Unknown Premiere
Speedy
| USA | 86 MINUTES | No DialogueComedy
In Speedy, Harold Lloyd's last and arguably best silent film, Lloyd plays the quirky and upbeat Harold "Speedy" Swift, a man whose carefree attitude and overzealous passion for baseball often leave him stuck in the red. After being fired from his most recent job as a cab driver, he discovers a plot to shanghai the last horse-drawn trolley in New York City, which his sweetheart's grandfather Pop Dillion has owned and operated for decades. Railway magnate W.S. Wilton wants to build on top of old Dillion's route, and Wilton's slick agents will stop at nothing to secure their boss's prize. They hire a gang to run the car off the road, but when Speedy foils that plan, Wilton's agents enlist another group to steal the trolley in the middle of the night. Can Speedy recapture the trolley and get back to Pop's route in time? New Yorkers will surely delight in seeing old New York-from the abandoned streets of Williamsburg to Washington Square to the old rides at Coney Island-come to life again on film.
Cast & Credits
Directed by
Ted Wilde
Ted Wilde was born in New York City in 1893. He began his career as a member of Harold Lloyd's writing staff before going on to become a noted director of comedies-usually featuring Lloyd-during the silent movie era. Among these films were the classics Girl Shy, The Freshman, For Heaven's Sake, The Kid Brother, and Speedy. Wilde would go on to produce two sound films. His final film as a director was Clancy in Wall Street starring Charles Murray. He died of a stroke on December 17, 1929 in Hollywood, California.