STRAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 546, 26 December 1928, Page 14

STRAND

HAROLD LLOYD IN “SPEEDY” j Again Harold Lloyd has registered a big success as a comedian and film 1 producer. His latest Paramount released comedy entitled “Speedy,” is now at the Strand Theatre, and it surpasses anything yet attempted by the versatile film star —if that is possible. Characteristic of all Lloyd comedies, and perhaps the biggest factor of the screen comedian's success lies in his ability to inject good, wholesome and novel comical situations into his films. With "Speedy,” Harold has come up to his standard, and many new and hilarious sequences are features of the picture. Everything is new, and treated in a typical Lloyd manner. The bespectacled comedian is said to be a stickler for authenticity in his pictures, which leads us to believe is the reason for the many interesting scenes of New York city incorporated within the film. Transporting an entire company to New York for the sake of authentic atmosphere is ambitious, to say the least, and helps swing the picture along in a delightfully smooth manner. One of the surprises in this latest Lloyd effort is the appearance of Babe Ruth himself, who figures in one of the baseball sequences. His appearance and subsequent performance adds to the already bright lustre of the comedy. The great laugh in store for all those who see the picture, is the highly amusing sight of a horse drawn street car travelling through the heavily congested streets of New York with Harold at the helm, or in this case, the driver’s reins. The antiquated mode of transportation is the subject around which Harold has built his bright story. Ann Christy is Harold Lloyd’s new leading lady, and an accomplished actress she is. There is every reason to believe she will fulfill all that is expected of her in the future. An interesting supporting programme is also presented, including a comedy, an Australian and British Gazette, and Christmas carols by the Strand Symphony Orchestra under Eve Bentley.