughed so much during a film. The film is not as exciting as skyscrapers of all places! , but still very exciting. The innovative gags and the camera work also received positive mention. Even the Lexicon of International Films rated the film positively for decades, saying it was one of Lloyd's “most atmospheric films”. The climax is "perhaps the most spectacular hunt in film history".
Web links
- Girl Shy in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article about "Girl Shy" at Silentfilm
- ↑ Article about "Girl Shy" at Silentfilm
- ↑ Program for the International Silent Film Festival 14. – 24. August 2008, Bonn.
- ↑ Newspaper article from 1944
- ↑ Two film reviews from 1924 by Silents Are Golden
- ↑ Girl-shy. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed June 4, 2015 .