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This middling Harold Lloyd short is neatly divided into three sections: concerning romantic rivalry at an amusement park, it starts off with a dog chase (this early part also involving a distorted mirror gag); the mid-section is devoted to the inventive telephone antics which give the film its title; the last part, then, resolves itself into a rather overstretched sequence in which Lloyd, chased by the police, tries to get rid of an incriminating purse.

Still, perhaps the single funniest bit occurs at the very beginning - a succession of title cards categorizing how various lovesick men deal with their predicament.

This is a very good short comedy, with some good material and a fine job by Harold Lloyd as one of his slightly amoral but still sympathetic characters. Lloyd was as good as anyone was at taking a simple situation and building it up with as much comic material as he could fit into it without going too far. The telephone booth sequence here is a great example, and it is as impressive in its creativity as it is enjoyable to watch. The rest of "Number, Please" also works pretty well, and while there isn't much of a story to speak of, Lloyd is creative enough that you barely notice. Lloyd's style works well in this one, and it's a very entertaining feature.

Typical of many of the better silent slapstick comedies, 'Number, Please?' is a highly entertaining, charming, and, simply put, FUNNY short. The gags are aplenty, and many of them take full creative advantage of the setting and the circumstances of the central characters. This short takes place largely within the realms of an amusement park, and this leads to many rather interesting cinematic moments (ex.: a gag taking place on a roller coaster in which some of the footage was shot on an actual roller coaster while it was moving, the placement of the camera on a carousel for a few shots in another fast paced slapstick sequence). The timing, choreography, etc. are all done near perfectly. It is also worth noting that the ending of the short is surprisingly bleak, as is the entire overall story it tells. It is full on comical slapstick, but at its very core is a theme of heartbreak and failure. However, Harold Lloyd is able to deal w/this heartbreak and failure w/a self deprecating and highly amusing smile.

(1920) Number, Please?

SILENT COMEDY

Clocking between 23 and 25 minutes created by Hal Roach with a forgettable story line which conveniently centers around boy(Harold Lloyd) going to the fair/ amusement park then spotting the girl (Mildred Davis) he likes hanging around with her boyfriend with intentions to separate the two by first saving her dog and then return her hand bag which the boy didn't know it was hers. The title "Number, Please?" refers to the boy (Llyod) conversing and get through with phone company which if their is any reason to watch this, it would be to see the many amusing sight gags including Lloyd running away from cops, trying to discard the incriminating a lady's bag not knowing it belonged to the girl he is trying to impress, sitting at the end of a roller coastal ride with many wigs and hats flying to the back etc... It's just slightly outdated though but still entertaining. The eight of fifteen movies Harold Lloyd starred with actress Mildred Pierce.

While NUMBER, PLEASE? is an enjoyable HAROLD LLOYD silent short, I do think that he has a tendency here to milk a situation for all it's worth and goes on too long in the same vein.

The fun starts at an amusement park where Lloyd is anxious to make an impression on a pretty girl (MILDRED DAVIS) who is with a boyfriend that would like to see Lloyd disappear. Both men are soon looking for her lost pooch (interestingly, called General Pershing), and while Lloyd finds the dog, it's the other man who gets the credit after a stunt involving a merry-go-round and man and dog on a leash.

The mid-section involving both men trying to get in touch with the girl's mother is not quite as amusing--in fact, it becomes trying at times and it's here that the story runs into a time lag with repetitious sight gags.

The last half involving a lost purse is highly amusing and played for maximum laughs as Lloyd, believing it's someone's stolen purse rather than the girl's, tries to get rid of it while it keeps coming back like a boomerang.

Amusing, but certainly not the best of Harold Lloyd's comedy shorts.

A Hal Roach HAROLD LLOYD Comedy Short.

A young fellow desperately tries to win back the affections of his ex-girlfriend during a madcap day at a seaside pleasure pier.

Silent screen genius Harold Lloyd has a wonderful showcase for his comedic talents in this extremely funny little film. Among the difficulties confronting Harold are a couple of contrary canines, several suspicious cops, a grossly incompetent telephone operator and a rapacious goat. The sequences involving the crazy mirrors, the phone booths and the small black boy are absolute gems.

Mildred Davis--his future real-life wife--is the object of Harold's affections. Stout Roy Brooks plays the determined Rival.

Robert Israel has composed an excellent film score which perfectly complements Harold's antics on the screen.

Just watched this Harold Lloyd short on the DVD "The Cook and Other Treasures". It takes place in an amusement park in Orange Park, California. Plenty of gags involving a girl (Mildred Davis-Lloyd's future wife), rival Roy Brooks (who'd become Lloyd's assistant later on), telephone booths, a dog, a purse, a merry-go-round, and a little black boy who'd later become a member of the original "Our Gang" (Ernie Morrison). Producer/director Hal Roach appears in silhouette early on. Also early on is a gag involving a roller coaster and hats that provides the start of consistent laughs that I give through most of this entertaining short. The scene with the telephone booths and operators mixing up various calls was also one of the most hilarious in the short. I think I've said enough so on that note, I highly recommend Number, Please?

The Boy (Harold Lloyd) is heartbroken for The Girl (Mildred Davis). She's with The Rival (Roy Brooks) at the seaside carnival. She loses her dog General Pershing. The Boy sets off to find it. OMG SAVE THE DOG! The Merry-o-around is scary as heck. I can't stop thinking about that scene. It ends up being funny, but it starts off as awkwardly scary. I honestly lost track of the story when it actually gets to "Number, Please". I was wondering what is happening with the phone call. The purse is a good gag especially when there is another dog. The dogs are the center of two great gags. They really save the day.

Funny Lloyd short is plenty on laughs as Lloyd goes to great limits to win the heart of a girl. Isn't that the basic plot of all the silent shorts from all the screen comics. There is the girl you have to the get and the laughs come from the approach. Today's comic have women in the movies but they are prizes that are given to the comic, not chased or earned in today's movies, id est the female love interest does not function as the macguffin which is the case in all the good silent comedies. That said, there are cops following Harold as he is acting very suspiciously for he is trying to dispose of a purse that he did not steal. As he tries to do this, making phone calls with a crying child, scenes on a rollercoaster all combine to deliver the laughs and finally, a bitter-sweet ending is the perfect coda to the futilities of the female hunt.

Roy Brooks makes an unlikely love rival for Harold Lloyd in this fairly tame comedy short. He's a tall, slightly lumpy man with childish features, but Harold seems to see him as a real threat as he tries to enjoy a day at the beach with Mildred Davis. She plays the boys off one another, promising to ride in a hot air balloon (and you can't help wondering whether that was a metaphor for something entirely different) with the first to win her mother's consent. Big Roy races off in his car, but wily Harold figures on being the first to ask mum by phoning her.

It's this decision that sets the tone of the film, which I can only describe as the comedy of frustration which, when you think about it, really isn't very funny at all. Everything that can go wrong for Harold as he tries to make his call does: people keep beating him into one of three available booths, and when he does finally make it into one he discovers he hasn't any money. A kindly desk clerk allows him to use his phone but the line accidentally gets burned through by a carelessly placed cigar. On and on goes Harold's woes and, while the quality of the comedy isn't always worthy of admiration, Harold's dogged determination to enjoy a ride with Mildred certainly is.

The second half of the film is mostly concerned with Harold and Roy's attempts to distance themselves from Mildred's purse which has been stolen by a thief who sneaks it into Harold's pocket when the police – who are everywhere – get too close. Considering Lloyd's reputation for thrill comedy, this one is fairly routine, even though it begins on a roller-coaster. You wonder how, with such a gigantic, fast-moving prop at his disposal, Lloyd allowed a gilt-edged opportunity to pass him by…

Harold Lloyd wants back the girl, Mildred Davis, she has lost.Her new boyfriend, Roy Brooks, doesn't want to lose the girl.The girl has lost her dog in an amusement park, so the boys try to find the dog and the way to her heart.The girl has a balloonist uncle and he gives her a pass for two in his balloon, but there must be her mother's approval first.Easier said than done.Number, Please? (1920) is directed by Hal Roach and Fred C. Newmeyer.Roach is also seen in the movie playing a sailor.This is a great short comedy with many gags.It's funny when the dog is caught in the merry-go-round.The sequence where Harold tries to make a call at the telephone booth is most amusing.The lady gives him her baby who won't stop crying.It's a lot of fun to watch Harold with the purse.This is a treat for all the Harold Lloyd fans.

NUMBER, PLEASE? (1920)

*** (out of four)

Harold Lloyd two-reeler has Lloyd trying to mend a broken heart by going to an amusement part where he meets a lovely young lady but he must compete with her boyfriend. The first reel is wonderfully funny with all sorts of great gags including one where Lloyd is in the last cart of a ride with everyone else's hats hitting him. The second reel loses a lot of its punch but overall this was still a pretty good short that shows off what was to come in Lloyd's career.

Available on DVD through Kino and New Line.

Harold Lloyd takes twenty-five minutes of screen time to make a one-minute telephone call in this engaging short comedy.

It takes place at the Ocean Park Amusement Pier in Santa Monica, which certainly helps fill several minutes. Amusement parks had long been and would continue to be bright locations for comedy. Mostly, though, Lloyd takes advantage of the fact that he looks like a normal young man in love with a normal young girl -- Mildred Davis in this case -- with whom he has quarreled. He had played a grotesque, Keystone-style comic in his earlier shorts for Roach, but this new costume allowed him a greater range of stories, and an ability to appeal to middle-class audiences.

Hijinks ensue at an amusement park when Harold Lloyd decides to compete with another for the affections of his true love. There are quite a few set pieces to earn giggles from its audience, and a couple to earn outright guffaws. There's some funny business with a carousel, but the funniest bit in the movie involves a stolen purse that both Lloyd and his rival desperately try not to get caught holding. As always, Lloyd is a delightful screen presence, and his silent comedy persona instantly makes you root for it.

I saw this as a double bill with Lloyd's "Grandma's Boy" at the Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge, Illinois as part of a summer silent movie festival. Let's keep festivals like that alive.