Really Surprised!

Purely Joyful Movie!

Instant Favorite.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

I thought this film might have been made at the same time as Lloyd's The Eastern Westerner, but apparently the films were made a few years apart. This film is ultra-short, lasting a little over twelve minutes (although perhaps a section is missing). The sets for both films certainly look very similar. Lloyd also performs the same cigarette-rolling trick here (twice) that he used in the later film.This is pretty frantic stuff. Bebe Daniels plays the daughter of an old boy threatened with eviction by his bullying landlord (although an intertitle suggests he owes eleven years in back rent which suggests he's actually one of the most patient landlords you're ever likely to meet). Daniels is a pretty girl with a saucy smile and sturdy knees, and it's no wonder Lloyd goes out of his way to rescue her. Compared to Lloyd's later output this is pretty primitive stuff, but it still manages to pack a good number of laughs into its brief running time.

Harold Lloyd parodies the William S. Hart stoic Western hero prototype, resulting in an interesting one-reeler rather than an uproarious one; the later and somewhat similar AN EASTERN WESTERNER (1920) is, however, a superior effort because it was fitted to the star's typical formula. Bebe Daniels is once again the heroine/damsel in distress (she made a staggering 146 shorts with Lloyd according to the IMDb - apparently, only a handful of these have survived to make it into New Line's DVD collection devoted to the comic genius!).Incidentally, I had first come across BILLY BLAZES, ESQ. while in Hollywood late last year on TCM, as part of an all-night Harold Lloyd marathon shown in conjunction with the release of the 7-Disc Set (compiling 28 of his films made between 1919 and 1936). In the end, it easily emerges as the least among 7 of the star's Silent comedy shorts that I've watched up to this point.

This is perhaps the oddest Harold Lloyd short I have ever seen. That's because in all the other full-length and short Lloyd films I've watched, he plays a wimpy guy who, at the end of the film, finds his courage and rises to the occasion. However, at the outset, Lloyd is seemingly with no fear and is invincible! The town is chock full of rogues, but when Harold comes into town, they are no match for him. His guns never seem to need re-loading, bullets somehow miss him and he can beat up even the biggest baddie! I was VERY relieved when the end of the film came that they did NOT take the cop-out approach and have it all end up being a dream. No, Harold was, perhaps, the prototype for the Terminator in this film! An odd but entertaining film to say the least!

A HAROLD LLOYD Comedy One-Reeler.When the local outlaws in Peaceful Vale become too rambunctious, it's up to BILLY BLAZES, ESQ. to gallop into town and restore law & order.Harold gets to spoof William S. Hart in this very short & funny film. The various ways in which he subdues the bad guys & makes his getaway is the focus of attention here. The very tall Chinese waiter is also quite humorous. Bebe Daniels plays the Girl in the tavern; Snub Pollard portrays the cowardly Sheriff.Movie mavens will note that this short film was produced shortly before Harold lost half of his right hand in a freak studio accident.Robert Israel has composed an excellent film score which perfectly complements Harold's antics on the screen.