Laughter First, “Safety Last!” (1923)

About this episode

The episode discusses the silent film comedy 'Safety Last!' featuring Harold Lloyd and its iconic imagery.

Everyone knows the image. A man dangling precariously from a clock on the side of a skyscraper, only a handgrip away from plunging to the busy streets below. It must be a scene from a terrifying dramatic thriller, right? Wrong! It's a thriller, alright, but it's from one of the most hilarious comedies every made. From 1923, it's Harold Lloyd in "Safety Last!" Long regarded as a masterpiece of silent film comedy, "Safety Last!" features one of the greatest of the greats, the maste...

People in this episode

Hosts: Brad Shreve, Tony Maietta

Topics covered

• silent film
• comedy
• Harold Lloyd
• film history
• classic cinema

Keywords

• Safety Last
• Harold Lloyd
• silent film
• comedy
• 1923
• film history
• classic comedy

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Safety Last!

More episodes of Going Hollywood - Movies and Television from the Golden Age to Today

• Vagabond Shoes: "New York, New York" (1977) with Special Guest Brandon Davis · June 10, 2026 · 1h 13m
• Celebrating Marilyn: “Something’s Got to Give” (1962) · June 3, 2026 · 1h 5m
• Race Relations: "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (1967) · May 27, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Miss Independence: "That Girl" (ABC, 1966-1971) · May 20, 2026 · 1h 26m
• Daughter Dearest: “Mildred Pierce” (1945) · May 13, 2026 · 52 min
• “The Trip To Bountiful”(1985) with Special Guest Del Shores · May 6, 2026 · 55 min