His Royal Slyness | 1920 | Silent Comedy Short

Title: His Royal Slyness | 1920 | Silent Comedy Short Director: Hal Roach. (en.wikipedia.org) Studio: Rolin Films. (en.wikipedia.org) Starring: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Snub Pollard. (en.wikipedia.org) Release Date: February 8, 1920. (en.wikipedia.org) Runtime: 27 minutes. (en.wikipedia.org) Format: Black-and-white, silent, 1.33:1 (4:3). (fr.wikipedia.org) Country: United States. (en.wikipedia.org) Language: Silent (English intertitles). (en.wikipedia.org) Genres: Comedy, Short, Slapstick. (en.wikipedia.org) --- Summary: An enterprising American book agent who closely resembles a wayward European prince is persuaded to impersonate him for a royal courtship in the tiny kingdom of Thermosa. The ruse entangles him with a rival suitor, palace intrigues, and a mounting anti-monarchist uprising. As mistaken identity collides with political satire, the impostor’s misadventures help topple the monarchy, and he is unexpectedly elevated by the crowd to lead the new republic. Themes of class, modernity, and the appeal of American boyish ingenuity run through the film’s slapstick chases and courtly send-ups. (en.wikipedia.org) --- Background: Produced by Rolin Films and distributed by Pathé Exchange, His Royal Slyness is a late-1910s/early-1920s Harold Lloyd short that marked the end of his regular on-screen pairing with comic Harry “Snub” Pollard, who soon launched his own series. The story was later remade as Long Fliv the King (1926) with Charley Chase, featuring Oliver Hardy in a supporting role, reflecting Hal Roach Studios’ habit of reworking successful premises across its comedy stars. (en.wikipedia.org) --- Trivia: Harold Lloyd’s real-life brother, Gaylord Lloyd, appears (uncredited) as the Prince of Razzamatazz, heightening the film’s doppelgänger gag. (en.wikipedia.org) Mildred Davis, who plays Princess Florelle, would later marry Harold Lloyd on February 10, 1923. (en.wikipedia.org) The film’s mistaken-identity plot and palace revolution were popular enough for Roach to revisit the concept in Long Fliv the King (1926), with Charley Chase in the Lloyd-like role and Oliver Hardy among the supporting players. (en.wikipedia.org) The Criterion Channel presents the film with an audio commentary by director and Harold Lloyd archivist Richard Correll and film writer John Bengtson. (criterionchannel.com) --- Hashtags: HisRoyalSlyness HaroldLloyd MildredDavis SnubPollard HalRoach SilentFilm 1920s ClassicComedy PublicDomain