If Harold Lloyd knew anything it was how to make something old seem new again which he does here perfectly in his second talkie, repeating a classic sequence from "Safety Last" and getting as many laughs out of it, this time with dialog added. I couldn't find myself getting to care so much about the story as I was intrigued by all the situations surrounding it, some real quick and the famous skyscraper climbing sequence taking two reels to get through. Lloyd is a shoe salesman's assistant, told by his boss that he hasn't got the "personality" to be a salesman, and somehow he ends up one anyway, trying to sell shoes to the boss's wife while trying to impress their daughter (Barbara Kent, Lloyd's co-star from "Welcome Danger"). They all end up together on a cruise ship where Lloyd pretends to be a leather tycoon and tries to keep them from seeing pictures of the real tycoon, thus going around and creatively getting rid of a magazine which features the real tycoon's face. Lloyd somehow ends up in a mail sack which is pushed off a trolley onto a painting scaffold where he is lifted far above the ground unable to see the danger below him. By the time he gets out of the bag and realizes the danger he's in, you're already laughing so hard and cringing for his safety that you won't notice that this sequence seemingly goes on forever.
There's the always utilized gag of a shoe salesman trying to fit new stylish shoes onto a heavyset woman, and the confusion of what happens when a shoe mannequin's leg is mistaken for that of a young lady who is sitting on a couch appearing to have three legs. Gags including flipping spoons, ether getting in the way of Lloyd's finally making it onto the skyscraper roof, and the sight of a gorilla in a taxidermist's office when Lloyd thinks he's finally reached free space scaring him back out. The tactlessly billed "Sleep n' Eat" (better known as Willie Best) is the sadly stereotypical slow moving black janitor who tries unsuccessfully to save Lloyd from his fate on the scaffolding. As badly utilized as he was (lessened over the years in his career fortunately), he wasn't as hideously stereotyped as Stepin Fetchit, but none the less a sad reminder of a part of Hollywood history that is shameful. This is the type of film that you might consider having around just to revisit for the two reels devoted to his skyscraper wall sequence, which even though you know he will somehow make it out will still have you cringing in hysterical panic. The final pay-off of the scene is very funny too. Every sight gag needs a great finish, and "Feet First" tops em' all.
There's the always utilized gag of a shoe salesman trying to fit new stylish shoes onto a heavyset woman, and the confusion of what happens when a shoe mannequin's leg is mistaken for that of a young lady who is sitting on a couch appearing to have three legs. Gags including flipping spoons, ether getting in the way of Lloyd's finally making it onto the skyscraper roof, and the sight of a gorilla in a taxidermist's office when Lloyd thinks he's finally reached free space scaring him back out. The tactlessly billed "Sleep n' Eat" (better known as Willie Best) is the sadly stereotypical slow moving black janitor who tries unsuccessfully to save Lloyd from his fate on the scaffolding. As badly utilized as he was (lessened over the years in his career fortunately), he wasn't as hideously stereotyped as Stepin Fetchit, but none the less a sad reminder of a part of Hollywood history that is shameful. This is the type of film that you might consider having around just to revisit for the two reels devoted to his skyscraper wall sequence, which even though you know he will somehow make it out will still have you cringing in hysterical panic. The final pay-off of the scene is very funny too. Every sight gag needs a great finish, and "Feet First" tops em' all.