| A Sailor-Made Man | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Fred C. Newmeyer |
| Produced by | Hal Roach |
| Written by | Jean Havez Hal Roach Sam Taylor |
| Starring | Harold Lloyd |
| Cinematography | Walter Lundin |
| Editing by | Thomas J. Crizer |
| Release date(s) | 25 December 1921 |
| Running time | 47 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | Silent |
A Sailor-Made Man is a 1921 comedy film directed by Fred Newmeyer and starring Harold Lloyd.
Contents |
The film begins with "The Boy" (Lloyd), an idle, wealthy playboy, relaxing at a lavish country club, where he suddenly decides to ask "The Girl" (Mildred Davis) to marry him. Although taken aback, she seems willing to accept his marriage proposal, but only upon the approval of her father, a tough, hardworking steel magnate. Unfortunately for the Boy, the girl's father disapproves of a marriage and brusquely demands that the Boy first get a job to prove that he can do something other than loaf. On a reckless whim, the Boy takes the first job he finds -- a three-year service with the U.S. Navy.
Once enlisted, Lloyd's character dreams of being a respected Admiral on the Navy ship, but in reality is nothing more than a lowly, deck-scrubbing sailor. However, through his ingenuity and good luck, he manages to keep his head above water, escaping several difficult situations and eventually earning the respect of an intimidating sailor, "Rough-House" O'Rafferty (Noah Young).
Meanwhile, the Girl and her friends embark on a long trip on her father's yacht and end up at the same Middle Eastern port as the Navy ship. While on shore leave, the Boy discovers that the Girl has been kidnapped by an evil maharajah and taken to his imposing palace. From there, Lloyd's character must make his way through a series of challenging obstacles in order to reach his imprisoned sweetheart. No longer an idle loafer, he manages to outwit the Rajah and his soldiers and rescue the Girl.
The film ends with the Boy communicating with the Girl from his Navy ship to her father's yacht using signal flags. He asks her if she will marry him, and now having the father's approval, she signals back that she will.
Considered to be Lloyd's first feature-length film, the extended running time of A Sailor-Made Man came about purely by accident. During production, with an excessive number of gags written into the story, it became apparent that the film would be longer than the traditional 2-reel short. Producer Hal Roach decided they should just go ahead and shoot everything they had come up with, and worry about cutting down the length later. Often dependent on the preview process, Lloyd decided to preview the film at its 40-plus minute length to see which parts didn't work. However, the audiences enjoyed the extended cut so much, Lloyd decided not to change a thing and kept it as a 4-reel comedy. [1]