Movies
Safety Last
Of all the silent comics, Harold Lloyd may have had the solidest sense of character, as evidenced by the setting-up of his eager-beaver Horatio Alger character in this movie's lovely first half. The second half contains the famous shot of Lloyd dangling from the hands of a clock. Which is but a single gag in a harrowingly funny sequence that calls for the dauntless American Dreamer to scale a skyscraper as a publicity stunt. Every stage of the ascent harbors a new peril, and it gets funnier as it goes. This endlessly inventive sequence gives a special, literal meaning to the term "topping a gag." Directed by Fred Newmeyer. 1923.
Reader Rating:
MPAA Rating: NR
