Girl Shy
| Girl Shy | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by |
Fred C. Newmeyer Sam Taylor |
| Produced by | Harold Lloyd |
| Written by |
Thomas J. Gray (titles) Sam Taylor (story) Tim Whelan (story) Ted Wilde (story) |
| Starring |
Harold Lloyd Jobyna Ralston |
| Cinematography | Walter Lundin |
| Edited by | Allen McNeil |
| Distributed by | Pathé Exchange |
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Release date
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Running time
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80-82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Silent film English intertitles |
| Budget | $400,000 (estimated) |
| Box office | $1,550,000 |
Girl Shy is a 1924 romantic comedy silent film starring Harold Lloyd and Jobyna Ralston. The movie was written by Sam Taylor, Tim Whelan and Ted Wilde and was directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Taylor.
Harold Meadows (Lloyd) is a tailor's apprentice for his uncle in Little Bend, California. He is so shy around women that he can barely speak to them (to stop his stuttering, his uncle has to blow a whistle). Despite this, Harold writes a "how to" book for young men entitled "The Secret of Making Love", detailing how to woo different types of young women, such as "the vampire" and "the flapper" (in scenes that parodied two other popular films of the time, Trifling Women and Flaming Youth), and takes a train to see a publisher in Los Angeles.
The same day, rich young Mary Buckingham (Ralston) boards the same train after her automobile breaks down in Little Bend. No dogs are allowed aboard, so she hides her Pomeranian under her shawl, but her pet jumps off as the train pulls away. Harold rescues her dog and helps Mary hide it from the conductor. She sees his manuscript, so he starts telling her about his book, overcoming his stuttering in his enthusiasm. They become so absorbed in each other that neither realizes that the train has reached its final destination and everyone else has departed. Upon returning home, Mary rejects the latest in a string of marriage proposals from persistent suitor Ronald DeVore, a rich man almost twice her age.
After her car is repaired, Mary intentionally detours through Little Bend repeatedly, hoping to see Harold again. On one such trip, Ronald is also along for the ride, and his unwanted attentions cause Mary to swerve and get her car stuck near the outskirts of Little Bend. While Ronald walks back to town for a tow, Mary runs into Harold. After telling Mary about the remainder of his book, Harold informs her that he is going to see the publisher, Roger Thornby, in a few days to deliver a new chapter that will be about her. They agree to meet again afterward. Meanwhile, Ronald runs into a middle-aged woman who asks if he is finally going to introduce her to his family, but he stalls, then rides away in the tow-vehicle.
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Wikipedia