Harold Lloyd and Tipper

The following is an article from Screenland magazine dated January, 1928. It was written by Rosa Reilly and titled "Why People Love Harold Lloyd."

"There is no dramatic story in Harold Lloyd. No more than there is in a nine year old child. For all great comedians are children. They don't grow up like other folk.

"There is absolutely no story in Harold Lloyd at all. Here is a man who loves his wife. And naturally that sounds like any male's dramatic knell - so far as story telling purposes go. Here is not only a man who loves his wife but is also a devoted father. And considers his home his family and his dogs more appealing than all the Cleopatras and Helens of Troy on earth. Here is a man who earns tremendous sums of money. And yet - so far as I know - he has been able to keep himself free from all sorry scandals and sordid engagements. He is just a perfectly normal, hard working, none-too-handsome comedian. But he has the country in his pocket. And because he is one of the most popular men in the world - he can do anything. Why only the other day, New York stood still and let Harold Lloyd take a picture on one of the busiest streets of the city - Park Row. And nobody was angry. Millionares in their foreign made cars halted willingly while the country comedian shot some scenes for his next picture - scenes using an old horse car - the method of transportation which was quite in the mode in the mustached nineties. Silk legged stenographers, hollow chested clerks and round shouldered bookkeepers all willingly crowded away from the sidewalks, breathlessly awaiting Harold's appearance. All the time realizing that they would be docked one hour from their day's pay for even a few minutes of lateness. And a big Irish cop went around with a grin on his face like somebody had given him a couple bottles of potheen. And the sole reason for this grin was that he could tell his children that evening that he had been looking after Harold Lloyd.


"And the tough East Side Kids. What a problem they presented to Harold's director. 'They'll cut into our scenes and ruin everything' he said.

"'No they won't' the great clown answered. 'Those kids will be alright you wait and see.' And of course they were. Instead of causing trouble, they organized themselves quietly and quickly into gangs and policed the whole street. They were as efficient and orderly as any drilled squad - and a hundred times as thrilled. People just couldn't seem to do enough for Harold Lloyd.

"'Perhaps' said Harold 'people are kind to me because I am supposed to be funny.' Undoubtedly that is true. The world owes Harold Lloyd an immeasurable gift because he has brought them the rarest gift in the world - laughter. Not just raucous side-splitting custard pie laughter. But laughter that is soft. Laughter that has tears not too far behind it. And that is what is called genius.

"Last June and July Screenland ran a contest. Harold Lloyd needed a dig for his new comedy. And he offered three hundred dollars - a hundred dollars a week for three weeks - to the boy or girl who would send in the photograph of the best comedy dog.

"Photographs came in by the thousands. It seemed as if every kid in the country had sent in a snapshot. Every boy and every girl was 'just sure' that 'Rover' or 'King' or 'Laddy' was the one dog in all the world Harold could use.

"But none of them suited Harold. He needed a dog with a funny face or sad eyes. Or with a sad face and funny eyes.

"And then one day just as Harold had become discouraged thinking he would never find the dog he needed, he opened a letter and there stood 'Tipper' an impish wired haired terrier, belonging to little Charlie Heck of Chicago.

"According to the terms of the contract, Harold Lloyd sat himself right down and sent Charlie Heck a letter, telling him that 'Tipper' had won a prize and enclosing three hundred dollars.

"And Charlie almost died with joy. His pretty mother was happy too. And his father - who is a famous dental surgeon who looks like Babe Ruth - was as proud as if it had been his dog who was selected. Gaiety laid over that Chicago household as softly as rare old lace sits upon the shoulders of a fair women. But this gaiety wasn't felt by Tipper. For suddenly with no reason at all - since there wasn't a full moon or illness in the family - suddenly Tipper raised his short blunt muzzle towards the sky and whimpered a long terrible wail. A wail that sounded like a lean, wild wolf on the still, white night... There was no question about it. Tipper knew he was about to be separated from his beloved little master.    

"All over the neighborhood, Charlie took the letter from Harold Lloyd and showed it to all the other boys. And how they envied him. Every afternoon when the day was finished, the lads would flock over to Charlie's big house.

"'Who will feed and water Tipper on the train?' a boy asked.

"For the first time a worried looked chased the smile off Charlie's face. For Charlie always feed and watered Tipper himself. And he never forgot. Nor had he needed to be reminded. For the first time Charlie realized he that he was going to be separated from his little pal. And grief stood in his eyes. But only for a second. For the dog was not going to a stranger - but to his idol, Harold Lloyd.

"' I don't know who will look after Tipper' Charlie said slowly 'but he'll be all right. Harold wouldn't do anything that isn't all right.'

"Out in Hollywood, Harold Lloyd's comedy was developing slowly. Incident after incident arouse to check its tempo. Finally the stage had been reached where everything had to be 'shot through' fast. And in the midst of all the worry and detail, nobody had had time to send for and train Charlie Heck's dog for his part in the picture.

"One day Joe Reddy, Harold's friend and assistant came into Harold's office and said 'It looks like we just can't use that contest dog. We haven't got time to train it. We'll have to use one of the studio dogs.'


"'But I can't disappoint that kid, Joe' Harold answered 'I just can't'

"'I know boss' and Joe looked thoughtful. Because Joe had a son too. Born on Christmas day. And Joe feels kids disappointments like all real fathers do. 'I'll tell you what we'll do. Let's use one of the studio's dogs for this picture and then we can use Charlie Heck's in the next one, when we're not so darn rushed.'

"The comedian nodded his head but he wasn't satisfied.


"Meantime in Chicago, as the weeks went by and no call came from Tipper, Charlie Heck's smile grew dimmer and dimmer. Always he had a brave, bright smile. But suddenly he found he couldn't smile anymore. Of course he had his three hundred dollars. And it had been put in the bank to help pay for his first year of college. Charlie had always wanted to go first into Culver and then to West Point. But he couldn't smile because Harold Lloyd was his idol. And Harold hadn't done what he said he would.

"One day when Charlie Heck came home from school, his mother stood in the door waving a letter. But Tipper was no where to be seen. And Tipper was always the first one to greet Charlie.

"'Is it from Hollywood, Mama' Charlie yelled as he ran up the steps.

"'You open it Mama, I'm sure Harold sent from my dog. But you open it Mama.' and Charlie smiled a timid smile.

"But his mother held the envelope out to him. 'You open it. It'll be more fun.'

"The boy opened the flap and started to read. But suddenly, stout fellow that he is, his smile faded and tears fell down his cheeks.

"'A change in plans' he read 'has made it impossible for me to use Tipper for the moment...' There was more. But Charlie didn't care. He let the letter slide on the floor and put his rough head against his mother's shoulder.

"But then something warm muzzled up against Charlie's knee. And there was Tipper with his ball in his mouth, pleading for Charlie to come and play. And Tipper smiled. For Tipper knew...

"Then Harold came to New York and took a spacious apartment on 5th Avenue, so that his little daughter and his wife might have plenty of sun and air. And one day my editor said to me 'You go up to Harold Lloyd's apartment and get him to tell you about the picture he's making.'

"As I walked through the long hall leading towards the comedian's drawing room, I could see through the open doorway, little Gloria going on three sitting on the floor. And Mildred Davis by the window reading. It was a lovely room.

"'Yes I am. And our editor is most anxious to hear about your next picture. What will it be called?'


"'It hasn't been named yet. Say I'm terribly sorry about that dog.'

"'What dog?'

"'Why that one that I was going to use in my picture - Tipper.'

"'Yes' I said ingratiatingly 'When will your next film be released?'
"But Harold was silent and then spoke musingly: 'It certainty was too bad about that dog. I can't get that kid off my mind.'
"'Well you sent him three hundred dollars.'
"'That doesn't make up for a kid's disappointment.'
"'Say you wait here a moment. I'll be right back.' and out he dashed leaving me to coddle my thumbs.
"A long ten minutes went by And then he came back. And was most charming and polite.

"'Did you get what you wanted' genial Joe Reddy asked as I came out.

"'No I didn't all I heard about was Charlie Heck's dog.

"'To tell you the truth, Harold has been worried ever since he had to turn the kid's dog down.

"'But just now he came out and fixed everything up. With all the things on his mind - getting this new film finished, the kid's disappointment seems more important. So he had me send a telegraph just now to Charlie Heck that on his way back to Hollywood, he will stop by Chicago and see Tripper. And they'll have a party together. And get some pictures taken. And then next year, when his work is not so rushed, he'll have Charlie and Tripper and Charlie's mother come to California. And Tipper will have a real screen test.'

"'Yes? But how about my story, my editor won't like it at all when I come back without anything.'

"'Oh forget it, stories come and stories go - but a boy's heartache - that might go on forever unless -'

"So I went out and closed the door softly for I realized that behind me in that drawing room I had left something priceless and beautiful...

"When Harold Lloyd stepped off the Broadway Limited in Chicago that bright sunny morning in October, Charlie Heck remembered how to smile. And he couldn't have smiled any wider than if King Arthur himself, with the Knights of the Round Table all attending him, instead of Harold Lloyd - the Herald of Laughter.

"And with Harold came his wife, his daughter and Joe Reddy and his secretaries and maids and valets. And last - but not least - Harold's new great Dane, Illo Von Der Rhone, one of the finest specimens in the world.


"And never was a boy as thrilled as that boy Charlie Heck, as he stood at the steps with his pretty mother and big father. But before anyone had a chance to say anything Baby Gloria walked right up to Charlie and gave him a big fat hug. Than Harold took them all for a ride through Grant park. And then he and the boy got out of the car and stood for a while near the lake and talked. And what they said nobody will ever know. Because even Because even Charlie's mother respected the greatest moment of her son's life. And left his boy alone with his idol.


"And now Charlie has his own brave bright smile again. The kind of smile that only comes when a boy's beliefs are untarnished. And when a boy's heart - like the knight of Sir Galahad's - is pure.

"That's one reason why People like Harold Lloyd."

The movie which this article was talking about the making of was clearly Speedy (1928), Harold's last silent film. The studio dog, they ended up using was named King Tut. The director of the film (mentioned in this article) was Ted Wilde. It is interesting that this article make reference of Babe Ruth considering that Babe Ruth would actually be in Speedy.


As an added bonus here is a classic Harold Lloyd short, from 1919 called From Hand to Mouth.





-Michael J. Ruhland