Review of Get Out and Get Under (1920) by Byron B — 14 Dec 2018

A Harold Lloyd two-reel short involving a guy who has a lead role in a community theater production. He's replaced by a rival who has designs on Lloyd's sweetheart and co-star. The reason he is late to his big performance is that his pride and joy, a brand new car malfunctions.

Cars were ubiquitous by 1920, so a writer who worked for Hal Roach must have figured that the tribulations involved in automobile mishaps and minor mechanical malfunctions were something a wide audience could appreciate.

Lloyd's love and excessive care for his car at the expense of paying attention to his surroundings did not make me laugh. Too much time is spent with the car in the garage trying to get it to start and dealing with a grumpy neighbor.

Something is lost in translation from car culture of this era that made the jokes miss their marks most of the time.