Ask Father

Three suitors, one of who is Harold, are wooing a rich girl. Each time one of them asks to marry her, she replies "Ask father." So Harold tries to do so. The problem is, the father will see no one without an appointment – and he won't make appointments! The crux of the plot is Harold, using various stratagems and disguises, tries to get to see the father. He is repeatedly thrown out. One of the on-going gags is having Bebe Daniels place a cushion where Lloyd is likely to land after being thrown out. That was my favorite gag but I also liked Lloyd's climb up the side of the building. To me, the moving floor bit was pretty weak. Snub Pollard doesn't have much to do in this film and is thus forgettable. Bebe Daniels, however, is effervescent and has quite a screen presence. Seeing this reminded me of seeing her in the Zorro spoof "Senorita" many years ago at a film festival – she was marvelous and the movie was really funny.

Ask Father (1919)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Before he can marry the woman he loves Harold Lloyd must first ask for her father's permission. The only problem is that her father is the busiest man alive so getting near him will take some time. Here's a very funny one reel that has plenty of laughs throughout. The stuff with the two bouncers, one a midget, is hysterical as is the moving floor in the father's office. The scene where Lloyd climbs up the side of a building is also great.

You can get this film in New Line's Harold Lloyd Collection.

The boss has a popular daughter. She has two mushy suitors who have waited five months to "ask father". The boy (Harold Lloyd) is doing everything to court her and faces every hurdle.

It's a thirteen minute comedic short. It's good slapstick. The two suitors should be combined into one rival and constant bully. The treadmill is funny although I don't understand why the office would have that. The pillow is a funny bit and that sells the telephone girl. She could have more screen time. Finally near the end, he does some impressive climbing. Quite frankly, he should end the story out there if possible.

For those not too familiar with life almost a hundred years ago, the phrase "Ask father," meant you better get the old man's approval if you want to marry his daughter. That was a MUST, and sets up the premise for this Harold Lloyd short. He, along with several other guys, are all after the same woman but must get to the father. Unfortunately, he's a tough business leader who runs an office like a dictatorship and one runs the risk of being thrown out on his rear trying to get in and see him.

That's the gag of the movie, which doesn't really have much spark until the last six minutes when Harold gets inventive in ways to see the boss, such as wearing a suit or armor.

Without giving anything away, I will say this movie might be the ultimate in showing how lightly marriage has always been treated in the films. This is a comedy, however, so nothing to take serious anyway. I did laugh, too, at the end, when we see how much true love meant to Harold (hint: not a whole lot, as it turns out.)

The young couple have decided to marry and it is time to ask the father for the hand of his daughter. Problem is, the father does not want to give the daughter away. So every time he goes to the office to ask the father, he is tossed out.

There are some amusing incidental things here, such as an old Coca-Cola advertisement saying it cures fatigue. I also liked the midget an the secretary being referred to as "corn-fed".

This short film as a whole is pretty strong, and I would say among Lloyd's best work. Definitely better than the "Eastern Westerner". Maybe not as good as "Safety Last", but for how short this was, they really packed a lot into it.