For Heaven's Sake

This lesser-known Harold Lloyd silent gem takes a very slight story and uses it as the basis for some entertaining and resourceful comedy. Noah Young also has a good role that gives him a more interesting character than he usually gets to play, and he gets some good moments of his own. The plot is fluffier than usual for a Lloyd feature, but the script is quite creative in using it for some sequences of classic Lloyd-style slapstick.

The setup has Lloyd as the kind of lackadaisical millionaire that he portrayed so well. His character accidentally donates the money to set up an inner-city mission, and becomes involved with the mission and with Jobyna Ralston, whose father runs it. There are a few slow stretches that are needed to advance the plot, but the story doesn't really ever try to carry the movie, leaving that instead to the imaginative comedy sequences.

This has the kind of madcap finale that characterized so many of Lloyd's movies, an interesting and entertaining variant on the race-against-time idea. But the best part of the movie actually comes earlier, when Lloyd's character sets out to round up the neighborhood roughnecks, followed by the scene of them suddenly finding themselves in the mission, and then Young, as the biggest of the bullies, confronting Lloyd. Three very funny sequences in a row, and they are pieced together with barely a pause.

Even by Lloyd's standards, this feature has some very good material. It's almost as good as the likes of "Safety Last", "The Kid Brother", and the rest of his very best movies.

(1926) For Heaven's Sake COMEDY ACTION DRAMA

Harold Lloyd plays upper class and wealthy successful real estate investor, J Harold Manners accidentally burning down a missionary's coffee cart that was supposed to serve the poor. He then writes a check to Brother Paul (Paul Weigel) who in turn assumed he was supposed to use the money to open up an actual facility with his name left on the sign. Except that by the time he found out his name was used without his consent, he then goes straight down there to make the change, except that the young teenage lady who got angry after catching him tear the sign down had no idea he was indeed Harold manners. The one who donated enough money for Brother Paul to open up an actual facility, who introduce her to him as her daughter, Hope (Jobyna Ralston). And he goes head over heels over her who she tries to entice him to reform criminals who hang out at the pool hall, particularly Bull Brindle (Noah Young). Some of the innovative gags also include Lloyd managing to bring many criminals to participate into the missionary. As well as Lloyd making efforts to control five very wasted friends from hurting themselves and guide them safely back to the mission to get married to his love interest Hope. There is some death defying stunts that involves plenty of vehicles and an open top bus that would be hard to imitate if they are done now.

Six months ago I had barely seen a Harold LLoyd feature (except "The Kid Brother" 35 years ago) - now I know that whenever I feel down I can put on a Harold Lloyd movie and laugh myself silly from start to finish!! It is such a comforting feeling. This is not a typical Harold Lloyd comedy and I was a bit concerned initially - instead of the poor boy who makes good or the eager, hopeful go-getter who by the film's end is everyone's hero, this movie has Lloyd as J. Harold Manners, an idle rich boy who accidentally becomes the patron of a mission for down and outs.

There are two fantastic chases in this movie - the first where Harold pledges to get the "Pool Hall Boys" to the Mission -he does (and a whole lot of other thugs as well) and by the time the police arrive they are all singing hymns and liking it!!! The other one is reminiscent of the hilarious chase in "Girl Shy" - in this chase he has been kidnapped by his well meaning rich friends, his "pool room" mates find him and then he has the job of getting himself and his inebriated friends to the church on time.

Jobyna Ralston, as Hope, can't be over-estimated. Even though her role is usually "the girl", either rich girl, poor girl or working girl, she compliments Harold Lloyd so much and brings so much to his movies on her own, it would be hard for me to imagine any other actress in the role. Noah Young also adds immensely to the laughs as the leader of the thugs. And three cheers for the wonderful Robert Israel and his Orchestra - if only he could score the music for all the silent movies that are available.

Highly, Highly Recommended.

I saw this film at the Silent Movie Theater when I was in Los Angeles last summer. It was my first Lloyd. Three quarters of the film was as funny as any Buster Keaton film I've ever seen, and funnier than any Chaplin. I tend to be more of a smiler than a laugh-out-louder, but the first chase scene in this film gave me abdominal cramps. It brought the house down. I don't think I've ever heard such raucous laughter in a movie theater before. It was a great, great chase scene. And it was a great experience being in a theater packed with people, even little kids, fully enjoying a 75+ year old film.

I've since seen two more Lloyd features, Hot Water and Speedy, but For Heaven's Sake is my favorite so far. If it weren't for a long and kinda unfunny sequence toward the late middle of the film, with Harold herding a pack of drunks, it would probably be my favorite silent comedy, period--my current favorite is Keaton's The Cameraman, incidentally.

The announcer guy at the theater claimed the print of For Heaven's Sake they were screening was the only one in existence. I don't know if it was an original nitrate print or what. I think I remember that it looked fairly pristine. I hope the film makes it to DVD soon, lest something unfortunate happen to the print, especially if they're going to take chances screening it publicly.

"For Heaven's Sake" was double-billed with "Grandma's Boy" on Turner Classic Movies' Silent Sunday, 12 July 2015, and it was a glorious pairing.

Harold Lloyd was working with Hal Roach for "GB" and was independent "For Heaven's Sake."

The first was, and was intended to be, more of a character study, as the alleged experts call it, while the second was more of a purely gag-filled romp.

"Sake" also had Lloyd's loveliest -- in my opinion -- co-star in the Tennessee girl, Jobyna Ralston, of South Pittsburg. (Some of her family is still there. I've tried, unsuccessfully, to talk the lifeless chamber of commerce into having a Jobyna Ralston film festival. It's a sad town but in a beautiful part of the country, not too far from Chattanooga. South Pittsburg is the home of the Cornbread Festival, featuring the Lodge iron skillets.)

"For Heaven's Sake" also has some wonderful stunts, with Lloyd's frequent foil Noah Young performing yeoman work, as do several excellent stunt performers.

It is, after all, Harold Lloyd, so you know there will be athletic performances and great sight gags, but the directing is quite an eye-opener, too, with that moving camera referred to in this review's title.

Both these films intrigued and delighted me with the moving camera, visually quite fascinating and very inventive and clever.

There is more story here than some supposed experts and even some reviewers here admit to and, combined with the sight humor, they make this a great movie, one I highly recommend.