Girl Shy

Director: Fred Newmeyer, Sam Taylor Fred Newmeyer

Overview

A virginal small-town young man pens a How-To book on the secrets of lovemaking, emboldening him to claim back the girl he loves just as she approaches the altar. This side-splitting Harold Lloyd classic features an impressive chase finale and a climax lifted and reused in The Graduate(1967).

Product Details

Release Date:	11/15/2022
UPC:	0644827421626
Original Release:	1924
Source:	Reel Vault
Language:	English
Time:	1:20:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Harold Lloyd	Harold Meadows the Poor Boy
Jobyna Ralston	Mary Buckingham the Rich Girl
Richard Daniels	Jerry Meadows the Poor Man,Newsboy
Carlton Griffith	Ronald DeVore the Rich Man
Charles E. Stevenson	Conductor
Jackie Condon	Boy Having Pants Sown
Gus Leonard	Bearded Train Passenger
Joe Cobb	Boy in Tailor Shop
Julian Rivero	Sleeping Train Passenger
Richard Daniel	Actor
Carlton Griffin	Ronald DeVore the Rich Man

Technical Credits

Sam Taylor

Tim Whelan Sr.

Ted Wilde

Fred Newmeyer	Director
Sam Taylor	Director,Screenwriter
Tim Whelan Sr.	Screenwriter
Ted Wilde	Screenwriter
Harold Lloyd	Producer

Editorial Reviews

This Harold Lloyd comedy is really two films in one, with the chase during the last couple of reels overwhelming the sweet storyline which gives it life. While Lloyd's characters often start off as timid and bashful, there is none more backward than Harold Meadows, the stuttering young tailor's assistant who can't even hold a coherent conversation with a girl, much less woo one. Improbably, Harold has been spending his nights working on a book called The Secrets of Making Love. While taking a train to the big city to hand his tome over to a publisher, a miracle happens -- he meets a real, live girl, the wealthy Mary Buckingham (Jobyna Ralston), and a lovely romance ensues. But Harold realizes he has nothing to offer Mary -- that is, unless he sells his book. So when Harold discovers that it has made him the laughing stock of the publishing firm, he knows he must cut her loose. In a truly heart-breaking scene Harold brazenly tells Mary that their romance was merely research for his writing. As a result, she accepts the marriage proposal of the slimy, insistent Ronald DeVore (Carlton Griffin). However, luck suddenly turns in Harold's favor when one of the readers at the publishing company suggests that the public would no doubt find his book as funny as the office workers do. The publisher agrees and sends Harold a hefty (for 1924) advance check. Harold receives it on the same day that Mary is marrying DeVore who, it turns out, is a sleazy bigamist. So Harold dashes out of the tailor's shop to save his girl -- right into a classic chase sequence that is almost as well-known as the climb in Safety Last. After a number of false starts, Harold is on his way to the church, and the timing of his mad dash by car, trolley, motorcycle, carriage and horse is both precise and wildly funny. In a scene that clearly inspired the end of 1967's The Graduate, DeVore is just about to slip the ring on Mary's finger when Harold shows up at the church. His stuttering keeps him from explaining his presence, so he just picks up Mary and runs off with her. Once they are alone, she quickly accepts his marriage proposal. While not one of Lloyd's best features, Girl Shy has a special charm and a good amount of it is due to the chemistry between the star and Ralston. This was only her second picture with Lloyd, but she already works well with him. While Bebe Daniels shone a little too brightly and Mildred Davis (who Lloyd married) didn't have enough luster, Ralston effectively combined a pretty face with an underlying sexuality that made her a great foil for Lloyd.