Product: Sin Of Harold Diddlebock (UK PAL Region 0) (1947)
Rating: 3.0
Bookend to wonderful career of great comedian is a mixed blessing.
Harold Lloyd's "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock" is a film that promised so much more than what was actually delivered. The fascinating premise of catching up to the young go getter of the 20s in middle age could(and should) have made for an imperishable Comedy classic. Instead it's merely a curio piece and a film of missed oppurtunities.The film begins with footage from Lloyd's masterpiece, the unforgettable," The Freshman(1925)" and the rest of the film can't really hope to top such an elaborate and wonderful opening. Lloyd, shortly after his victory at the game is taken in by Raymond Walburn to work for him.Lloyd is typically full of enthusiasm and expects a bright future. Over twenty years later and he's down and out and shabby. He's fired from his job and is down on his luck. A moving scene shows him admitting his affection for the office girl he loved from afar(the beautiful Frances Ramsdem) whom he had also fallen for all her identically beautiful sisters. He gives her an engagement ring that he planned to eventually give to one of her sisters and walks off. This is a beautifully handled scene that melds wit with sentiment, but unfortunately is not that explored in this film.Lloyd eventually runs into Jimmy Conlin, who takes him to get his first drink, served by bartender Edgar Kennedy.The drink causes Lloyd to howl and become a big shot who goes on the town and become a winner. However, when the buzz wears off he finds that he remembers nothing!His "mad Wednesday" over, he discovers that he's the owner of a circus!From here on in, the film focuses on Lloyd's attempts to sell off his new found circus to mixed comical reaction. There's even a stunt sequence with a lion on a ledge that compares to the 20s comedies of old. All ends well and Lloyd reunites with Ramsdem with a sweet scene in a carriage as they admit that they love each other.It's certainly a pleasant film, but The Sin of Harold Lloyd lacks in several departments.First of all, this is not exactly a sequel to "The Freshman" as some claim. THe character is under a different name and is totally unrelated to that film. Lloyd's character is more of a generalization for the KIND of charcater that he portrayed in those silent comedies.Credit must be given to the make-up artists(and it is in the film's end) that Lloyd still looks so remarkably like his character from the past. ESpecially when you consider that he had not been in a film up to this point for nearly ten years. It's because of Lloyd's charm that we accept the romance of him and a younger woman so simply. It's unfortunate that the romance is not given more screen time, espeically considering that the romantic element had always been the heart of his films and the two scenes with Ramsdem are the sweetest in the film. She was a truly beautiful and likeable actress and it's unfortunate that this was her final screen appearance.The cast is composed of largely members of Preston Sturges stock company and many great comic actors are within. All are wonderful, but the material does not neccesarily play to there strengths within. Still, most give this a game try and make there scenes watchable.The film's climax seems rushed and farcial and does not come off the way it should. This is especially true in comparsion to truly insane conclusions that ended many of Lloyd's earlier films. Still, it's pleasant enough that it just passes. Still, it's not highly memorable, especially when up to classics like Safety Last(1923), The Kid Brother(1927), Speedy(1928) and Movie Crazy(1932).One reason that the film may not seem so perfect is that it had a reportedly chaotic production, a trademark of the eccentric Howard Hughes, who was producer of the film. Director Preston Sturges who had made several masterpieces in the early part of the decade was washed up by this time and perhaps saw this film as a comeback. For Lloyd, this would be a return to form and the pairing of the two comedy greats promised to be a great one. Unfortunately, the writing was not nearly up to both mens' greatest works and it remains just an odd footnote in film history.It's a shame that this public domain film is not available in a better print as this one is not great. Considering the fascinating history of this film, commentary or a small documentary would be welcome.