DR.  JACK

(1922)
With Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, John T. Prince, Eric Mayne, C. Norman Hammond
Directed by Fred Newmeyer and Sam Taylor
Silent, Black and White
Reviewed by JB

    Harold Lloyd's first film originally designed to be a feature, DR. JACK actually feels more padded than either of his first two "accidental" features A SAILOR-MADE MAN or GRANDMA'S BOY.  It is a slight, charming comedy that is a better example of what passed for entertainment sometimes in the 1920s than as a vital Harold Lloyd comedy.  The story could have easily been told in two reels, where character development and plot complications are not always necessary elements.  Lloyd plays the title character, a small town doctor who is called upon to cure a "Sick Little Well Girl" whose only problem is she is never allowed any fun or excitement.  In the end, Dr. Jack provides both.  Some of the gags are obvious and shopworn, and some of the set pieces, such as a poker game in which everybody winds up with four aces, are played out far beyond their worth.  Still, with some great car stunts in the beginning and a wild chase through the house at the end, DR. JACK is not exactly a bad way to spend 50 minutes. 3 - JB

Harold Lloyd     The Age of Comedy