Series: Harold Lloyd Director: Alf Goulding Producer: Hal Roach Titles: H.M. Walker Photography: Walter Lundin Editor: Stars: Harold Lloyd, Bebe Daniels, Snub Pollard Company: Pathé Exchange Released: 07 April 1918 Length: 1 reel Production No.: L-25 Filming dates: January 24-29, 1918 Rating: -/10

Follow The Crowd

A group of people dressed in black are gathered on the side of the road with one of them holding a "bombski". The bombski is handed to Bebe and she is instructed to take it away. Harold appears coming in the other direction with a black-faced porter carrying his bags and collapsing with exhaustion. Bebe places the bombski on the sidewalk and quickly leaves, but Harold trips over it. After picking it up he is about to throw it when Bebe runs over to stop him, at the same time Harold's bellhop demands payment for his services. Harold hands him the bombski but a fat policeman disarms him and takes him away. Bebe thanks Harold and walks off down the street and enters an ominous looking building after giving the secret knock on the door numbered 1313; Harold follows. A gentleman knocks upon the door next to it (1315) and receives a glass of beer through the open hole. Harold tries his luck and also gets a beer but when he doesn't pay for it the next guy who comes by pays for it with a punch in his nose! Inside 1313 is the secret headquarters of the 'Red Handers' terrorist gang. Harold wanders in and immediately attracts the wrong attention from the leader (William Blaisdell), who threatens Harold's life but Bebe steps in and saves Harold at the last moment. A hatchet-faced woman (Helen Gilmore) dressed up like a queen enters the room and Harold takes a dislking to her, kicking her dress up every time she walks past him. One of the men pulls out a block of Limburger cheese which absolutely honks the place out! A bearded wizard brings a large crate into the room and several men get out of it. The 'queen' orders them to leave and everybody scrams. A small group of the men remain and attempt to kill off Harold. A series of gags involving a revolving door and a hidden slide inside the wall bring Harold and Snub together in the scene for a few moments. When the police barge into the building, the gang makes a quick escape through the large trunk leaving Harold to face the music.

Favourite bit A really odd moment in the film during the fighting is when Snub inadvertently comes to Harold's rescue and Harold momentarily thanks him with a handshake before the two become embroiled in their own fight. It's a really weird moment!

Trivia • Copyrighted June 18, 1918 • Reiussed May 7, 1922.

	Harold Lloyd Harold
	Bebe Daniels The girl
	Snub Pollard Snub, member of the 'Red Handers' terrorist group
	William Blaisdell Terrorist
	Sammy Brooks Short gang member
	William Gillespie Terrorist
	Helen Gilmore The queen
	Lew Harvey Terrorist
	Marvin Loback Fat policeman
	James Parrott Terrorist
	Charles Stevenson Terrorist
	James Fitzgerald Tall gang member
	Dee Lampton Terrorist
	Gus Leonard Terrorist
	Oscar Larson Pedestrian at door 1315
	Billy Fay Bald-headed doorkeeper
	Jane Blyer [?]
	Max Hamburger [?]
	Estelle Harrison [?]
	Maynard Laswell [?]
	Hazel Powell [?]
	Dorothea Wolbert [?]
	Robert Yost [?]

UNIDENTIFIED CAST

POSTER (click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements: The Harold Lloyd Encyclopedia by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd (book) https://archive.org/stream/movingpicturewor36unse#page/285/mode/1up/search/%22follow+the+crowd%22 Dave Glass (print) Jesse Brisson (help; identification of Billy Fay and Oscar Larson) This page was last updated on: 30 April 2022