DR. JACK
(1922)With Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, John T. Prince, Eric Mayne, C. Norman Hammond
Directed by Fred Newmeyer and Sam Taylor
Silent, Black and White
Reviewed by JB
Harold Lloyd's first film
originally designed to
be a feature, DR. JACK actually feels more padded than either
of
his first two "accidental" features A SAILOR-MADE MAN or GRANDMA'S BOY.
It is a slight, charming comedy that is a better
example of
what passed for entertainment sometimes in the 1920s than as a vital
Harold Lloyd comedy. The story could have easily been told in
two
reels, where character development and plot complications are not
always necessary elements. Lloyd plays the title character, a
small town doctor who is called upon to cure a "Sick Little Well Girl"
whose only problem is she is never allowed any fun or excitement.
In the end, Dr. Jack provides both. Some of the
gags are
obvious and shopworn, and some of the set pieces, such as a poker game
in which everybody winds up with four aces, are played out far beyond
their worth. Still, with some great car stunts in the
beginning
and a wild chase through the house at the end, DR. JACK is not exactly
a bad way to spend 50 minutes. 
- JB
http://thestuffyougottawatch.com
Copyright © 2008 John V. Brennan, John Larrabee