Step Right Up And Call Me Speedy

The Freshman was Harold Lloyd's most popular silent feature. I can see why--solid gags, great climax, the perfect Lloyd hero. But one thing had always bothered me about it. He plays Harold Lamb, a young man who'll do anything to be popular on campus. Except he's fooling himself--he's not only the campus joke, his dreams themselves are foolish. And when he wins in the end, and he's no longer a joke, all that's happened is everyone else has adopted his foolishness.

So I was pleased, upon rewatching, that the film is a bit smarter than that. He learns at the party he hosts (the biggest block comedy sequence in the film except for the climactic football game) that he's considered a joke, and breaks down. It looks like he's learned his lesson--except he still clings to one more false belief: if he could just do well in the big game, he'll turn things around. Trouble is, he's not really on the team, he's just the waterboy (assuming you think it's okay that winning a football game means anything--it does in The Freshman, where college has nothing to do with going to classes).

So comes the big game, and his team is losing players at a fast clip. He figures he deserves to be put in, and then gets the final blow--the coach tells him his real place. And here comes the moment that justifies the character. He could walk away, head held low, but here he does what Harold Lloyd eventually does in every picture. He'll fight to win the day, no matter the odds, no matter the cost. He demands the coach put him in, he's earned it. This is the attitude that shows he deserves the respect that he'll soon earn. Winning the big game gets him noticed, but he'd never have had the opportunity if he hadn't had the guts to begin with.