Lloyd;Harold V2 Collection

Of the ten shorts in this 2-disc release:

1. Two Gun Gussie
2. The City Slicker
3. The Non-Stop Kid
4. Ring Up the Curtain
5. Captain Kidd's Kids
6. From Hand to Mouth (1919)
7. High and Dizzy (1920)
8. Never Weaken (1921)
9. Among Those Present (1921)
10. Now or Never (1921)

The first five are not among those included in the forthcoming New Line set. Given Kino's good track record with rare silent material, this set is recommendable sight unseen, though the 7-disc New Line set is certainly a far more comprehensive view of Lloyd's career.

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On November 15th New Line will release three two-disc collections with a MSRP of $29.95 each. All three collections will also be available in a boxed set, The Harold Lloyd Comedy Collection, which will include a bonus disc that will not be available seperately. The boxed set will retail for $89.85. The discs will include the following films:


Volume 1
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Disc 1:
Girl Shy (1924)
Safety Last! (1923) w/ commentary by Leonard Maltin and director Richard Correll
An Eastern Westerner (1920)
Ask Father (1919)
From Hand to Mouth (1919)

Disc 2:
The Milky Way (1936)
The Cat's Paw (1934)
Why Worry? (1923)
Featurette "Harold's Hollywood: Then and Now"

Volume 2
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Disc 1:
The Kid Brother (1927) w/ commentary by Harold Lloyd's granddaughter Suzanne Lloyd, author Annette D'Agostino Lloyd, and Rich Correll
The Freshman (1925) w /commentary by Leonard Maltin, Richard Correll and author/film historian Richard W. Bann
Bumping Into Broadway (1919)
Billy Blazes, Esq. (1919)

Disc 2:
Feet First (1930)
Grandma's Boy (1922)
Dr. Jack (1922)
Now or Never (1921)
High and Dizzy (1920)
"Scoring for Comedy" featurette

Volume 3
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Disc 1:
Speedy (1928) w/ commentary by Suzanne Lloyd, Annette D'Agostino Lloyd and Richard Correll
Hot Water (1924)
Never Weaken (1921)
Haunted Spooks (1920) w/ commentary by Suzanne Lloyd, Annette D'Agostino Lloyd and Richard Correll

Disc 2:
Movie Crazy (1932)
For Heaven's Sake (1926)
I Do (1921)
Among Those Present (1921)
A Sailor-Made Man (1921)
Get Out and Get Under (1920)
Number Please? (1920)
"Greenacres" featurette


Bonus Disc
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Rare, vintage interviews and home movies
Tributes and interviews with family, friends and legendary celebrities including Debbie Reynolds, Robert Wagner, Tab Hunter and director John Landis
Narrative chronology detailing the life and times of Harold Lloyd, hosted by Leonard Maltin
Video bios of many of Harold Lloyd's collaborators and stars of the golden age of cinema
Harold Lloyd Academy Award speech
USC's Delta Kappa Alpha tribute to Harold Lloyd hosted by Jack Lemmon and Steve Allen
3-D photos shot by Harold Lloyd himself (3-D glasses included)
Photo and publicity galleries
Radio shows
And more!

OK, I'm prejudiced. I wrote the piano music for this Kino release. It's all in the style of the late teens and early 20's and I am told it's fun to listen to by itself. So let your ears be your guide as well as your eyes when you enjoy this wonderful set of early Harold Lloyd shorts, including the zany action of TWO GUN GUSSIE, HIGH AND DIZZY, and THE NON STOP KID.

I am sure the New Line set coming in November will be fascinating, but I wouldn't let that stop you from purchasing this one with all new music composed specifically for the films, not just mono needle drops from old 78 transfers.

Indeed, why bother buying this release when 28 films by the late Harold Lloyd are just about to be released, complete with seal of approval by Suzanne Lloyd? Well, the antics of the somewhat dated duet Pollard/lloyd are certainly not up to standard with the tightly-scripted, gorgeously-photographed and carefully-preserved features New Line is about to provide us as part of their impressive 7-DVD set, yet this massive offering was obviously conceived as a tribute to the stellar aspect of the comedian career, and the crude beginnings of his bespectacled persona have been carefully ignored. This Kino release shows us how Lloyd evolved from the madness of his post-sennettian style to the more subtle touch of his first three- and four-reelers; as such, and while it is admitted that the box set is indeed indispensable, this is a slice of history, not tampered with, for better and for worse.

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