Sins of Harold Diddlebock

Rating:
Summary: One of Harold's worst movies.
Review: Anybody who watches this expecting an example of what made Harold Lloyd the most popular comedian of the 20s (no, it wasn't Chaplin) will be sorely dissappointed, and may even think that his earlier films are not worth watching. The truth is, this "comeback film" is nowhere near the quality of his earlier silent films, and especially not "The Freshman", to which this is supposed to be a sequel.

The problem with this film starts with the first 30 minutes; they are typical of a director whose style is completely inconsistent with Lloyd's trademark 1920s optimism. The first 30 minutes of this film (the footage from "The Freshman" excepted) are spent ridiculing in its entirity the philosophy that made Lloyd's previous films so fun to watch; his go-getter mentality, always making the best of a bad situation. The first part of this movie starts out slowly and depressingly, portraying Harold as a miserable loser who's been in the same job for 30 years who comes to work one day and gets fired.

Sound like comedy gold to you? Me neither. It's really not the type of thing that Harold's character is best suited to, and it was only through the faint hope that something better might lie ahead that I kept watching. Thankfully, the movie does get better after the bar scene, where Harold has the first drink of his life and metamorphosizes into something resembling his old character again (he bets on a horse-race against incredible odds and wins a whole load of money, which he promptly uses to buy a circus). From there on, there are a few very funny gags (the best of them having to do with a lion), although there are also too many hysterics on Harold's part for my taste; something that wasn't present in his earlier silent movies. The final scene of the movie pays homage to Harold Lloyd's climb up the side of a building in his 1923 "Safety Last".

I'm pretty sure that the only reason that this film's reputation has gotten this high is that almost all of Harold's other films have been owned by his family and though well-preserved, withheld from public view (aside from a limited-release VHS run in the early 90s and regular showings on TCM for those who get it). This is truly a shame, because his earlier works, unlike THIS uneven piece of filmmaking, are truly great comedic masterpieces on a level with the best of Chaplin's and Keaton's films. I dare anyone who's watched "Safety Last", "The Freshman", or "The Kid Brother" to say otherwise.

HOWEVER, EXTREMELY good news have recently been announced on the forum of the Harold Lloyd Trust's official website. On October 6th, Annette Lloyd announced on behalf of Suzanne Lloyd (Harold's granddaughter) that after more than 5 years of waiting a DVD deal has finally been signed with New Line Entertainment for Harold's older films, as well as a theatrical release deal with Sony. This deal seemed to come out of nowhere, and completely shocked Harold Lloyd fans who thought that the Trust was sitting on their laurels while badly mishandling the situation.

Thankfully, Harold will be more visible soon than he has been in the last 50 years! I recommend that nobody buy this uneven movie but wait for his masterworks to come to a theater/store near you!

Rating:
Summary: Harold Lloyd's last film, made with Preston Sturges
Review: Harold Lloyd came out of his unofficial retirement for one last film with writer/director Preston Sturges. This sounded like a wonderful pairing, but the two comic geniuses had totally different approaches to the material. The result is really two films: "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock," the original version was released by United Artists in 1947, with the re-edited version (ordered by Howard Hughes), now titled "Mad Wednesday," released by RKO in 1950. The film went from 89 to 76 minutes in length, but in addition to things being cut there were also some outtakes put back into the film.

Both films open with the famous football finale from Lloyd's silent classic, "The Freshman." Because of his success, young Harold Diddlebock (Lloyd) is offered a job when he graduates college. An enthusiastic Harold looks at a 1923 calendar adorned with the stern visage of President Harding. The next thing we know it is 1945 and Harold is still at the same desk, with President Truman looking on disapprovingly from the calendar. When he is dismissed from his job, Harold goes on a drinking spree and when he blows $1000 on a racehorse, it comes in at 15-to-1. When Thursday morning comes Harold does not remember a thing about the day before (i.e., Mad Wednesday) and discovers he owns a circus. His brain finally turned on again, Harold heads for Wall Street in the company of a lion, determined to make his fortune at long last. Of course, Harold ends up on the ledge of a building as the master daredevil comedian of the silent era does one last grand stunt. "Mad Wednesday" certainly has holes in it, but then there are scenes that redeem the film, at least as far as I am concerned. More than either Chaplin or Keaton, Lloyd proved himself adept at SOUND comedy, mainly because he had the advantage of dialogue written by Sturges. Neither version is a great film, but both include great comic moments. If you can find both of them, a double-feature with "The Freshman" and "Mad Wednesday" makes perfect sense.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, but transfer is not the best
Review: I love this movie and could watch it many times. It includes the best part of an earlier Harold Lloyd movie, the football scene from The Freshman. There is also a wonderful scene where he hangs from a lion off the side of a building.

The only thing wrong with this DVD is that the transfer is not the best. The video and sound quality could be better, but is not horrible like the Milky Way DVD from the same company.

Rating:
Summary: You Arouse the Artist in Me.
Review: Is how the bartender responds to Harold Diddlebock (Harold Lloyd) when told that he's about to have the first drink of his life.

Harold gets talked into it by 'Wormy' a deliciously street-wise octagenerian urchin that asks him for a loan of a couple of bucks. Harold complies, despite the fact that he's just been fired from his job.

The inspired bartender concurs with Wormy that Harold needs a drink to ease his troubles and---in a scene only Preston Sturges could have written---creates a "Diddlebock" in his honor.

Originally entitled 'The Sin of Harold Diddlebock', the real sin is in being unable to rent it in most video stores. This has got to be one of the top comedies ever made.

Lloyd came out of retirement to make this film after meeting and befriending kindred maniac, Preston Sturges.

In "Mad Wednesday" Lloyd performs some of the funniest sight gags ever captured on celluloid, employing his trademark high-risk stunts. (Ever see 'Safety Last'?) Houdini would have been proud.

In all his movies Lloyd played a hopelessly naive gung-ho optimist who triumphed against the world despite his childlike sweetness.

But here the formula takes a twist, thanks to Sturges.

Lloyd is now a middle aged failure who has been stuck in a menial job for the last twenty years, a weary, disillusioned man who is pathetically in love with his co-worker, an impossibly beautiful ingenue (There's always an impossibly beautiful ingenue in a Sturges film ). And then he gets fired. . .

Neddless to say, all will end well, and he will triumph and get the girl in the end.

But not before going berserk on "The Diddlebock" which transforms him from a meek innocent into a lunatic gambler and high roller with a taste for um... somewhat loud attire.

Poor Harold wakes up sober two days later to find himself the owner of a circus, replete with strongmen and bearded ladies who are owed back pay and hungry lions that need to be fed.

It's all silly fluff of course but the genius of Preston Sturges's writing makes us cheerfully suspend our disbelief and go along for the ride.

Only Lubitsch and Billy Wilder came close to Sturges in the ability to give the audience superbly witty dialogue while maintaining a believable world of madcap lunacy where events move at breakneck speed.

An great farce, starring a comic legend, written and and directed by the best.

Enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: You've just gotta see this movie.
Review: The Dylan (?) lyric "To laugh and cry in a single sound" came to mind the first time I saw this movie as part of a Saturday night film series at the local university 25 years ago -- it's just brilliant, a wild and manic ride that ends up being completely life-affirming, you just want to cry out at the end of the movie, it's too good to be true. This is one of the best movies I've ever seen.

Rating:
Summary: Another great Preston Sturges film..
Review: The idea of former silent comedy star Harold Lloyd teaming with the great Hollywood auteur Preston Sturges was truly inspired and the result, this film, is proof.

Embedded in the same job for 22 years, Harold Diddlebock (Lloyd) goes nowhere fast, forever, until he's let go by his supercilious, unctuous boss (throw in any other similar adjective and it would fit).

Harold loves adages, epigrams, and saws, and for the entire span of his working life, has the wall next to his desk plastered with them. When he's let go, he removes every last one of them and takes them with him, so as not to forget the truth of what life is all about. Or at least those parts of life for which these adages apply.

Thus, our hero is a rather, shall we say, by the book kinda guy. So when he goes on an unintentional bender, this radical restructuring of his brain molecules brings about some decidedly unexpected results. He buys a plaid suit loud enough to wake people living on the other side of the world. He buys a cowboy hat big enough to double as a doghouse for a Doberman pinscher (or however you spell that darn dog's name). And he buys a circus, too.

Yep, a circus--one of the main attractions of which is Jackie the lion. Jackie means well, but her bark (roar, is more like it) is definitely worse than her bite. In fact, her bite never happens, but the bark/roar is there a lot of the time. This gets Harold into big trouble, and therein lies the rub.

One of the best screwball comedies of the 40s (made in 1947), The Sin of Harold Diddlebock should not be missed by fans of great comedy. Well folks, we now have Sullivan's Travels, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock, and The Lady Eve on DVD. There's talk of Palm Beach Story following in the relatively near future--hopefully true, since that is a pure gem. Now how about Unfaithfully Yours, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, and even more?

Preston Sturges forever!!

Rating:
Summary: Very Underrated
Review: This film is generally reviewed as a failed Sturges movie. However, anyone who loves the insanity of movies like "The Miracle of Morgan Creek" will probably love this one too. This film stands up to repeated viewings. It would be great to see a DVD with both "Mad Wednesday" and the slightly different cut "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock."

Rating:
Summary: Harold Diddlebock it would be a sin to not see it
Review: This was so funny. Made me think of the Bringing up Baby, and Philadelphia Story and some of Lucille Ball's antics. Sight gags and rapid funny dialogue. First few minutes kind of slow but once it gets going it was hilarious. I loved the bartender scene. As a fan of movies made before 1960, I cannot understand why I have not heard about this movie before. I can only say it is funny and you will enjoy it. I would let my grandchildren watch this movie.

Overreader

Rating:
Summary: Every kind of comedy styling all in one film...
Review: What makes this film truly great is how many different styles of comedy it has. You see not only slapstick and situation based comedy, but also some fabulous dialog and scare comedy. I didn't want to watch this movie at first, thinking it'd be a run of the mill b/w film, but was amazed, and immediately rewound and watched it a second time.