Film & Shorts Discussions > Random Comedy Reviews

His Royal Slyness (1920) - Harold Lloyd

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metaldams:

--- Quote from: Umbrella Sam on February 02, 2022, 12:42:28 PM ---Yeah, I too was impressed by how large the sets were. I know Columbia later tended to reuse sets from their features in Stooge shorts, but is there any indication Roach may have reused sets for multiple shorts? I’d find it odd to build a set so large just for a short, but then again shorts were treated differently back then, so who knows?

Overall, some pretty good gags in this one, especially the ones involving the soldiers following Harold’s orders. Harold getting the numbers I feel is a bit contradictory to the love story with Mildred, which usually tends to be so good given their natural chemistry together, but…hey, it’s still early, and I too did like the gag with the mirror so I’m willing to forgive it. If it were a feature, that might be a different story. There also are some really good gags based off of Harold’s happy-go-lucky personality: the hat gag, the way Harold detaches the horse, and the way he accidentally activates the cannon are all really fun moments. And, yes, it is cool seeing Gaylord get a major role for once.

Overall, a pretty fun short, and like metaldams mentioned, the revolution stuff isn’t played too deeply, so it does work for the climax.

--- End quote ---

I imagine Roach would reuse sets and outdoor areas as well.  The stairs in HATS OFF and THE MUSIC BOX are the same, for example.

Venturing a guess, but the outdoors scenery here looks similar to WHY WORRY?

HomokHarcos:

--- Quote from: metaldams on February 02, 2022, 11:38:29 AM ---Great observation with the monarchies being overthrown at the time, especially in Russia.

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What I like about this short is it pokes fun at both the revolutionaries and the monarchy instead of taking a clear side.

Umbrella Sam:

--- Quote from: metaldams on February 02, 2022, 04:15:32 PM ---I imagine Roach would reuse sets and outdoor areas as well.  The stairs in HATS OFF and THE MUSIC BOX are the same, for example.

Venturing a guess, but the outdoors scenery here looks similar to WHY WORRY?

--- End quote ---

I didn’t even think about the outdoor scenery, but now that you mention it, the spot where Harold meets Mildred and the horse does look like the town from WHY WORRY (I haven’t seen it in a while, but some of the outdoor spots kind of remind me of A SAILOR-MADE MAN as well).

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