Girl Shy

On a rare mid-week date night, Debbi and I tonight went to see Girl Shy (1924) at the Stanford Theatre. The Stanford has recently finished a major renovation of their lobby, restoring it to what they think is what it looked like back in the 1920s, although with only black-and-white photos to work from, they're not certain of the color scheme. It looks good! Although I seem to recall the old scheme was more red-colored, whereas the new scheme is dominated by a cream color. I think I preferred the red.

The theatre has also bought the adjoining property - a former nature art gallery - and has added another bathroom, and is renovating the rest of the property into a classic film poster gallery.

I invited a swath of people to go to the show, but only Subrata responded, and he and Susan declined. So it was just the two of us.

We had a good time anyway!

Girl Shy stars silent film comedian Harold Lloyd, perhaps best-known for hanging off the side of a building clock in Safety Last! a few years earlier. The film is indeed silent, with Chris Elliott - one of the Stanford's organists - performing a score he put together for the film on the theatre's large Wurlitzer organ. It only takes a small mental adjustment and then it's just like watching any "talkie" film!

In the film, Lloyd plays Harold Meadows, a Tailor's apprentice. Lloyd is terribly afraid of girls, and stutters around any pretty lady. However, he fancies himself a man-about-town, and writes a book about his many (fictitious) conquests. On the train into town to drop it off at a publishing house, he meets rich girl Mary Buckingham (Jobyna Ralston), whom he charms and who charms him. Mary, however, is being pursued by the wealthy Ronald De Vore (Carlton Griffith).

The film is mostly a collection of gags, with two extended sequences: Trying to hide Mary's dog on the train (which doesn't allow them), and the very long and highly inventive efforts of Harold to get from the country into town to stop Mary and Ronald's wedding.

The film quality of this restored piece was stunning - you couldn't tell it wasn't a brand-new film (other than, you know, the black-and-white film and period costumes and make-up). And the sets and cinematography were likewise convincing and impressive. By the 1920s the film industry was 20 years old, and it's fair to say that it had largely worked through its growing pains technically; there was obviously a lot more to come, but the essential character of films was largely set. It was a mature industry, artistically. Strange to think that this was so when they didn't even have sound or color, but the visuals were largely intact.

The story is fairly sophisticated, although its sitcom-ish nature meant that swaths of it were not entirely to my taste. But the madcap physical humor was terrific, and the last half-hour is one big laugh-fest. And, frankly, all the situation gags were worth sitting through for the payoff of when Harold walks into the publisher after everyone's read his book...

Worth a look, if you can see it on the big screen somehow.