Wild, crazy Lloyd at his best

MOVIE CRAZY (1932)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Movie Crazy" may not be the best Harold Lloyd film ever made, but it comes darn close. Despite being a monumental flop at the box-office (as well as two early talkies he made prior to this one), one wonders why because it is so flat out funny and charming. Those weaned on romantic comedies of the 2000 decade will find there was far more wit, imagination and playfulness in this genre almost a century earlier.

Lloyd is Harold Hall, an ambitious actor whose glasses may get in the way of real movie stardom, which he so desires. His family doesn't think much of his desires yet Hall pursues stardom by going west. He lands in Hollywood under false pretenses - let's just say it has to do with the wrong photograph being sent with his name on it. The photograph has a Rudolph Valentinoesque kind of actor, far removed from the goofy Hall. Hall's first audition goes awry to say the least, not to mention his brief stint as an extra where he overacts! Hall meets the blonde, sassy Mary Sears (Constance Cummings), an actress under contract to a studio. Little does Hall realize that a seeming Latina starlet whom he pines for on another movie set is the same Mary Sears. Of course, Mary has too much fun teasing Hall (whom she nicknames "Trouble") to tell him the truth, including telling him that he can't see any other women, such as the seductive Latina.

Don't expect any of the tomfoolery and death-defying stunts of Lloyd's earlier silent films in "Movie Crazy." The movie delights in simple sight gags and occasional slapstick (including the breaking of glass doors that will leave you howling with laughter), but it also delights in the charm of its leading star. It is no accident that Lloyd's "Glasses" character inspired the character of Clark Kent except Lloyd is the bumbling, clumsy Clark Kent with or without the glasses. And yet, despite his awkward stages such as prancing around puddles with only one shoe or wearing a "magic" coat (you have to see it to believe it), we root for Hall to make it big and make his sweet, rickety relationship with Mary Sears come true. We also hope he can steer her away from her amorous, drunk co-star, Vance (Robert Thomson).

"Movie Crazy" is a wild comic ride, a fun-filled, laugh-a-minute film with plenty of laughs for any fan of Lloyd and of movies as well. Added to that is the most memorable performance(s) in the film by the magnetic Constance Cummings. The twinkle in her eye and her flair for comic timing work so exceedingly well that she will make one swoon with awe and delight - a marvelous actress. No wonder Hall gets into so much trouble in the film - he is in love.