Professor Beware

PROFESSOR BEWARE (A Paramount Release, 1938), directed by Elliott Nugent, stars Harold Lloyd, silent film comedian of the 1920s, in his final sound comedy of the 1930s. Lloyd, whose movie career dates back to 1915, first appearing in comedy shorts before reinventing his "glasses" character from short to feature length comedies through the next decade, has come a long way since his talking debut in WELCOME DANGER (1929). Producing a new comedy every two years by the 1930s, Lloyd was always searching for new ideas to make his next comedy better than his last. Though PROFESSOR BEWARE attempts to work its way with familiar material adding a fine mix of old and new comedy routines, the final result is a series of segment chases during its 93 minute course.

The prologue opens briefly "in ancient Egypt 3000 years ago" where Neferus is being buried alive in a tomb while Anebi, the woman responsible for his downfall, screams while looking on. Move forward, "Los Angeles, 3000 years later," introduces Professor Dean Lambert (Harold Lloyd), an archealogist for the Olympia Museum, who happens to be the exact replica (except for his glasses) of the statue image of Neferus. Because of Neferus' fate, which has Lambert refusing to have anything to do with women fearing it may be responsible for his own downfall, as explained on the Egyptian tablets, history begins to repeat itself. No sooner after driving away from the museum does Lambert meet Jane Van Buren (Phyllis Welch), a damsel in distress stranded on the road with her car in the ditch with "Snoop" Donlan (William Frawley), her talent scout, on their way to an audition. Hanlon not only happens to be found drunk inside her car, but happens to be left unconscious in his underwear. Lambert is talked into giving his clothes to Donlan so they can be on their way to the theater. When Lambert is caught by the police in his underwear, he gets arrested and immediately loses his museum job. Invited to go on an Egyptian expedition, Lambert accepts, leaving for New York City to meet the boat on its way to Egypt, but has trouble heading for his destination. Being accused of stealing Donlans's priceless watch, Jane, who loses her audition anyway, drives cross country in the stolen museum station wagon, searching for Lambert to bring him back to prove his innocence. Their paths eventually do meet, with Lambert, determined not to miss that boat to Egypt, both venture on their cross country road tour which becomes a series of one misadventure after another. Also in the cast are Raymond Walburn (Judge James G. Parkhouse Marshall), Lionel Stander (Jerry Jerimiah), Thurston Hall (J.J. Van Buren), Clara Blandick (Amelia Green, the landlady), Cora Witherspoon, Sterling Holloway, Irving Bacon, Montagu Love, Charles Lane, Guinn Williams, Ward Bond, among many others.

Though PROFESSOR BEWARE doesn't compare with Harold Lloyd's best silent comedies (namely SAFETY LAST (1923), SPEEDY (1928), the film overall is entertaining enough to sit through its entirety without losing any interest. Scenes involving Lloyd's Lambert driving his car under a tent, or he ending up frozen after being taken out from a refrigerated train car, are reminiscent to any one of the Three Stooges comedy shorts. There's also a lengthy scene involving Lloyd, Walburn and Standing bumming a ride on top of a freight train and making a run the opposite direction as the train approaches a tunnel, this being one of the highlights. As mentioned before, PROFESSOR BEWARE is a series of individual chases before its climatic run involving a build-up crowd of people chasing after Harold, being more in mood than exact manner to Buster Keaton's better constructed comedy short, COPS (1922). The aforementioned character-types help the movie along, and PROFESSOR BEWARE does have its huge assortment of them to go around. Lloyd's co-star, Phyllis Welch, makes her first and farewell performance on film. She works well as Lloyd's traveling companion, and might have gone further in movies had she not married and retired upon the film's release.

Unlike Lloyd's silent and sound comedies, PROFESSOR BEWARE was possibly the only Harold Lloyd comedy circulating on television since the 1960s, and more commonly shown notably on New York City's WPIX Channel 11 (1967-1973) for several years before having a brief stint on public television in the early 1980s. From 1994 to 1999, PROFESSOR BEWARE became part of the film library to cable television's American Movie Classics As much as Turner Classic Movies has had many tributes to the films and career of Harold Lloyd, ranging from silent to talkies, thus far, PROFESSOR BEWARE has never become part of its movie package. With no know video cassette or DVD distribution, PROFESSOR BEWARE deserves better recognition considering it being one of those movies that appears to have improved with age, regardless of its thin plot with familiar run-on gags in Harold's Lloyd's world of comedy. (*** tablets)

During the 1920s, Harold Lloyd was box office gold. You might be surprised to hear that his comedies outdrew those of Keaton or Chaplin during that era and he was the most popular silent comedian on the planet. So, with this amazing reputation, it's quite surprising that several of his sound comedies were relative duds....pleasant enough to watch but far less well written than his earlier efforts. A few were really good ("Movie Crazy" is a great sound comedy) but most were contrived and difficult to love. "Mad Wednesday" and "Professor Beware" both are among the difficult to love movies.

The story is about Professor Dean Lambert (Lloyd), a world famous Egyptologist. One night, he comes upon a damsel in distress and unquestioningly helps her....but it really makes no sense. After all, she wants him to change clothes with a drunk guy and wait out in the car....for a woman he just met! Soon, the police arrive and see the Professor in his underwear and they arrest him! Suddenly, he finds himself in the newspapers...and without a job.

Later, the woman he helped returns. Now you'd THINK he'd take her to explain the situation to the judge or prosecutor. Instead, he runs to New York because he is about to go on an expedition to Egypt. So, in other words, he fleas the state and risks a very long prison sentence AND loss of his reputation instead of staying in California to straighten out the problems. And, to get to New York, he soon finds himself bumming rides and riding the rails!! Oh, and did I mention that the Professor just happens to think he is the reincarnation of a 3000 dead Egyptian...and the lady who asked for his help was his lover 3000 years ago?!

Does ANY of this make any sense? Of course not!! Is it funny...sometimes. But at least Lloyd is likable in this film...and there are a few cute moments here and there. But on balance, it's definitely a sub-par Lloyd outing....and this would explain why it was a decade later when he made his next (and final) film.

I recall that for many years this was the only one of Harold Lloyd's movies that occasionally turned up on screen in New York City. It is a passably funny film about an archaeologist who falls for the daughter of a tycoon and finds himself fighting the forces of Wall Street and fate itself to get the young lady. Lloyd's character is trying to fight an apparent curse from the tomb that he opened. The film literally goes to it's conclusion before the viewers learn if the curse will or will not work. Lloyd is ably supported in the film by Raymond Walburn, William Frawley, Lionel Stander, and Thurston Hall. Phyllis Welch was the young woman Lloyd pursues. She did nicely in the role, but not spectacularly. Her career soon faded from sight.

Of the sound films made by Lloyd, "Professor Beware" usually is near the bottom. It is better (in my opinion) than "Welcome Danger" or "Feet First", but it falls below the other four sound films. The problem with it is that it lacks any relationship to the type of film identified with Lloyd at his peak. It's situation comedy plot could have been done by most other comedians or leading men of the day. But it is not a total failure, and is worth watching.

"Professor Beware," in addition to the amazing Mr. Lloyd, boasts a supporting cast of heavyweights: Lionel Stander, Raymond Walburn, William Frawley, Sterling Holloway, Cora Witherspoon and Thurston Hall. Each of these character actors add immensely to the story, which is a quest in the best sense of the word. Lloyd is a professor of Egyptology who is searching for the final, but lost, tablet that will solve a riddle of the ages. His cross-country journey that ends on a yacht with one of the best comic fight scenes in movie history is fraught with mishaps and odd characters who block Lloyd's frantic attempts to get to New York in order to catch a steamship to Egypt. It is unfortunate that this film is not available in any form (I have a VHS tape from TV I made in the '90s) and not even on Turner Classic Movies. If you have the opportunity to see the film, be sure to do so. A true comic classic.

Harold Lloyd was more popular than Buster Keaton in the 1920s. He was a decent actor and was successful in the sound era. This is his last film, before the one-shot comeback for Preston Sturges in the 1940s. Harold is maturing in this movie. He plays straight for character actors such as Bill Frawley, Lionel Stander, Sterling Holloway, and Raymond Walburn. It is basically a long chase film with Harold being accused by car theft. There are plenty of sight gags, which Lloyd still performs beautifully. In the dialogue scenes, he has become a very sharp straight man. Is this a great film? No. Is it as funny as "Safety Last" or "Speedy"? Certainly not! But it is no embarrassment! Lloyd could have continued making these affable little comedies. He was tired of the business and decided to become a producer. For years this film was difficult to see, but it is now part of the AMC package. It is pleasant and Lloyd's star still shines brightly.