Topic: Lonesome Luke, Messenger (1917) - Harold Lloyd

[metaldams]

      LONESOME LUKE, MESSENGER is one of the few surviving films Harold Lloyd made under the Lonesome Luke character.  According to Wikipedia, there were 67 of these made overall and only 14 survive.  Today’s film is number 59 of 67 and released about a month before Harold’s first “glass character” short OVER THE FENCE.  All of the Lonesome Luke shorts were one reel long and Harold’s character at this point was physically inspired by Chaplin in a reverse Chaplin way.  What I mean is where Chaplin’s clothes would be too baggy, Harold’s would be too tight.  The area on Chaplin’s lip where he had his mustache painted on Harold would have it painted in the surrounding area.

      Comedy wise, this short is very much inspired by the knockabout Keystone style.  By 1917, Chaplin was finishing up his Mutual contract while Arbuckle was starting his Paramount short series with Keaton, so the bigger stars of the time were making two reel shorts and slowing down the pace relative to what we have here, which feels like a 1914 Keystone.

      Lloyd, was making these shorts about every week or two, so the pace he was working was quite prolific and things like plot were definitely put on the back burner compared to pace, gag and knock about comedy.  The gags move so fast at times I think you can watch this short a few times and catch new things.

      Highlights for me are the gag where a breakfast meal is being consumed on a tray held by someone else in the middle of traffic - Bud Jamison chasing Harold around the piano at a crazed pace - watching the living room where the painting and wall papering is happening get messy in nanoseconds - the various fireplace gags where people get pushed into multiple rooms back and forth - Harold’s flirtation with the girls and the childish level of voyeurism at the girl school - the high wire climb and telephone pole slapstick towards the end - just lots of random little things.  The joy of this one is seeing Harold, Bud and Snub being so young and full of energy.  I don’t know if watching multiple Lonesome Luke shorts in order gets tiring after a while due to the pace, but watching one of these things is quite exhilarating.  Check this one out.

[HomokHarcos]

That was pretty fast-paced and the story is all over the place. Like you said, it's entertaining if you watch one, but I don't know if I could watch them in a row. I have actually watched all of the extant Harold Lloyd glasses movies, but have never watched a Lonesome Luke before. He's been called a Chaplin knockoff, but he definitely looks like his own character unlike Billy West.

My favorite part was with the piano with Bud Jamison. I would not have known that was him if you didn't mention it, and am actually shocked he is here. He looked like a young adult during the 1930s with The Three Stooges and Clark and McCullough, I guess he was older than he looked.

Bebe Daniels is full of energy and looks very similar to Mabel Normand. I actually think she was a good comic actress in Harold Lloyd comedies, it's just the age difference can be unsettling (Lloyd is 24 here, Daniels is 16).

[metaldams]

That was pretty fast-paced and the story is all over the place. Like you said, it's entertaining if you watch one, but I don't know if I could watch them in a row. I have actually watched all of the extant Harold Lloyd glasses movies, but have never watched a Lonesome Luke before. He's been called a Chaplin knockoff, but he definitely looks like his own character unlike Billy West.

My favorite part was with the piano with Bud Jamison. I would not have known that was him if you didn't mention it, and am actually shocked he is here. He looked like a young adult during the 1930s with The Three Stooges and Clark and McCullough, I guess he was older than he looked.

Bebe Daniels is full of energy and looks very similar to Mabel Normand. I actually think she was a good comic actress in Harold Lloyd comedies, it's just the age difference can be unsettling (Lloyd is 24 here, Daniels is 16).

Bud was in his forties when he worked with The Three Stooges.  In his twenties here.  He is really excellent in THE CHAMPION with Charlie Chaplin.  I may review that one, it’s arguably my favorite Essanay short, or at least close to it.

Marion Byron was about 16 or 17 when she was Keaton’s leading lady in STEAMBOAT BILL, JR.   SALLY O’NEIL was 17 during BATTLING BUTLER.  Keaton was much older than 24.  Yeah, a lot of these comedies have that, which is why I’m a fan of the Christine McIntyres and Mae Busch’s of the world.  Older, (in a relative sense) still attractive and a better fit with the comedians.

[Umbrella Sam]

Interesting to finally see a Lonesome Luke comedy. I’d always meant to watch one at some point, but always put it off because I’d heard how primitive they were. And, yeah, from a character standpoint, this one definitely is, but it is still interesting to watch just because of how fast and chaotic it is. It’d the kind of thing where if you look away for a few seconds, you surprisingly can miss a lot. It’s not the kind of thing I’d watch an entire series of, but as an occasional curiosity of just how chaotic things can get, it works fine. The chases with Jamison and Pollard are fun and probably the highlight of the short. As far as individual gags, the only one that really stands out to me is the one with Pollard and the breakfast tray, but to be fair, it is a really funny gag. Nice to see the Lloyd estate is taking advantage of YouTube and officially posting his works.

7 out of 10