High and Dizzy | 1920 | Silent Comedy

Title: High and Dizzy | 1920 | Silent Comedy Director: Hal Roach Studio: Rolin Film Co. Starring: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Roy Brooks, Wallace Howe Release Date: July 11, 1920 Runtime: 26 Format: Silent, black-and-white, 35mm, 1.33:1 (two reels) Country: United States Language: Silent (English intertitles) Genres: Comedy, Short, Thrill comedy --- Summary: A young doctor with few patients becomes smitten with a sleepwalking girl whose nocturnal wanderings lead her onto a building ledge high above the street. As he scrambles to rescue her, the film blends romantic pursuit with vertigo-inducing spectacle. (en.wikipedia.org) A parallel thread follows the doctor and his friend after they sample homemade liquor during the early Prohibition era, sending them into a series of drunken misadventures that collide with the climactic heights sequence and a pursuing policeman. (en.wikipedia.org) --- Background: Directed and produced by Hal Roach for Rolin Film Co. and distributed by Pathé Exchange, High and Dizzy is a two-reel short released on July 11, 1920; its working title “High and Dry” was reported shortly before release. The film’s dizzying ledge effects were achieved with sets near the Hill Street Tunnel balustrade by the Bradbury Mansion in downtown Los Angeles, creating the illusion of great height and anticipating Harold Lloyd’s skyscraper stunts in Safety Last! (1923). (catalog.afi.com) --- Trivia: The film’s working title was High and Dry, changed to High and Dizzy as noted by Moving Picture World on July 3, 1920. (catalog.afi.com) The height gags were filmed using sets positioned beside the Hill Street Tunnel near the Bradbury Mansion, a favored site for silent-era “thrill comedy” illusions of great height. (silentlocations.com) Opening intertitles allude to the onset of Prohibition, and the plot features homemade liquor as a catalyst for the characters’ troubles. (imdb.com) Harold Lloyd’s co-star Mildred Davis later became his wife; they married on February 10, 1923, in Los Angeles. (en.wikipedia.org) High and Dizzy is in the public domain in the United States. (silentera.com) --- Hashtags: HighAndDizzy HaroldLloyd MildredDavis SilentFilm ClassicComedy HalRoach 1920sCinema PublicDomain