Episode 17 - Portrait of a Young Actor with Annette D'Agostino Lloyd

Bonus - Harold & Hal & Stan & Ollie: The Laurel and Hardy Silents with Patrick Vasey

Hal Roach Studios was built on the comedy of Harold Lloyd and sustained by Our Gang and Laurel & Hardy. And Harold and Stan stayed friends throughout their lives.   As Bruce Goldstein launches a massive Laurel & Hardy retrospective at Film Forum this week, we take a few minutes to talk about the most famous duo to come out of Hal Roach Studios with Patrick Vasey, host of The Laurel & Hardy Podcast [https://www.laurelandhardyfilms.com/podcast] and author of the upcoming two-volume limited edition book, "Laurel & Hardy: Silents" [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/laurelandhardybooks/laurel-and-hardy-silents] available now through the end of July.   Patrick and I talk about his Harold Lloyd fandom, the culture around Hal Roach Studios, how the company known by its employees as the “Lot of Fun” evolved over the 1920s through Harold's departure and Stan and Ollie's growing partnership, and why the story of Lloyd's career is where Patrick's new book begins.   The book written by Patrick and designed by Russell Babbage, tells their history chronologically day to day from 1920 through 1929 with over a thousand rare photos from Hal Roach Studios scanned by Russell. It's available through Kickstarter, and it surpassed its fundraising goal. So the print run is guaranteed but only up to a thousand copies. Reserve your copy here [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/laurelandhardybooks/laurel-and-hardy-silents] by July 31 st 2026. Or go to laurelandhardyfilms.com [https://www.laurelandhardyfilms.com/books].

Episode 18 - Hollywood Pioneers with Tracey Goessel (Film Preservation Society) and Randy Haberkamp (Academy Margaret Herrick Library) [Lloyd - Pickford - Fairbanks - Chaplin]

We're back from summer break to take a deep dive into the early days of the movies with Tracey Goessel of Film Preservation Society [https://www.filmpreservationsociety.org/] and Randy Haberkamp of the Academy's Margaret Herrick Library! From "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (1921) to "Saving Private Ryan," (1998) the artistic and medical reasons why modern filmmakers who embrace the visual language of silent film are more emotionally successful with audiences. Introducing silent movies in theaters, and the Harold Lloyd films that resonate best with Academy members and mainstream audiences. The trajectory of the big three comedians and their transitions to sound. The Biograph Project and the surprises of rediscovering the early films of D.W. Griffith. The importance of preservation and curation for a new generation. Douglas Fairbanks' enduring appeal as the first action movie star, and Mary Pickford's underappreciated influence creating a new acting technique for film. And projecting "Wings" (1927) at the Academy with sound effects by Ben Burtt! Plus: Florence Lawrence, Elmer Booth and Superman.   Check out The Official Harold Lloyd Website [https://haroldlloyd.com/] Official Harold Lloyd Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theofficialharoldlloyd/] Harold Lloyd Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TheHaroldLloyd] Contact us at haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com [haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com] And do Harold proud by helping Shriner's Hospital for Children. [https://donate.lovetotherescue.org/give/716571/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=shrinerschildrens&c_src2=main-nav] (100% produced, written, recorded, edited & released without artificial intelligence.)

Episode 18 Introduction - Echoes of 1914 (Harold Lloyd, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin)

1914 was a formative year for four of Hollywood's biggest icons, and their burgeoning careers caused changes in the film industry that formed it into what it is today. Sources: "Magic In A Pair Of Horn-Rimmed Glasses" by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd, "The Harold Lloyd Encyclopedia" by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd, "Lonesome Luke's Lively Life" by Steve Massa, "The Parade's Gone By" by Kevin Brownlow, "Mary Pickford: America's Sweetheart" by Scott Eyman, and "The First King of Hollywood: The Life of Douglas Fairbanks" by Tracey Goessel.   Check out The Official Harold Lloyd Website [https://haroldlloyd.com/] Official Harold Lloyd Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theofficialharoldlloyd/] Harold Lloyd Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TheHaroldLloyd] Contact us at haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com [haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com] And do Harold proud by helping Shriner's Hospital for Children. [https://donate.lovetotherescue.org/give/716571/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=shrinerschildrens&c_src2=main-nav] (100% produced, written, recorded, edited & released without artificial intelligence.)

Episode 17 - Portrait of a Young Actor with Annette D'Agostino Lloyd

In the fall of1912 , Harold and his dad, "Foxy" Lloyd, flipped a coin. They had the money to move and make a fresh start, but where would be best for Harold's career? Heads, go east to New York and try to break into Broadway. Tails, go west and join acting mentor John Lane Connor at his theatrical company in San Diego.  Biographer Annette D'Agostino Lloyd guides us through this pivotal coin toss, as well as his relationship with Foxy and brother Gaylord, who moved with him, and the lessons John Lane Connor taught him that would serve as the foundation of Lloyd's artistic and business ethos. Harold gets his first taste of film at the Edison Company and moves to Los Angeles. And after constant rejection, he finds a way to sneak into Universal Pictures using skills he learned doing plays as a kid. (This is a sequel to our first biographical episode, "Happy Birthday, Harold.") Plus: Hal Roach, Frank Borzage, and the subtle truth of silent film acting. Check out The Official Harold Lloyd Website [https://haroldlloyd.com/] Official Harold Lloyd Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theofficialharoldlloyd/] Harold Lloyd Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TheHaroldLloyd] Contact us at haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com [haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com] And do Harold proud by helping Shriner's Hospital for Children. [https://donate.lovetotherescue.org/give/716571/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=shrinerschildrens&c_src2=main-nav] (100% produced, written, recorded, edited & released without artificial intelligence.)

Bonus - Happy Birthday, Gloria!

Happy Birthday to Gloria Lloyd Roberts, Harold's eldest child born on May 22, 1924! To celebrate we're listening to Leonard Maltin interview Gloria and her daughter Suzanne in 2005, along with home movies and some of Gloria's contributions to Kevin Brownlow and David Gill's documentary, "The Third Genius." Special thanks to Leonard Maltin and Kevin Brownlow. Check out The Official Harold Lloyd Website [https://haroldlloyd.com/] Official Harold Lloyd Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/theofficialharoldlloyd/] Harold Lloyd Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/TheHaroldLloyd] Contact us at haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com [haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com] And do Harold proud by helping Shriner's Hospital for Children. [https://donate.lovetotherescue.org/give/716571/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=shrinerschildrens&c_src2=main-nav] (100% produced, written, recorded, edited & released without artificial intelligence.)