Le professeur Schnock

Harold Lloyd was a comedic icon with few real equals in early cinema, even if he may not have had the same name recognition as some contemporaries. Lloyd gave us the same reliable stunts, gags, situational humor, physical comedy, and general silliness, and there's not one of his silent classics that isn't a terrific, hilarious classic. Then again, while the man's career continued past the advent of talkies, his meaningful success thereafter is far more variable. 1932's 'Movie crazy' is a clever, delightful blast that definitely recalls the energy and wit of its silent predecessors, but the same can't be said for 1930's 'Feet first,' which was an improvement on 1929's 'Welcome danger'; in my opinion this title's immediate antecedent, 1936's 'The milky way,' was possibly the weakest picture Lloyd was ever involved with. It's not necessarily that there was a specific struggle with the new sound format, and the aforementioned sound features were still enjoyable in some measure, yet they're a big step down for a cinematic legend; somewhere along the line the cleverness and vitality just leaked away from the star's output. Sadly, I think 'Professor beware' tends to have more in common with that lesser side of his body of work, and it pales in comparison to Lloyd's best.

By all means, this 1938 flick earns some laughs. Regrettably, they are all too few. Like in 'The milky way,' the situational humor is somewhat overtaken by plot, and the plot is thin and less than convincing. Rather than inspire the desired reaction, some would-be sharp dialogue, some gags, and some of the abject ridiculousness just come off as hollow raucousness and empty hot air. The pacing is troubled, as too many story beats and intended jokes are disallowed from manifesting, breathing, and resolving in their own time; the film just rather blows past some of the writing, and as a result feels scattered and harried. In turn, 'Professor beware' becomes sadly ordinary and unremarkable: there are wide swaths of fare from the early to mid 30s that's reasonably well made, and which provides a good time to some extent, but which exists in a bland, middling space that fails to make any big impression. This, I'm sorry to say, distinctly seems to count among such so-so cinema. It's not outright bad, and there are far worse things you could watch. The whole thing, though, is that for a star who at his best earned one laugh after another and commanded our attention, a piece that struggles to earn either laughs or mere engagement is a huge fumble.

The writing favors utmost zest and pizazz over sly ingenuity, or judicious storytelling; even if that weren't true, Elliott Nugent's direction is far too uncareful - orchestrating scenes with high energy, sure, but treating the material poorly. There are ideas here that should be delightful, yet through to the bombastic climax, so much of it is instead simply overcooked and dull, like meat that's left on a grill until it's charred and flavorless. The cast fully embraces the bluster, bless their hearts, not least with Lloyd sacrificing his body, and this is well done in all other regards: sets, costume design, stunts, effects, and so on. It rather says a lot, however, that as the digital timer broached the one hour mark I had all but checked out of the viewing experience, and there was still another solid half-hour to go. If you want a 30s comedy, you'll get it, and it's a decent enough way to spend ninety minutes, but I strongly suggest that you follow this up by revisiting 'Dr. Jack,' 'The freshman,' or 'Why worry?' - any one of the icon's silent classics stand head, shoulder, knees, and toes above 'Professor beware,' and only by checking them out will you truly get a good sense of what Lloyd was capable of. Oh well.

Professor, Beware is fun, funny, charming, heart-warming, and an all around great old film. More so, it is a great adventure like an original Indiana Jones movie. More so, it has some concepts that bear thinking about - more than most comedies. This is the kind of film that one gives a satisfied sigh afterwards and says: "They don't make em like that anymore".

Enjoy!

"Professor Beware," in addition to the amazing Mr. Lloyd, boasts a supporting cast of heavyweights: Lionel Stander, Raymond Walburn, William Frawley, Sterling Holloway, Cora Witherspoon and Thurston Hall. Each of these character actors add immensely to the story, which is a quest in the best sense of the word. Lloyd is a professor of Egyptology who is searching for the final, but lost, tablet that will solve a riddle of the ages. His cross-country journey that ends on a yacht with one of the best comic fight scenes in movie history is fraught with mishaps and odd characters who block Lloyd's frantic attempts to get to New York in order to catch a steamship to Egypt. It is unfortunate that this film is not available in any form (I have a VHS tape from TV I made in the '90s) and not even on Turner Classic Movies. If you have the opportunity to see the film, be sure to do so. A true comic classic.

During the 1920s, Harold Lloyd was box office gold. You might be surprised to hear that his comedies outdrew those of Keaton or Chaplin during that era and he was the most popular silent comedian on the planet. So, with this amazing reputation, it's quite surprising that several of his sound comedies were relative duds....pleasant enough to watch but far less well written than his earlier efforts. A few were really good ("Movie Crazy" is a great sound comedy) but most were contrived and difficult to love. "Mad Wednesday" and "Professor Beware" both are among the difficult to love movies.

The story is about Professor Dean Lambert (Lloyd), a world famous Egyptologist. One night, he comes upon a damsel in distress and unquestioningly helps her....but it really makes no sense. After all, she wants him to change clothes with a drunk guy and wait out in the car....for a woman he just met! Soon, the police arrive and see the Professor in his underwear and they arrest him! Suddenly, he finds himself in the newspapers...and without a job.

Later, the woman he helped returns. Now you'd THINK he'd take her to explain the situation to the judge or prosecutor. Instead, he runs to New York because he is about to go on an expedition to Egypt. So, in other words, he fleas the state and risks a very long prison sentence AND loss of his reputation instead of staying in California to straighten out the problems. And, to get to New York, he soon finds himself bumming rides and riding the rails!! Oh, and did I mention that the Professor just happens to think he is the reincarnation of a 3000 dead Egyptian...and the lady who asked for his help was his lover 3000 years ago?!

Does ANY of this make any sense? Of course not!! Is it funny...sometimes. But at least Lloyd is likable in this film...and there are a few cute moments here and there. But on balance, it's definitely a sub-par Lloyd outing....and this would explain why it was a decade later when he made his next (and final) film.

Comedian Harold Lloyd's output in movies slowed considerably when he made the transition to sound from silent films. His annual releases turned to every other year. With the premier of June 1938's "Professor Beware," Lloyd took a break from screen acting for the next nine years before he returned for one last hurrah in 1947.

"Professor Beware" was a departure from the hands-on writing, directing and editing Lloyd usually did for his films. Since signing on with Paramount Pictures, the studio took over all his tasks. Lloyd was limited to acting and as a partial producer. Critics noticed because of this new arrangement, the brilliance of Lloyd was lost in the shuffle. Film critic Leonard Maltin spoke for the multitude of reviewers when he noted, "One of Lloyd's last vehicles has good moments, but the tale of archeologist searching for rare tablet is thin."

Lloyd plays Professor Dean Lambert, an Egyptologist who reads a tablet on a royal who fell in love with the Pharaoh's daughter, only to die because of it. The archeologist possesses a similar face as the ancient Egyptian, which convinces him it's bad luck to be in love. Later, the professor meets and falls in love with aspiring actress Jane Van Buren (Phyllis MacDonald), who is in line to inherit a fortune. A bogus scandal gets Lambert fired, and the pair of lovers decide to join an Egyptian expedition leaving New York City in ten days. In their travels cross-country they have to elude the police.

"Professor Beware" was the only film for Phyllis MacDonald, 24. From 1935 she was a success on the Broadway stage and earned the New York Times Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress two years later for 'End of Summer.' Signing a 'no-marriage' clause with Paramount, MacDonald married Lloyd soon after filming ended, forcing an end to her short-lived film career. She continued acting in regional theater before passing away at 95 in September 2008.

A few modern day film critics are more forgiving on "Professor Beware," which was repeatedly on broadcast television for years. Its wacky madcap ending drew praise from reviewer Dan Stumpf, who noted the movie "wraps up with a full ten minutes of delightful sight gags, wonderfully conceived, and beautifully shot and edited as Harold storms a yacht and we get that wonderful feel of his Silent Movie days, that this guy can sweep a football field or climb a skyscraper and take us right along with him." It was almost a decade before Lloyd was be seen on the big screen one last time.