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Speedy (1928)
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Overview
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Director:
Release Date:
7 April 1928 (USA)
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Tagline:
LLOYD'S LATEST (original print ad - all caps) more
Plot:
"Speedy" loses his job as a soda-jerk, then spends the day with his girl at Coney Island. He then becomes...
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Awards:
Nominated for Oscar.
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User Comments:
Harold Lloyd's last silent film and a comedy sensation!
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Cast
(Complete credited cast) | Harold Lloyd | ... | Harold 'Speedy' Swift |
| Ann Christy | ... | Jane Dillon |
| Bert Woodruff | ... | Pop Dillon - Her Grand-daddy |
| Brooks Benedict | ... | Steve Carter |
| Babe Ruth | ... | George Herman Ruth |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
85 min (22 fps)
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Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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Filming Locations:
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
"Speedy" is Harold Lloyd's real-life nickname, given to him by his father.
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Goofs:
Continuity: When Pop first stops the horse car to let a passenger off, the window to his right is up. When he resumes his route, the window glass is suddenly gone.
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Quotes:
Harold "Speedy" Swift:
It smells like rain.
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Movie Connections:
Featured in Funny Side of Life (1963)
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Soundtrack:
Speedy Boy
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (20 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Speedy (1928)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| The 'finger in the mirror' scene at Coney Island | jbacks3 |
| it is coming to TCM on Jan. 2, 2009 at 2:30 A.M. EST! | wtl471629 |
| See NY City as it was in 1928. | lederer-4 |
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Produced by Harold Lloyd. Directed by Harold Lloyd and Ted Wilde.
Cinematography by Walter Lundin.
Starring Harold Lloyd, Ann Christy, Bert Woodruff.
Speedy is one of Harold Lloyd's greatest films. It was also Harold Lloyd's last silent film. Harold's nickname in real life was ‘Speedy' and that's where he got the idea for the title of this great silent film. Harold plays Harold ‘Speedy' Swift; a baseball-crazed fan who first has a job as a soda jerk and then a cab driver and the only person in the world he cares about is his girlfriend Jane (Ann Christy). Jane's grandfather `Pop' Dillon (Bert Woodruff) owns New York's last horse-drawn streetcar and a railway monopoly want the streetcar to stop running so that they can take over the line. Harold's original idea of Speedy was very different to the finished film. According to Harold:
There is almost no vestige left in Speedy of the original idea-an underworld story. Its origins date back before For Heaven's Sake; we wanted a big-city picture as a change, and began with a plot of New York politics, gangsters and such. It called for a girl who should live with a grandfather or an uncle…someone suggested that the grandfather drive a horse car. A horse car is quaint, has been little used in pictures, and provokes comedy of itself. There had been a horse-car line in New York until recently, operated to hold a franchise. This suggested a plot to steal the franchise from the old man, permitting to step in, thwart the conspiracy and win the girl, after the usual misadventures. The franchise plot grew until it crowded out the original underworld story.
Speedy was mostly filmed in New York and Harold uses the wonderful locations to their full extent. The film also partly inspired Buster Keaton to shoot several scenes in New York for his last great film The Cameraman (1928). However, Keaton found it extremely hard to work in New York due to the fact that crowds were forming as soon as he appeared on the street. On the other hand, to make Speedy a great Lloyd extravaganza, Harold simply took off his horn-rimmed glasses to shoot scenes to make the film perfect. Harold would just take off the glasses and he would go unrecognized. Of course the most famous segment in Speedy is the final chase scene where Harold drives the streetcar through Manhattan to get it back in time for `Pop' to have the streetcar as his own again. Harold was a master at chase sequences in his films and Speedy is probably the best example of it and highly ranks with the ultimate chase sequence in Harold's Girl Shy (1924). Harold's frequent leading lady during the 1920s was Jobyna Ralston whose contract expired after The Kid Brother (1927). So Harold then hired Ann Christy. Speedy was Christy's second film. Her first film was, strangely enough, entitled The Kid Sister (1927). The Kid Sister was released seven months after Harold's masterpiece The Kid Brother and Harold might've went to see The Kid Sister just out of curiosity and that's where he possibly noticed Ann Christy and so he hired her for his next production.
Speedy was a great achievement for Harold Lloyd and it grossed $2,287,798 at the box-office. Sound was approaching and as mentioned before, Speedy was Harold's last silent film and the art form that he was perfecting would soon come to an end. The silent film era was rich in comedy and we should be thankful that so much has survived through all these years. Harold Lloyd was just one of the few truly great cinema artists in the early days and was rivals with Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel & Hardy, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Colleen Moore, Gloria Swanson etc.