Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Get Out and Get Under" is a 25-minute short film from 1920, so 4 more years and this one will have its 100th anniversary. The names Roach and Walker should be known to silent film fans in general and if you read the name of lead actor Harold Lloyd you will know for sure what to expect. This is the story of a young man who needs to get to theater in time or else he will lose his role to another actor. Lots of chaos ensues of course in Lloyd's character's attempts to be on time. I mentioned four factors in the title of this review and all these are very common frequently in silent (short) films, so you can basically call this movie the epitome of a silent short movie from around that era. But you can also call it generic, stereotypical and uncreative and it's hard to argue against it. I think this one here was not really such a good watch. I have seen Lloyd do better on several occasions. The script probably isn't helping him much this time.
Petri Pelkonen
Young man's girlfriend calls him.He should get to the amateur theatrical production soon.He hops on his Ford Model T and gets on the road.He soon notices the car doesn't like him too much.He has to deal with all kinds of problems, including a dog,a kid and a banana peel.Get Out and Get Under is a Hal Roach comedy from 1920.It's a hilarious comedy with Harold Lloyd, also known as the third genius.His girl is played by Mildred Davis, who became his wife.Fred McPherson plays The Rival.The movie's runtime is 25 minutes and those minutes hold many funny gags inside.Harold Lloyd had the ability to make us laugh.And in this one he has a sidekick- his Ford Model T.What a wonderful pair!
MARIO GAUCI
Fair Harold Lloyd short which presents several gags he would re-use and improve upon in his later feature films. It opens with a scene at a photographer's studio where Harold discovers that his girl Mildred Davis is about to marry another man - but it all turns out to have been just a dream. He's involved in amateur theatricals and, being late for a performance, rushes out to the venue in his beloved car: amid the vehicle's breaking down on him, he falls foul of an elderly neighbor and a colored child; the race-against-time, then, culminates in the usual pursuit by a horde of policemen. The automobile trouble eventually gets a bit repetitive, but the film nevertheless includes the occasional inspired and hilarious gag - such as when Harold 'disappears' inside the car's engine compartment, an actor accidentally falling off the stage (after being 'killed') promptly going back up to resume his performance i.e. affecting a typically melodramatic 'exit' and, especially, when Lloyd sees a junkie getting high in the street and reasons that, if he injects his vehicle with the same substance, it will be likewise revitalized - which is what happens, as the car goes off on its own soon after 'taking' its fix!
MartinHafer
Harold Lloyd's most famous movies really weren't slapstick films, as they weren't nearly violent enough and had way too much plot to be considered "slapstick". The slapstick films originally had the barest of plots and most consisted of people hitting or kicking each other, pie fights and lots of falls and accidents. While some of these are seen in Lloyd's films in the 20s and 30s, he really made films that were a little deeper and generally more enjoyable. This being said, this film is a great example of slapstick and what Lloyd's films were like up until he matured as an actor. It is also very similar to the films done in the 1910-1920s by Keystone and Roach Studios. In fact, Arbuckle, Chaplin and Keaton did many slapstick style films during this time. It's nice to see Lloyd's take on this style of film--especially because despite having a weaker plot, the action and silliness of this film are first-rate and the film deserves a rating of 9. For what it is, it is exceptional.
