5/10
From Bellboy to Playboy
21 January 2010
This isn't one of Harold Lloyd's better films, it has to be said. He was at his best when delivering physical thrills and humour at breakneck speed, but there's precious little of it here. That's not to say Lloyd's humour couldn't be as effective when it was delivered at a more low-key level, but he needed to mix it up a little with his more dangerous stunts in order to get the cocktail right. Here he plays a bell boy who dreams of being a playboy, and gets the opportunity when he's offered the chance to pose as a wealthy aristocrat at a swanky social gathering. Unknown to Harold, the guy and his girlfriend who invited him are planning to scam the hostess out of her millions. The woman just happens to be the mother of Mildred Davis – an ever-present fixture in Lloyd's movies in those days – so naturally everything turns out alright in the end.

The second half of the film sees Harold losing his pants as he encounters a small zoo-load of animals: Skunks, snakes, bulls, goats, geese and dogs all try to take a bite out of our hero, and it's this part of the film that delivers the bulk of the laughs and prevents the film from being a complete flop.
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