Search - The Sin of Harold Diddlebock on DVD

You Arouse the Artist in Me.

the wizard of uz | Studio City, CA United States | 09/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Is how the bartender responds to Harold Diddlebock (Harold Lloyd) when told that he's about to have the first drink of his life. Harold gets talked into it by 'Wormy' a deliciously street-wise octagenerian urchin that asks him for a loan of a couple of bucks. Harold complies, despite the fact that he's just been fired from his job.

The inspired bartender concurs with Wormy that Harold needs a drink to ease his troubles and---in a scene only Preston Sturges could have written---creates a "Diddlebock" in his honor. Originally entitled 'The Sin of Harold Diddlebock', the real sin is in being unable to rent it in most video stores. This has got to be one of the top comedies ever made. Lloyd came out of retirement to make this film after meeting and befriending kindred maniac, Preston Sturges. In "Mad Wednesday" Lloyd performs some of the funniest sight gags ever captured on celluloid, employing his trademark high-risk stunts. (Ever see 'Safety Last'?) Houdini would have been proud. In all his movies Lloyd played a hopelessly naive gung-ho optimist who triumphed against the world despite his childlike sweetness.But here the formula takes a twist, thanks to Sturges.Lloyd is now a middle aged failure who has been stuck in a menial job for the last twenty years, a weary, disillusioned man who is pathetically in love with his co-worker, an impossibly beautiful ingenue (There's always an impossibly beautiful ingenue in a Sturges film ). And then he gets fired. . .Neddless to say, all will end well, and he will triumph and get the girl in the end. But not before going berserk on "The Diddlebock" which transforms him from a meek innocent into a lunatic gambler and high roller with a taste for um... somewhat loud attire. Poor Harold wakes up sober two days later to find himself the owner of a circus, replete with strongmen and bearded ladies who are owed back pay and hungry lions that need to be fed.It's all silly fluff of course but the genius of Preston Sturges's writing makes us cheerfully suspend our disbelief and go along for the ride. Only Lubitsch and Billy Wilder came close to Sturges in the ability to give the audience superbly witty dialogue while maintaining a believable world of madcap lunacy where events move at breakneck speed.An great farce, starring a comic legend, written and and directed by the best.Enjoy."

Hilarious, fast-pased dialogue. Sturges' and Lloyd's best

the wizard of uz | 07/21/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm always amazed at all the "film buffs" who aren't familiar with "Mad Wednesday" (title later changed to "The Sin Of Harold Diddlebock"). Directed by Preston Sturges, who's WORST movie is worth watching! This was a "comeback" role for Harold Lloyd (who proves what a talented all around actor he was ? for those only familar with his silent films). The usual Sturges company of actors, as well as a small but most memorable role by Edgar Kennedy, make you have to supress some of your laughter, or you'll miss the next joke. Full of funny little details. Note: Margaret Hamilton ("The Wicked Witch of The West") as his bitchy sister and a scene where a real Lion accidently takes a bite at Harold Lloyd, who continues with his lines with no cut in the scene. As great a movie as anything Frank Capra or Billy Wilder ever made. If you've never seen a Preston Sturges movie, see this one, "Hail The Conquering Hero," "The Miracle At Morgan Creek," "The Palm Beach Story," or "Sullivan's Travels." They're all gems!"

Five-star hilarity....family has watched it numerous times!

the wizard of uz | 05/18/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a hilarious comedy! My family has rented it numerous times, then we were disappointed that it disappeared from the video rental stores. It gets off to a bit of a slow start, but gains comic momentum and has you rolling in the aisles (off the couch?) It ends up being quite a different movie from what you think it might be at the beginning. It takes a comic look at a man briefly using alcohol to escape his work-induced depression, and eventually finds true love in the end. But getting to the end takes you on a hilarious, mad-cap, nerve-wracking roller-coaster ride! Harold Lloyd is a forgotten comic genius whose work equals that of Peter Sellers, Rowan Atkinson, Charlie Chaplain, and others of the same caliber. I am excited that I can purchase this comic gem from Amazon.com!"

Great film, lousy print

Sam Cine | Belgium | 04/24/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"It's difficult to figure why anybody would bother using a poor 16mm print to transfer to DVD when there must be good 35mm prints out there, but this is another case of showcasing a very poor 16mm print. Otherwise, this is an excellent madcap film, but it doesn't start cooking until the Edgar Kennedy bartender scene, and Kennedy was absolutely masterful. From this scene on, the rest of the film is a romp. There was much luck with the sequences with Jacky the lion, so Sturges must have lived a charmed life. All the performances shine."