Funny Side of Life

Here's another chance to enjoy HAROLD LLOYD'S FUNNY SIDE OF LIFE.

With the success of his first compilation film, HAROLD LLOYD'S WORLD OF COMEDY (1962), it was only natural that a sequel would soon follow. It is important to remember that for decades these two films were the only way in which to enjoy Harold's classics, as he was adamant that they would not be butchered by television.

We are shown Harold's shipboard confrontation with the villain and a romantic interlude in the woods from THE KID BROTHER (1927). Harold's desperate dash to his own wedding while in charge of a group of drunken bums is shown from FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE (1926) and his taxi troubles in SPEEDY (1928) are included.

As a grand conclusion, we are treated to Harold's THE FRESHMAN (1925) in its entirety. This wonderfully funny look at a determined young fellow's drive to succeed on his college football team is still touchingly poignant. The inclusion of the song ‘There Was a Boy, There Was A Girl' by Ned Washington & Walter Scharf lends a gentle, evocative touch to the movie.

Funnyman Harold Lloyd apparently selected the clips that are included in this film, and for the first half hour of so, the conceit works, as Lloyd provides narration to accompany some of the funniest scenes from a selection of his 1920s films. Unfortunately, it seems that he lost interest in the project at that point, as the last hour is basically a reprise of his 1925 college comedy, The Freshman. The narration disappears and we're left with an admittedly fine film, but one that we've seen before in a better format--without the annoying and unnecessary sound effects added to the soundtrack in order to sell this to the Saturday matinee crowd. If you're unfamiliar with Lloyd, this is a perfectly fine place to start, but hardcore fans will be disappointed.