Harold Lloyd and Chaplin were the two top comics at the boxoffice in the early days of silent movies and Lloyd here pulls together a very funny movie that gets him to show his athletic prowess and comic ingenuity. Lloyd shows up to meet a girl he hasn't seen in years but she is the guardian of a girl whom she brings along. There is only two tickets for three and Lloyd and the little girl have to dodge the train conductor while caring for a little child which puts his mental acumen to task. Set-pieces include a popular one of Lloyd riding on top of the train, Lloyd at the bottom of a train as he tails a hobo who stole his money; Lloyd in a bathroom with a very funny scene involving shaving cream etc Emotional resonance is low but laughs are truly aplenty the more I think of it, the more I laugh as I type. That is a high compliment.
17 Reviews
Uneven three-reeler from Mr. Lloyd
JoeytheBrit11 January 2010
Harold's on his way to reclaim his childhood sweetheart as promised on the occasion of her eighteenth birthday. She is a nanny and brings her cute little charge along with her even though she isn't really supposed to. Harold, driving like a maniac – Lloyd certainly saw speed (and heights) as an infallible ingredient in his thrill comedies – ends up driving through a farmers barn and ends up riding under a train with the bum who cheated him out of his bankroll.
The second part of the film takes place on board the train, where Harold has been lumbered with the little girl because his sweetheart has spotted her boss on the same train. Although the kid is cute, some of the humour is strained here, with some gags lasting too long, and things feel a little flat after the breakneck pace of the film's first half. At 40 minutes, this film was longer than Lloyd's usual two-reelers and it's likely that he deliberately made the film this way so that it could be split into two short films if the longer running time failed to please his fans.
This isn't one of Lloyd's best film but it probably has just about enough highlights to keep most fans happy.
The second part of the film takes place on board the train, where Harold has been lumbered with the little girl because his sweetheart has spotted her boss on the same train. Although the kid is cute, some of the humour is strained here, with some gags lasting too long, and things feel a little flat after the breakneck pace of the film's first half. At 40 minutes, this film was longer than Lloyd's usual two-reelers and it's likely that he deliberately made the film this way so that it could be split into two short films if the longer running time failed to please his fans.
This isn't one of Lloyd's best film but it probably has just about enough highlights to keep most fans happy.
Harold On A Train
boblipton11 October 2020
In the set-up to this movie, Harold has to take care of Anna Mae Bilson on a train, without a ticket. Once that's established, you can sit back and enjoy this well-paced and funny three-reel comedy.
Once he had begun to make two-reel comedies in 1919, Harold would occasionally make a three-reel one. Whether he was experimenting with a better set-up to the funny sections, or Hal Roach and he agreed the three-reel version played better is not clear. His first feature, A SAILOR-MADE MAN started at three reels and just kept going.
Young Miss Bilson appeared in this movie, and the first-shot short in the Our Gang series, it was called OUR GANG and was released third in sequence. She lived to be 89, dying in 2005.
Once he had begun to make two-reel comedies in 1919, Harold would occasionally make a three-reel one. Whether he was experimenting with a better set-up to the funny sections, or Hal Roach and he agreed the three-reel version played better is not clear. His first feature, A SAILOR-MADE MAN started at three reels and just kept going.
Young Miss Bilson appeared in this movie, and the first-shot short in the Our Gang series, it was called OUR GANG and was released third in sequence. She lived to be 89, dying in 2005.
Has Some Very Enjoyable Moments
Snow Leopard5 October 2005
While probably a bit more uneven than most of Harold Lloyd's early 1920s comedies, this feature has some very enjoyable moments. Lloyd and Mildred Davis star in a rather complicated story that sees them spend considerable time with a cute young child, giving Lloyd some different material than usual to work with.
The story is the kind of deliberately illogical series of predicaments that provides a showcase for a skilled comic like Lloyd, as his character movies rapidly from one jam to another. Most of it takes place on a train, which provides an enjoyable setting with lots of good props and minor characters.
The parts that work the best turn out to be the scenes with the child. Lloyd's eager beaver style forms a nice contrast with the young girl, combining humor with an occasional warmer moment that works well. The rest of the movie also contains some good gags, but many of the others are only average, at least by Lloyd's standards. Nothing at all is wrong with Lloyd's timing or with the pace; it's just that this time only some of the gag ideas are really creative or funny. It still adds up to an enjoyable comedy that is somewhat above average overall.
The story is the kind of deliberately illogical series of predicaments that provides a showcase for a skilled comic like Lloyd, as his character movies rapidly from one jam to another. Most of it takes place on a train, which provides an enjoyable setting with lots of good props and minor characters.
The parts that work the best turn out to be the scenes with the child. Lloyd's eager beaver style forms a nice contrast with the young girl, combining humor with an occasional warmer moment that works well. The rest of the movie also contains some good gags, but many of the others are only average, at least by Lloyd's standards. Nothing at all is wrong with Lloyd's timing or with the pace; it's just that this time only some of the gag ideas are really creative or funny. It still adds up to an enjoyable comedy that is somewhat above average overall.
it's got some fine moments but the plot is full of holes
planktonrules30 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I love Harold Lloyd films, so I was a bit surprised that I mildly disliked this film. It wasn't the stunts or the comedy that was the problem--these were all just fine. No, it was the plot. It seemed like part of the movie was missing or the plot just hadn't been worked through before the movie was edited.
The film starts with a governess going on vacation with the sweet child in her charge. Her own parents, it seems, are selfish and feel they're too busy to care for the kid. Okay,...this part about the parents is interesting, I guess, but this is such a big part of the film and then it's never explored after the first five minutes. The vacation, it turns out, is to go back to her home town to meet her childhood sweetheart, Lloyd. Well, the scenes cut to Lloyd and he is a reckless and selfish person--not at all the sympathetic character he generally was in film. He drove about town nearly killing people (showing no regard for others), stole a man's train ticket just so he could get a space on the train and continually put himself before everyone except the child and the governess. He just seemed like a jerk.
Well, when he first sees his old flame, she hands him the kid and runs onto a departing train--leaving Lloyd to fend for himself and the girl (that's when he steals the ticket). She says that there's something important she MUST do on the train and it takes her most of the movie to resolve it--but exactly what this is and how it was resolved, isn't too clear. It really seemed like an excuse to take the antics on board a train but HOW and WHY just wasn't a consideration.
My advice is to watch this film only after you see some of Lloyd's better films first--this one is way too ordinary to be a adequate introduction to this man's genius.
The film starts with a governess going on vacation with the sweet child in her charge. Her own parents, it seems, are selfish and feel they're too busy to care for the kid. Okay,...this part about the parents is interesting, I guess, but this is such a big part of the film and then it's never explored after the first five minutes. The vacation, it turns out, is to go back to her home town to meet her childhood sweetheart, Lloyd. Well, the scenes cut to Lloyd and he is a reckless and selfish person--not at all the sympathetic character he generally was in film. He drove about town nearly killing people (showing no regard for others), stole a man's train ticket just so he could get a space on the train and continually put himself before everyone except the child and the governess. He just seemed like a jerk.
Well, when he first sees his old flame, she hands him the kid and runs onto a departing train--leaving Lloyd to fend for himself and the girl (that's when he steals the ticket). She says that there's something important she MUST do on the train and it takes her most of the movie to resolve it--but exactly what this is and how it was resolved, isn't too clear. It really seemed like an excuse to take the antics on board a train but HOW and WHY just wasn't a consideration.
My advice is to watch this film only after you see some of Lloyd's better films first--this one is way too ordinary to be a adequate introduction to this man's genius.
NOW OR NEVER (Fred Newmeyer and Hal Roach, 1921) ***
Bunuel197621 December 2006
Being a three-reeler, this Harold Lloyd vehicle commands more attention than his typical short - though it's not quite as rounded as his feature-length films either!
Train-set for a good part of the duration, it provides plenty of gags characteristic to such a situation: being a stowaway with a small girl in tow, Lloyd has to devise several ways in which to avoid detection; there's a lengthy scene in the berths (at one point, Lloyd causes the train to make an emergency stop in the middle of the country-side simply because his spoilt ward wants a glass of milk!); and the star even contrives to find himself on top of the train as it's speeding towards a tunnel.
As with many of his other shorts I've watched, a good enough comedy but these, somehow, aren't as highly regarded as the equivalent work of a Keaton or even Laurel & Hardy!
Train-set for a good part of the duration, it provides plenty of gags characteristic to such a situation: being a stowaway with a small girl in tow, Lloyd has to devise several ways in which to avoid detection; there's a lengthy scene in the berths (at one point, Lloyd causes the train to make an emergency stop in the middle of the country-side simply because his spoilt ward wants a glass of milk!); and the star even contrives to find himself on top of the train as it's speeding towards a tunnel.
As with many of his other shorts I've watched, a good enough comedy but these, somehow, aren't as highly regarded as the equivalent work of a Keaton or even Laurel & Hardy!
Lloyd learns to take care of a child
weezeralfalfa5 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
A moderately funny Harold Lloyd silent short, at 35 min.. I recommend seeing the Lloyd film "Number Please" first........ 5 y..o. Dolly wants her nanny(Mildred) to tell her a bedtime story. Mildred tells about when she was a girl about Dolly's age, she met a boy named Harold, and soon they realized they loved each other. But, they were much too young to get married. Harold promised that he would return to her on her 18th birthday, which is tomorrow. So, she will take the train to her home so she will find out if he keeps his promise. Since Dolly's parents will be away tomorrow, Mildred decides to honor Dolly's request that she accompany Mildred........The screen play doesn't make sense in some ways. For example, Mildred meets Harold at the train station. So, why would she, as well as the others, get on the train to her home, Lloyd with no ticket(no money)., thus having to dodge the conductor? We wouldn't have much of a story if she had decided otherwise.......Evidently, Lloyd is speeding in his car to meet Mildred. He races through a tiny town, creating havoc, then knocks the hay off a hay wagon, part of which covers him so he can't see. He plows through a fence and barn, then offers to pay for the damage. Only trouble is the man isn't the farmer. He's a hobo, who takes his wallet and runs down the road. Lloyd runs after him, ignoring his car. and eventually reaches the railroad, where there is a waiting train. He finds the hobo sitting on the undercarriage of a car, and joins him. After the train starts up, he gets his wallet back, and counts the money. While counting, a blast of steam from a little pipe blows his money away, so he is again penniless. He has a time riding the rails. When, he gets into the station,, he spots a woman who reminds him of Mildred, and finds that it is, indeed, her. But she's with a small child. Mildred tells him to look after Dolly, while she tends to something. He sees her get on the train, so when it pulls out, he puts Dolly and himself on the train, Dolly, but not him, having a ticket. Eventually, they meet on the train. Mildred wants to stay away from Dolly, because she discovered Dolly's father on the train, and doesn't want him to know she brought Dooly without his permission. That means Lloyd will have to continue as Dolly's nursemaid until the father leaves. When it's time to go to sleep, Dolly asks Lloyd to undress her, and put her nightgown on. Luckily, Mildred comes by, to do this, as Lloyd felt embarrassed to do such. Then, Dolly wants him to sing her lullaby. He tries, but Dolly and the other passengers soon want him to stop. Then, she wants a glass of milk. Lloyd doesn't know where to get it., so he pulls the cord that stops the train. hops out and looks for a cow. He soon finds one, and manages to get a little milk out in a cup. But , when he gets back, amazingly, the train is still there, but Dolly is sound asleep. Thus, he gives the milk to a drunk who asks for a drink. "Poison", he mutters, when he tastes it.......Lloyd's attempt to dress Dolly, in the mourning, is only partially successful. He winds up with an extra garment which he stuff's in his pocket. He needed help to get her dress on, turning her upside down to do so! .......Remember that Lloyd has no ticket. So, when the conductor chases him, he climbs out a window onto the top of the car. He has quite a time staying on the car, with the wind and the blinding smoke. When the train goes through a tunnel, he hunkers down, but the smoke is so thick that he comes out looking like Al Jolson, singing "Mammy" . Nonetheless, Mildred accepts him when they find each other, with Dolly there, and her father approving of Dolly coming along.....See it at YouTube
If you want to watch a half hour warning about "Stranger Danger" . . .
pixrox128 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
. . . then NOW OR NEVER might be just your ticket to the end of the line. NOW OR NEVER begins with a busy bee of a businessman trusting that an air-headed nanny he must have picked up in Filene's Bargain Basement can take care of his toddler daughter as he departs on a trip. No sooner does Pops split then Little Mary asks Nanny to "tell me a story." Nanny relates that she's looking forward to a one-night stand with a guy that she hasn't seen in 18 years (we'll call him "The Loser," since "Chester the Molester" would sound a bit harsh) a few towns over, and Nanny promises to take the tiny tot in her charge along for her ride and some early Sex Education. It turns out that Nanny's Peckish Date is flat broke, so Nanny foists off her Innocent Little Lamb Mary into HIS care while she herself trawls a train for bigger fish to float her boat. The Loser spends the rest of this "comedy" short mostly shuttling Mary back and forth between the train's Men's and Ladies' Rooms. The Loser reduces urchin Mary's outfit down to one thin undergarment in the Men's Room before inviting a couple of other stranger guys to man-handle this abused tot. NOW OR NEVER is what passes for Fine Family Fun at the Many Great Millionaires Film Studio.
becoming Harold Lloyd
SnoopyStyle26 March 2018
Dolly is a poor little rich girl ignored by her parents and cared for by her nanny Mary. Mary is going home on vacation and takes along Dolly. She expects to reunite with childhood friend (Harold Lloyd). Meanwhile, he's struggling every which way to get to her. The group meets and boards a train but Mary is surprised to find Dolly's father on the train whom she has not informed about taking Dolly.
This is Harold Lloyd before he becomes the famous Harold Lloyd but he's that character already. There's also a tramp who looks like the famous tramp. Lloyd's entry is a lot of action and hilarious stunts. He's going full out on the big action scenes. Once the gang boards the train, they do get stymied by the interior comedy work. I would say that it's a half step below the great tramp. There is a comparison with Chaplin's The Kid. This one lacks the emotional connection compared to The Kid. It limits its full potential until he gets on top of the train for the grande finale. I can do without the black-face but that's comedy of its time. This is Lloyd growing into one of the greats of his era.
This is Harold Lloyd before he becomes the famous Harold Lloyd but he's that character already. There's also a tramp who looks like the famous tramp. Lloyd's entry is a lot of action and hilarious stunts. He's going full out on the big action scenes. Once the gang boards the train, they do get stymied by the interior comedy work. I would say that it's a half step below the great tramp. There is a comparison with Chaplin's The Kid. This one lacks the emotional connection compared to The Kid. It limits its full potential until he gets on top of the train for the grande finale. I can do without the black-face but that's comedy of its time. This is Lloyd growing into one of the greats of his era.
All Aboard The Comedy Train With Mr. Lloyd
Ron Oliver3 September 2003
A Hal Roach HAROLD LLOYD 3-Reeler.
A young fellow must suddenly care for an infant on a very eventful overnight train trip.
Harold Lloyd has a field day in this wonderful short silent film, NOW OR NEVER. His athletic prowess was never in more demand than here where - with half his right hand missing and disguised by a glove - he jumps, crawls, runs, leaps and squirms his way all over, under and through a passenger train. Along the way he must contend with thieving hobos, belligerent passengers, unfriendly bullies, suspicious conductors and the demands of a precocious tiny tot, charmingly played by little Anna Mae Bilson. Through all perplexities & befuddlements, and a lot of real physical danger, Harold is never less than astoundingly funny.
Pretty Mildred Davis plays the infant's nursemaid; Miss Davis' association with Harold Lloyd was at this time turning to romance and would soon culminate in marriage.
Robert Israel has composed an excellent film score which perfectly complements Harold's antics on the screen.
A young fellow must suddenly care for an infant on a very eventful overnight train trip.
Harold Lloyd has a field day in this wonderful short silent film, NOW OR NEVER. His athletic prowess was never in more demand than here where - with half his right hand missing and disguised by a glove - he jumps, crawls, runs, leaps and squirms his way all over, under and through a passenger train. Along the way he must contend with thieving hobos, belligerent passengers, unfriendly bullies, suspicious conductors and the demands of a precocious tiny tot, charmingly played by little Anna Mae Bilson. Through all perplexities & befuddlements, and a lot of real physical danger, Harold is never less than astoundingly funny.
Pretty Mildred Davis plays the infant's nursemaid; Miss Davis' association with Harold Lloyd was at this time turning to romance and would soon culminate in marriage.
Robert Israel has composed an excellent film score which perfectly complements Harold's antics on the screen.
And Lloyd knows it won't be an easy ride
RainDogJr10 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
If you have read my previous comments for Harold Lloyd films then you know that recently the 10-disc box set "The Definitive Collection: Harold Lloyd" became finally mine. I wanted to watch in order the films and I do watched the first two short films however yesterday I wanted to watch something of the box set and it was quite late and the two following stuff were feature films (The Cat's-Paw and Welcome Danger) and anyway in the box set the films are not in chronological order so I decided to watch another short film that eventually was this one, Now or Never.
I liked it a lot and certainly it is just another recommendable short of Harold Lloyd and in my opinion very underrated here in IMDb. Lloyd is not on the screen during the first minutes however is really funny to watch the younger version of his character. The girl (Mildred Davis) clearly remembers Lloyd' s character and now is time to see him again. But is the companion of the girl who will bring the laughs. I'm not going to be very specific but for some reasons the boy, that Lloyd plays, has to take care of a little girl but not before we watch how the boy is. For me is really funny to watch the boy destroying almost all the town and latter wanting to repair the damages just by giving some money to a tramp who a little later will share the screen with Lloyd in a great scene under a train in movement! After this is when the boy finally sees again the girl of his childhood to finally be together but before this the boy will have a little adventure inside the train. Before dealing with the problems for not having two tickets, the boy will have some little problems with the child. He tries to make her laugh however she ends saying to him something like "you look silly", the boy will not have an easy ride. We also watch a couple of drunks that starts with a very funny joke one says "What time is it?" and the other look to his clock and says "Thursday" ) and I thought they will have a bigger part however we only see them when they go to sleep and nothing more. But anyway, the boy will make us laugh a little more (particularly I loved the scene when he can't dress the child and when he, with the help of other men, finally can he still has in his hand one of the child's clothes so he puts it in his pocket!) and in the end he finally stays with his lady. Oh and watch Lloyd running in the top of the train!
I liked it a lot and certainly it is just another recommendable short of Harold Lloyd and in my opinion very underrated here in IMDb. Lloyd is not on the screen during the first minutes however is really funny to watch the younger version of his character. The girl (Mildred Davis) clearly remembers Lloyd' s character and now is time to see him again. But is the companion of the girl who will bring the laughs. I'm not going to be very specific but for some reasons the boy, that Lloyd plays, has to take care of a little girl but not before we watch how the boy is. For me is really funny to watch the boy destroying almost all the town and latter wanting to repair the damages just by giving some money to a tramp who a little later will share the screen with Lloyd in a great scene under a train in movement! After this is when the boy finally sees again the girl of his childhood to finally be together but before this the boy will have a little adventure inside the train. Before dealing with the problems for not having two tickets, the boy will have some little problems with the child. He tries to make her laugh however she ends saying to him something like "you look silly", the boy will not have an easy ride. We also watch a couple of drunks that starts with a very funny joke one says "What time is it?" and the other look to his clock and says "Thursday" ) and I thought they will have a bigger part however we only see them when they go to sleep and nothing more. But anyway, the boy will make us laugh a little more (particularly I loved the scene when he can't dress the child and when he, with the help of other men, finally can he still has in his hand one of the child's clothes so he puts it in his pocket!) and in the end he finally stays with his lady. Oh and watch Lloyd running in the top of the train!
For huge silent film fans only
Horst_In_Translation27 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Now or Never" is an American 35-minute film from 1921 and as it has its 95th anniversary this year, it is of course a black-and-white silent film. It is one of the more known works starring Harold Lloyd, one of the biggest stars of its time next to the likes of Chaplin, Keaton and Arbuckle. At over half an hour, this one here is not one of his longest or shortest films. Silent films frequently ran for 10 minutes or under too. As usual with Lloyd, this is a comedy film as this is the genre where he is in his element the most when it comes to showing us his talent. Sadly, like many other times too, these early silent film lack in terms of story-telling and the result is that it never feels very realistic or authentic when it comes to how the characters act and behave. This is true here too and the consequence was that I cared little for any of the characters. And the story, which takes place mostly on (or even above) a train, is nothing too special either. This film has not aged very well and I am not speaking about the technical difficulties and lack of development. I give this one a thumbs-down, even if Lloyd once again elevates the material by a lot. Still I have seen better films with the actor. Don't watch.
ok comedy
drednm27 April 2003
Nothing great in this 3-reel comedy from Harold Lloyd. He would use much of this material later in his career and to better effect. The sets are crude and the storyline choppy. Mildred Davis (the girl) disappears for much of the film, and Anna May Bilson (as the little girl--not a boy as stated in the plot summary here) is not very photogenic. Some good comedy bits, but nothing great. And yes, Mildred Davis would become Lloyd's wife soon after this film was completed.
Don't miss this one!
JohnHowardReid28 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Now Or Never" (1921), a Sam Taylor scenario, is an absolute essential for railroad buffs, since most of the two-reel action is centered on a moving train, but it's also a really good comedy in its own right, mainly due to the superb performance of young Anna May Bilson in the first of her only two movie appearances.
Mind you, Mark Jones, who plays the tramp is also not lacking in appeal. We love the way he swaggers off with the money and his scene under the carriage with Lloyd is so well directed that we could certainly credit Fred Newmeyer's hand in this, while producer/co- director Hal Roach presumably handled the somewhat flat introductory scenes with the rich, dancing mother.
Nonetheless, for a two-reeler, this one packs in enough fast-paced production values for the conventional five reels!
Expertly titled by H.M. Walker and beautifully photographed by Walter Lundin (Lloyd's longtime cinematographer from 1915 through 1934), "Now Or Never" is an absolutely must-have as well as must-see Harold Lloyd short.
Don't miss this one whatever you do!
Mind you, Mark Jones, who plays the tramp is also not lacking in appeal. We love the way he swaggers off with the money and his scene under the carriage with Lloyd is so well directed that we could certainly credit Fred Newmeyer's hand in this, while producer/co- director Hal Roach presumably handled the somewhat flat introductory scenes with the rich, dancing mother.
Nonetheless, for a two-reeler, this one packs in enough fast-paced production values for the conventional five reels!
Expertly titled by H.M. Walker and beautifully photographed by Walter Lundin (Lloyd's longtime cinematographer from 1915 through 1934), "Now Or Never" is an absolutely must-have as well as must-see Harold Lloyd short.
Don't miss this one whatever you do!
Harold sings lullaby
jamesjustice-9227 March 2021
Sometimes all you need to do is to have a good laugh and who is better to ask for it than Mr Harold Lloyd himself? His short and feature length comedies were all suspenseful, fast-paced and full of sharp, witty humor and highly dangerous stunts that keep the viewer on the edge of the seat even a century later.
One of those high octane movies was a short feature called "Now or never" that came out on this day exactly a hundred years ago. This 35-minute picture, accompanied by fantastic new musical score by maestro Robert Israel, tells a story of a boy racing against time to get to his childhood sweetheart; when he finally does - she has a child of her employer's with her and the boy reluctantly agrees to babysit her which leads to more comedic situations.
This picture, although being per se the quietest in Harold Lloyd's filmography, has nevertheless a lot of memorable scenes and chase sequences, with tons of deus ex machina moments along the way. I believe by choosing to go in this direction Harold wanted to show the deeper side of his already established frequent character, not just a dopey loving little boy but also caring, generous and literally giving all he's got to a complete stranger. That side of people's nature is obscenely rare to find nowadays because between "now" and "never" people usually choose the latter but it's something that still is out there in the world and racing through time just like we are.
One of those high octane movies was a short feature called "Now or never" that came out on this day exactly a hundred years ago. This 35-minute picture, accompanied by fantastic new musical score by maestro Robert Israel, tells a story of a boy racing against time to get to his childhood sweetheart; when he finally does - she has a child of her employer's with her and the boy reluctantly agrees to babysit her which leads to more comedic situations.
This picture, although being per se the quietest in Harold Lloyd's filmography, has nevertheless a lot of memorable scenes and chase sequences, with tons of deus ex machina moments along the way. I believe by choosing to go in this direction Harold wanted to show the deeper side of his already established frequent character, not just a dopey loving little boy but also caring, generous and literally giving all he's got to a complete stranger. That side of people's nature is obscenely rare to find nowadays because between "now" and "never" people usually choose the latter but it's something that still is out there in the world and racing through time just like we are.
Mediocre Harold Lloyd Comedy
evanston_dad7 August 2017
Amusing Harold Lloyd short about a bumbling man (guess who) who is stuck taking care of a little girl on a long train ride. Of course he doesn't know the first thing about how to take care of children, so you can imagine the kind of hijinks that ensue.
This is fairly mediocre Harold Lloyd. The jokes when they come aren't that funny, and he gets little opportunity to showcase his knack for physical comedy. But paired with a couple of other Lloyd shorts, it's not a bad way to spend an evening.
Grade: B-
This is fairly mediocre Harold Lloyd. The jokes when they come aren't that funny, and he gets little opportunity to showcase his knack for physical comedy. But paired with a couple of other Lloyd shorts, it's not a bad way to spend an evening.
Grade: B-
Harold's train trip
Petey-1017 January 2010
Mary is a babysitter to poor lonesome Dolly.The little girl begs to go with Mary on a trip, as she is supposed to see her boyfriend who has promised to get her as she turns 18.A bum tricks Harold out of his money and he tries to get it back- by all means necessary.He gets underneath the train where the bum is with his money.He gets the money only to lose it again.Mary sees her employer getting on the very same train, so she gets in to explain the child's presence.Now Harold has to babysit Dolly.Not the easiest task in the world.Now or Never is a Harold Lloyd three-reeler from 1921.It's directors are Fred C. Newmeyer and Hal Roach.Loyd and his future wife Mildred Davis have the chemistry thing going on.Anna Mae Bilson (b.1915) is just adorable as The Lonesome Little Child.After this she appeared only in one movie, Our Gang the following year.This is a rather sweet Harold Lloyd comedy.Kind of like Charles Chaplin's The Kid (1921).Lloyd and the little girl work great together.The movie has some many enjoyable moments.We see Harold driving his car and causing damage in the farm.He pays for the damage- to a bum.It's hilarious to see him clinging underneath the train with the bum.It's funny when he gets some shaving cream inside his mouth instead of toothpaste.And how he stops the train to get some milk for the girl- he goes milking a cow.Or when Harold has problems with dressing the little girl.He asks that man to help him, who holds the dress and Harold makes the girl dive into it.There still remains piece of clothing.And in the end Harold is on top of the train.This is the most enjoyable ride with Harold Lloyd.
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