FROM HAROLD TO HARRY ~

GLASSES CREATE THE MAN AND THE MAGIC

We all know who Harry Potter is; he is the boy wizard who wears round horn-rimmed glasses and who was born from the genius mind of Joanne K. Rowling.  Harry is smart, kind, and fun to be around.  Something spectacular and thrilling is always happening in Harry’s world. 

Not so long ago, really, there was another young wizard who also wore round horn-rimmed glasses.  His name was Harold and he wasn’t a character in a book but the silver screen offspring of the creative and genius mind of the film comedic actor, Harold Lloyd.   The laughter, thrills, and compassion Harold’s bespectacled hero conjures up to delightfully enchant his audience was, is, and always will be pure magic. 

 If you have your Time Turner handy then let’s turn back the clock  to April 20^th, 1893 when Harold Clayton Lloyd was born in Burchard, Nebraska.  Perhaps his destiny had already been written in the stars for at the early age of 12 he began his acting career when joined a local theatre group where he met actor John Lane Connor.  Connor later asked Harold to go to Los Angeles with him.   Harold's parents were divorced and his dad wanted to move to New York.  The story goes that Harold and his dad, "Foxey," tossed a coin to see which direction father and son would take.  Harold won the coin toss and they headed West.  His first film role was in the 1913 Edison short The Old Monk's Tale.   It was about this time that Harold met Hal Roach (who would later create the Our Gang aka Little Rascals comedies) and they became friends.  Hal started his own production company and asked Harold to join him.  Together they made many comedy shorts between 1914 and 1917.  Harold had not set out to be a comedian but as with anything he set out to achieve and master, he succeeded.

During the time Harold and Hal worked together, Harold had been searching for a new and truly unique character he could develop and call his own, and that the movie audiences could also identify with and truly love.  He succeeded with a character who wore round horn-rimmed spectacles and was simply called “Glasses.”   Glasses, whose first name was “Harold” too was an average young man just trying to make his way in the world but who inevitably found himself in spectacular, thrilling, and hilariously funny situations.   As a side note, the creators of comic  book hero, Superman, apparently modeled Clark Kent after Harold's glasses character.   Harold is a nice guy whose heart is good, yet he’s not outside of bending, stretching, or even tying the rules into knots in a seemingly superhurman way to help himself out of a sticky situation if necessary. 

He’s kind to kids...                                             and animals...                                  and the girls think he’s cute.

Harold usually isn’t the star player on the athletic team (unlike Harry) but put to the test his acrobatic prowess and daring put him into Gold Medal standing.   He’ll try anything. 

On August 24, 1919 Harold Lloyd was posing for a publicity photograph and picked up what he thought was a fake bomb and lit it with his cigarette.  Tragically it was a real bomb and Harold lost his right thumb and index finger.  However he didn’t let this terrible accident stop him from doing incredible death-defying stunts or continuing his film career.  He wore a skin-toned prosthetic glove and continued to produce, direct (uncredited) and act in what were to be his greatest pictures.

Harold was also interested in developing and utilizing new film techniques and was one of the first in Hollywood to try out the 2-strip Technicolor film processing.  There are quite a few full color home movies shot at his mansion in Beverly Hills, California during the 1920’s.  He later became a very accomplished color 3-D photographer. 

Harold Lloyd, in fairy tale fashion, married his leading lady, Mildred Davis and they did live happily ever I am happy to say.  Harold Lloyd passed away March 8, 1971.

Harold Lloyd’s handsome, funny, sweet and courageous silver screen alter ego captured the hearts of the world in the early part of the twentieth century and he reminds me of another, more contemporary, bespectacled young character whose first name also starts with an “H” ands who has captured the hearts of the twenty-first century.

Hooray for Harold!

I am an avid Harry Potter fan as the very existence of this web site can attest but I have to say that I am just as mesmerized by the adventures and antics of Harold Lloyd’s brain child, the boy-next-door, “Glasses”.  I have included in this article some photo comparisons, just for fun, of Daniel Radcliff’s “Harry” and Harold Lloyd’s “Harold’.  I wish to thank THE HAROLD LLOYD TRUST for granting me permission to use the pictures of Harold Lloyd on this page.

                                            Harold and his Giant friend.        Harry and Giant friend (Hagrid).

                                                Harold in a choking grip.                  Harry in a choking grip.

                                           Harold dangling from skyscraper.   Harry dangling from car in sky.

                                   Harold protecting Mary.                     Harry protecting Hermione.

                          (There is a snake coiled on his stick.)

      Harold hanging from an out  of control streetcar pole.       Harry hanging from his out of control broom.

                                                    Harold and Pet.                                     Harry and Pet.

                                          Harold hanging on for dear life.    Harry hanging on for dear life.

                               Harold studying Divination.                                          Harry studying Divination.

                     Harold flying with the wind.                                              Harry flying on the wind.

Harold trying to be invisible under a hat.    Harry invisible under a cloak.

                    Don't mess with Harold!                                                        Don't mess with Harry!

If you haven’t ever watched a Harold Lloyd movie, or better yet a bunch of Harold Lloyd movies then I strongly recommend that you do give yourself a treat.  Laughter is truly the best medicine and you will feel terrific by the time the words “The End” pop up on the screen.  You can rent some of Harold Lloyd’s films, both the silents and talkies, at your local video rental store.  You can also purchase some of them online at Amazon.  I am so excited to add that come this fall of 2005, just about the same time as the 4^th Harry Potter movie “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” will be at the theaters New Line will be releasing 28 Harold Lloyd movies on DVD!  Brilliant!

Settle in for the ride of your life.  The picture's about the begin and

the laughs will keep you hanging on to your seat!

For more information about Harold Lloyd check out these links:

The Harold Lloyd Trust

imdb

And check out these books: 

THE HAROLD LLOYD ENCYCLOPEDIA by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd

 Harold Lloyd Master Comedian by Jeffrey Vance and Suzanne Lloyd

HAROLD LLOYD DVD SET available at Amazon.com