Short number seven out of thirteen, so smack dab in the middle of the current Harold Lloyd journey is 1920’s prohibition era thrill comedy, HIGH AND DIZZY. Very appropriate title. Harold Lloyd is “high” in the substance sense, along with Roy Brooks in that they are drunk on alcohol and it also makes them “dizzy” the way they stumble around hilariously. The “high” can also elude to the fact towards the end, Harold and Mildred are high in the air on the ledge of a building. Making it all the more spectacular, Harold is still drunk, or dizzy, as he’s on the ledge. Yes, there were a few precedents for SAFETY LAST! as far as thrill comedies go and HIGH AND DIZZY is one of them. Another future short will be another.
The story is Harold is a doctor who hasn’t had a patient in a while and is desperate for work - the cobweb on the telephone is a real nice touch to illustrate this. When he finally gets a patient, it’s Mildred Davis being brought in by her father. She has an issue sleepwalking. Being a Harold Lloyd short, they fall in love right away to the point where Mildred’s father takes her away because Harold is more interested in everything about his daughter but her diagnosis. In the title card, Harold asks Mildred if she believes in love at first sight. Then any novice lip reader can read Mildred saying, “I do.” A funny gag in between where Harold wants to impress upon them he has a busy practice, so he dresses as an old man and some tall guy with this plastic like extension on his head. Pretty funny and surreal.
After Mildred leaves, Roy Brooks shows Harold this hidden alcohol he has. When the bottles get uncorked and the drinks starting spilling over, Roy and Harold drink everything to save it and get completely plastered in the process. From here, the two are a drunk comedy team very much like Chaplin and Arbuckle in THE ROUNDERS. It’s a lot of fun seeing them stumble across town with suspicious cops, various different obstacles on sidewalks, trying to get in and out of cars and some hotel lobby high jinx with a bell and bell boys being summoned mistakingly. Harold’s drunk faces and various flips he does (especially over the hotel lobby desk) are all impressive.
Eventually Harold, still drunk and in a hotel room up high several floors, runs into Mildred again - in sleepwalking mode. Mildred and Harold, in their compromised states, both end up on the ledge of the building. Of course no one gets hurt but the thrill is there and they come close. In his drunken state, it takes Harold a while to figure out he’s on a ledge and when he does, we get that classic close up of his hair spiking up in shock, just like in HAUNTED SPOOKS and similar to Moe in some Stooge shorts. The ending marriage gag is also a lot of fun.
Another really good short overall. The thrill gag stuff, as awesome and realistic looking as it is here, would be improved upon in future films. Definitely check this one out.