Series: Harold Lloyd

Director: Fred Newmeyer
Producer: Hal Roach
Titles: H.M. Walker
Story: Hal Roach, Sam Taylor
Photography: Walter Lundin
Editor: Charles Bilkey, Harold McCord

Stars: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Noah Young, Jackie Morgan, Jackie Edwards
Company: Pathé Exchange
Released: 11 September 1921
Length: 2 reels
Production No.: L-12
Filming dates: February 23 - March 26, 1921
Rating: -/10


I Do

Available on DVD:
 

Harold emerges from a florists holding a bouquet of flowers and proceeds to cross the busy street without looking as cars whizz past, narrowly avoiding him before getting into his car and driving off. An animated 'cartoon' shows a vicar conducting Harold's wedding to bride MILDRED DAVIS, then one year later....
As Harold and his wife walk down the street they are laughed at by passersy-by until the camera pulls back to reveal he is in fact pushing a pram.  A vicar stops to greet him but when a busybody passerby (VERA WHITE) stops to see the baby she sees that under the blanket is in fact a bottle of liquor. Harold continues his walk into town where others stop to take a peek inside the pram whilst his wife goes into a store. He then attempts to cross a suddenly busy intersection with the pram.
Harold returns home and is immediately lumbered with babysitter duties by his inconsiderate brother-in-law (WILLIAM GILLESPIE). One of the two kids waste no time getting comfortable by getting all of his toys out but Harold has other ideas. His wife walks in to find the kids crying and accuses Harold of spanking them and then takes over. But the kids continue to play up, even going as far as trying to saw a leg off the armchair. Harold throws his tool box into the cupboard but gets instant karma when some liquid oozes out from under the door.
Harold then goes into the kitchen to make a bottle for the baby (after the maid goes out), only to have the milk explode onto his face. It gets worse; a lot worse, as for the next few minutes Lloyd really does "milk" the scene trying to get a bottle prepared. Finally, he takes a glass of milk into the bedroom and whilst holding it in his hands decides to walk into his slippers, little realising that the brat has nailed them to the floor. The inevitable happens and Harold takes a tumble. Next up is the brat swinging on a pair of Harold's trousers between a door frame.
The wife has got the baby to sleep when Harold sneezes and wakes it up. Meanwhile the brat has gone (alone!?) to a store to buy some firecrackers with some money Harold gave to him for breaking one of his toys. Harold cons the baby with an empty bottle which he paints white to resemble milk, then after getting it back to sleep does an "Oliver Hardy in Brats" and trips over a roller skate at the top of the stairs!
A knock at the door from a concerned neighbor leads to suspicions of a nearby lurker (NOAH YOUNG). A newspaper article claiming that their area is being terrorized by a burglar leads Harold into having a vision of the man assaulting a couple in their home as he steals their belongings.
The doorbell rings but when Harold answers it and sees the man on the other side he quickly slams the door shut in his face. Later that night a man pulls up outside the house and tries to adjust the light from his car. The beam shines onto Harold's bedroom wall like a searchlight and wakes him up. Harold gets out of bed to investigate, and when the cat causes a disturbance in the room Harold attacks, thinking it is the burglar.
Harold sneaking around wakes up the wife who grabs ahold of him and sends him to look downstairs. The cat has spilled some of the kids' marbles down the stairs and released a helium balloon (which just happens to have a face on it which resembles the 'burglar'). Harold struggles with the balloon and falls down the stairs, where the cat has somehow managed to dress itsself in some laundry and takes a casual stroll around. The maid comes out and gets ambushed by the firecrackers which are ignited by a spark.
All the noise brings the 'burglar' back to the house, who chases Harold upstairs before declaring he is in fact the night watchman.  Then we get to see something rare: Noah Young getting his ass kicked by the angry maid, who tears into him savagely! Harold pulls her off in time to discover the brat trying to light off another firework - this time aimed just inches from the baby's face... and just when Harold thought he'd had enough of kids, his wife reveals quite a surprise for him!

Favourite bit
When Harold trips over in his slippers which the little brat has nailed to the floor.

Trivia
Copyrighted July 2, 1921.
Originally scheduled for release July 24, 1921.
The opening shot of Harold Lloyd walking across the street was filmed at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, across from the old Garden Court Apartments.  It is now the Johnny Grant Building, next to the Roosevelt Hotel.
The names of William Gillespie's kids in the film are Teddy and Jackie.
There is a big "whoah!" moment when Harold dumps the child on the sofa and it falls forward onto its face, almost falling off!
Harold - that is not how you make a baby's bottle!
Why would any normal human being take a nail out of his slipper and then throw the nail back onto the floor.  Isn't that just asking for trouble?
A sign in the shop window says to buy your fireworks before the 4th.  This is obviously referencing JULY 4th.
Harold and his wife read a newspaper article about how a bandit has attacked the mayor and been terrorizing Elmwood Place.  As he turns the paper over the main headline on the front page reads "GERMANY INVADED!"
Why do Harold and his wife not only sleep in separate beds, but also in separate rooms?
At the end of the film, the older child tries to launch a firework into the baby's crib with the baby in it.  What is WRONG with him?

Harold Lloyd
The boy
Mildred Davis
The girl
Noah Young
The agitation
Jackie Morgan
Child ('The disturbance')
Jackie Edwards
Child ('The annoyance')
William Gillespie
Brother-in-law
Dorothy Cassil
Young woman on street
Vera White
Shocked pedestrian
Wallace Howe
Man attacked by burglar
Marie Mills
Magnolia, the maid
Dorothea Wolbert
Helpful neighbor
Roy Brooks
Man in chauffeured car
Evelyn Burns
Passerby
Edgar Sherrod
Priest
Chris Lynton
[?]
Hal Berg
[?]
Leo Booth
[?]
H.W. Bradley
[?]
Al Caukins
[?]
Joe Clark
[?]
Barney Crozier
[?]
Stan Daley
[?]
Irene De Voss
[?]
Frank Dolan
[?]
Howard_Johnson
[?]
Baby José
[?]
James_T_Kelley
[?]
J.A. Kennedy
[?]
Charlie King
[?]
J.A. Kuster
[?]
Madison Lacey
[?]
Gaylord Lloyd
[?]
Tex_Marcell
[?]
Jack O'Brien
[?]
Lee Phelps
[?]
William Reynolds
[?]
Jack Russell
[?]
Gertrude Starr
[?]
M.E. Stimson
[?]
L.E. Stone
[?]
H.B. Stuttie
[?]
Joseph White
[?]
Grace Woods
[?]
Celesta Zimlick
[?]

UNIDENTIFIED CAST

CREDITS (click image to enlarge) INTERTITLES (click image to enlarge)

POSTER
(click any image to enlarge)

LOBBY CARDS
(click any image to enlarge)

Acknowledgements:
Tom Schober (review copy)
Jesse Brisson (identification of Edgar Sherrod, Evelyn Burns)

This page was last updated on: 11 September 2023