Liquor is quicker

The Sin of Harold Diddlebock

(1947)

Remember back in October, when I watched my first Harold Lloyd film? Well, here's my second, which includes part of a third, 1923's The Freshman, which in turn provides a key kickoff, if you will, to this story--which, did I mention, is pretty damned terrific.

His youthful football heroics having landed him a job as a bookkeeper, Harold is still at the same desk after a brilliant visual montage reveals the passage of 22 years. Even more brilliant is the all-but-monologue in which he relates his serial love for seven sisters, each more beautiful than the last. But the capstone of brilliance is not the bizarre plot twist that leaves Diddlebock seeking a buyer for the circus he has obtained, but rather what is the closest thing to a moral of the story: if you've lived to age 44 without ever sampling strong drink, it's time to change your ways.