Faut pas s'en faire

This is one of Harold Lloyd's most entertaining comedies, with Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston and John Aasen making good use of a variety of material, especially a lot of Absurdist-style gags and routines. It starts just a little slowly in setting things up, but once it gets going, there are a lot of good laughs without a slow stretch.

Lloyd plays a good-natured but completely oblivious upper-class hypochondriac who travels to the tropics for a rest, and finds himself in the middle of a chaotic revolution. His naive initial reactions to the situation are quite amusing, and few screen comics could have pulled them off as well as Lloyd does.

As things get hotter for Lloyd and Ralston, the hilarious giant Colosso (Aasen's character) joins the madness, and that leads to some even more humorous gags. The lengthy sequence resulting from the first meeting between Harold and Colosso is very cleverly done, squeezing more than you would ever have guessed possible out of a simple situation. Afterward, Colosso's size and strength are used in many imaginative ways, with a lot of rather elaborate sight gags that are set up nicely.

The whole thing works very well. Once everything is set up, it flies by so quickly that it seems only to have taken a fraction of its running time.

A rich, young hypochondriac figures WHY WORRY? As long as he's got his nurse & valet to look after him absolutely nothing could happen, right?

Harold Lloyd, one of America's preeminent comedians of the Silent Era, uses his remarkable comic skills and tremendous athletic abilities to score another solid hit in this tale full of adventurous hilarity. With remarkable nonchalance, he calmly proceeds to thwart a Latin American revolution which threatens to shatter the tranquility of his restful vacation. But once his temper is aroused--at the sight of a distraught female--he really becomes a two-fisted hero eager to take on any number of bad guys.

Special mention should be made of Minnesota-born Norwegian-American John Aasen (1887-1938), who in his film debut plays Harold's gigantic companion. Nearly nine feet tall & rather fearsome, he nonetheless almost immediately grabs the viewer's complete sympathy while suffering mightily from a raging toothache. Gentle with Harold, he becomes an unstoppable one-man army in dealing with their enemies.

This film marked a milestone of sorts for Harold. It was his last produced in collaboration with Hal Roach; their friendly parting allowed Harold to gain virtually complete control over his films. WHY WORRY? was also his first movie to feature his new costar, beautiful Jobyna Ralston, who delivers a feisty, compelling performance as Harold's nurse; his previous leading lady, Mildred Davis, was now very busy in her new life as Mrs. Harold Lloyd.

Robert Israel has composed an excellent film score which perfectly complements Harold's antics on the screen.

For Lloyd's long-standing female sidekick Mildred Davis, "Safety Last" was the final of 15 films with the comedian. The two married on February 10, 1923, both making the decision for her to step aside to raise their future two children. Actress Jobyna Ralston, plucked from the stage by actor Max Linder and appeared in a number of his movies, took Davis' place in September 1923's "Why Worry?," as his nurse. The two, alongside a valet, journey to an island off Chile so Lloyd, playing a hypochondriac rich businessman, can rest in its tropical climate. Trouble is they stumble upon a revolution which embroils them in some incredible hijinks.

"Why Worry?" also was the final film of Lloyd's association with producer Hal Roach, dating back to 1913. The comedian became his own independent producer, forming the Harold Lloyd Film Corporation. Before the two split, to make their last picture together they had to find a last-minute replacement for Lloyd's cellmate named Colosso, a gigantic wild hermit with an aching toothache. Their original choice, Ringling Brothers Circus' Cardiff Giant (real name George Auger), died a day before leaving his Florida home for California. When Roach's publicity department made a nationwide call for a large man, a newspaper article was discovered detailing a man from Minnesota who possessed a gargantuan shoe size. John Aasen was awarded the part, which called for him lugging around and firing a canon on his back at the rebels.

"Why Worry?" was a tough act to follow after the critically-acclaimed "Safety Last." But the film was greeted by capacity theater crowds, ensuring Lloyd's transition to independent productions would be highly successful.

I had watched this in Hollywood as well but, given its late-night broadcast (being the last of 7 Lloyd films shown in a row), I was quite tired when its turn came and therefore not in the best position to appreciate it!

Lloyd is a spoilt millionaire and a hypochondriac to boot - not his typical struggling character therefore, but just as resourceful in dealing with situations beyond his control; he goes to a supposedly peaceful South American republic for health reasons and finds it torn by revolution! This film, then, would seem to be the precursor of all the south-of-the-border comedies which came much later - for instance Woody Allen's BANANAS (1971).

Still, while the comic action scenes at the climax certainly deliver the goods - Lloyd is assisted by a giant he met while in prison (and whom he had rid of a crippling toothache) - I think that the film is at its best during the earlier stages (especially the hilarious scene in which, taking a stroll around the village streets, he admires the leisurely lifestyle of the simple-folk there - with everyone he meets apparently sound asleep, unaware that their predicament is actually the result of a fresh beating by the oppressive militia!). Incidentally, this was Jobyna Ralston's first film with Lloyd (playing his loving nurse who, at one point, is disguised as a Mexican serving-boy in order to escape the lecherous attentions of the chief villain!).

In "Why Worry?" Harold Lloyd plays Harold von Pelham, a pampered and spoiled millionaire who has all the time in the world to worry about medical conditions that don't exist, and treat his smitten nurse and trusted valet as mere lackeys. He goes to a South American retreat for some much-needed rest and relaxation, but instead finds himself in the middle of a revolution. Along the way he picks up a devoted friend, a giant man named aptly Colossus, who becomes as loyal as a dog to Harold because he helps to pull an aching tooth. By the film's end, Harold has plumbed reserves of hidden strength, realizes he no longer needs his pills and medications, and discovers his love for his nurse.

The funniest thing about "Why Worry?" is that this little band of lovable characters never has a clue what's actually going on around them. They don't know one side of the warring parties from the other; they just know when they're in trouble, and they go from scene to scene doing whatever is necessary to get themselves out of scrapes without realizing how they're affecting the bigger picture. This film is wonderfully written and performed, with hilarious bits. Watching Harold's transition from pampered wimp to scrappy freedom fighter is delightful, and he has wonderful chemistry with Jobyna Ralston, who plays his nurse, and John Aasen, the impossibly enormous actor who plays Colossus.

This film is a treat.

Grade: A