Number, Please?

(1920) Number, Please?

SILENT COMEDY

Clocking between 23 and 25 minutes created by Hal Roach with a forgettable story line which conveniently centers around boy(Harold Lloyd) going to the fair/ amusement park then spotting the girl (Mildred Davis) he likes hanging around with her boyfriend with intentions to separate the two by first saving her dog and then return her hand bag which the boy didn't know it was hers. The title "Number, Please?" refers to the boy (Llyod) conversing and get through with phone company which if their is any reason to watch this, it would be to see the many amusing sight gags including Lloyd running away from cops, trying to discard the incriminating a lady's bag not knowing it belonged to the girl he is trying to impress, sitting at the end of a roller coastal ride with many wigs and hats flying to the back etc... It's just slightly outdated though but still entertaining. The eight of fifteen movies Harold Lloyd starred with actress Mildred Pierce.

The Boy (Harold Lloyd) is heartbroken for The Girl (Mildred Davis). She's with The Rival (Roy Brooks) at the seaside carnival. She loses her dog General Pershing. The Boy sets off to find it. OMG SAVE THE DOG! The Merry-o-around is scary as heck. I can't stop thinking about that scene. It ends up being funny, but it starts off as awkwardly scary. I honestly lost track of the story when it actually gets to "Number, Please". I was wondering what is happening with the phone call. The purse is a good gag especially when there is another dog. The dogs are the center of two great gags. They really save the day.

NUMBER, PLEASE? (1920)

*** (out of four)

Harold Lloyd two-reeler has Lloyd trying to mend a broken heart by going to an amusement part where he meets a lovely young lady but he must compete with her boyfriend. The first reel is wonderfully funny with all sorts of great gags including one where Lloyd is in the last cart of a ride with everyone else's hats hitting him. The second reel loses a lot of its punch but overall this was still a pretty good short that shows off what was to come in Lloyd's career.

Available on DVD through Kino and New Line.

A Hal Roach HAROLD LLOYD Comedy Short.

A young fellow desperately tries to win back the affections of his ex-girlfriend during a madcap day at a seaside pleasure pier.

Silent screen genius Harold Lloyd has a wonderful showcase for his comedic talents in this extremely funny little film. Among the difficulties confronting Harold are a couple of contrary canines, several suspicious cops, a grossly incompetent telephone operator and a rapacious goat. The sequences involving the crazy mirrors, the phone booths and the small black boy are absolute gems.

Mildred Davis--his future real-life wife--is the object of Harold's affections. Stout Roy Brooks plays the determined Rival.

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

Typical of many of the better silent slapstick comedies, 'Number, Please?' is a highly entertaining, charming, and, simply put, FUNNY short. The gags are aplenty, and many of them take full creative advantage of the setting and the circumstances of the central characters. This short takes place largely within the realms of an amusement park, and this leads to many rather interesting cinematic moments (ex.: a gag taking place on a roller coaster in which some of the footage was shot on an actual roller coaster while it was moving, the placement of the camera on a carousel for a few shots in another fast paced slapstick sequence). The timing, choreography, etc. are all done near perfectly. It is also worth noting that the ending of the short is surprisingly bleak, as is the entire overall story it tells. It is full on comical slapstick, but at its very core is a theme of heartbreak and failure. However, Harold Lloyd is able to deal w/this heartbreak and failure w/a self deprecating and highly amusing smile.