Lonesome Luke, Messenger (1917)
*** (out of 4)
Harold Lloyd and 'Snub' Pollard play delivery boys who are sent to deliver some packages to an all girl's seminary school where all hell breaks loose. If you're looking for some sort of story then you're going to be highly disappointed but if you just want a good time then this one-reeler delivers the goods. I must say that I've seen some fast moving films in my life but I'm not sure I've ever seen anything as fast as this. I say fast because there's so much stuff that's constantly happening and at an incredibly fast rate. It's hard for you to adjust your eyes to what you're seeing before you're quickly at another sequence. This here is certainly good to a point but things really start to pick up once the two boys start getting into some trouble. One of the highlights include Lloyd peeking at some girls through a keyhole before getting busted. Another highlight has Lloyd flirting with a couple cute girls and it appears the comedian was influenced by Chaplin here. There's also some scenes with Bud Jamison where he, Snub and Lloyd are all beating and slapping each other around, which seems like something that might have influenced The Three Stooges. While this film is no where near flawless I think silent film buffs should enjoy the madness.