(Hal Roach – Pathe, 1923) Harold Lloyd created what is considered the most recognizable image in silent comedy: the man dangling from a clock in “Safety Last!.” Joining forces with Hal Roach in 1915, the pair of former movie extras started a company to produce Lloyd’s films, and the comedian was soon one of the highest paid actors and biggest box-office draw. Bolstered by his success with a few early “thrill” shorts and inspired by a popular stunt performer known as “the human fly,” Lloyd was eager
to make a feature-length film that would give audiences the same excitement. In the film, Lloyd’s country boy seeks fame and
fortune in the big city and ends up as an unwitting human fly forced to scale a tall building, delivering Lloyd’s recipe for success: “a laugh, a scream and a laugh.” Lloyd’s frequent co-star and soon-to-be wife Mildred Davis appears as “The Girl.” Also on the program, a 1915 Harold Lloyd short, “Peculiar Patients’ Pranks.” Live musical accompaniment will be provided by Andrew Simpson. 7:30 p.m. Free, at the Library of Congress Packard Campus Theater located at 19053 Mt. Pony Rd. in Culpeper, VA. No
reservations taken.