The Man In The Glasses: The Harold Lloyd Podcast

In honor of Silent Movie Day, we're talking with Kim Souther, professor of music and director of orchestras at Clemson University, all about conducting silent film scores live. From sight-reading through the endurance test of performance runs, she takes us through the process of coordinating, rehearsing and inspiring student musicians. 
Souther and the Clemson University Orchestra performed Robert Israel's score of "The Freshman" this past spring and will be touring Europe this coming year performing with Harold Lloyd films, culminating with a performance of Robert Israel's new score for "Safety Last!"
After studying film conducting with Angel Velez at Warner Bros., she discovered her passion for silent movie accompaniment and for introducing students and young musicians to the magic of playing music to picture for an audience. And she shares how the films of Harold Lloyd opened a new creative field for her.
Souther's passion for music education and silent comedy is contagious, as well as her philosophy of following the creative curiosity that has shaped her own career.
Plus, hear the Clemson University Orchestra performing "The Freshman" for a packed audience in February.

"For Heaven's Sake" is playing with live musical accompaniment:
- September 13 - Los Feliz Theater, accompanied by Dean Mora (Los Angeles Silent Film Festival)
- September 13 - Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, accompaniment by Orchestra Novo, conducted by Michael Nowak performing Robert Israel's score
- October 2 - Pordenone Film Festival, Pordenone, Italy
"Safety Last" is playing with live musical accompaniment by Ben Model:
- September 10 - Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
"The Freshman" is playing with live musical accompaniment by Ben Model:
- September 27 - Barrymore Film Center, Fort Lee, NJ
 
Rich Correll & Suzanne Lloyd join the celebration of For Heaven's Sake's 100th birthday with their own stories and takes on the film, its background, and Harold's personal opinions. 
His loyalty to his crew, and the necessity of keeping them together. His hands-on approach at Harold Lloyd Corporation and Ted Wilde, Sam Taylor and Fred Newmeyer's role as directors. Ted Wilde's collection of behind the scenes photos, kept by his granddaughter.
How Harold kept his mind fresh for gags and magic through his last years. His affinity for younger generations, new ideas, charity and travel, which kept him active.
Plus: Constantine Romanoff's background, and how Jaleel White's incredible comic scenes in "Family Matters" were inspired by Harold Lloyd.
Check out The Official Harold Lloyd Website
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Contact us at haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com
And do Harold proud by helping Shriner's Hospital for Children.
(100% produced, written, recorded, edited & released without artificial intelligence.)

Annette D'Agostino Lloyd is back to take us through filming the final chase and its connections with "Girl Shy." The editing and preview process, and deleted scenes.
The publicity and release of the movie, and the reactions of audiences and critics. Its place in Harold Lloyd's filmography and its connections to his own worldview.
Behind-the-scenes photos of "For Heaven's Sake" on the Harold Lloyd Facebook page.
"Magic In A Pair Of Horn Rimmed Glasses" (2009) & "The Harold Lloyd Encyclopedia" (2003) by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd
Check out The Official Harold Lloyd Website
Official Harold Lloyd Instagram
Harold Lloyd Facebook
Contact us at haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com
And do Harold proud by helping Shriner's Hospital for Children.
(100% produced, written, recorded, edited & released without artificial intelligence.)

THIS VIDEO PODCAST INCLUDES PHOTOS AND FILM CLIPS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRTYzK00WXc
It's National Dog Appreciation Day!
Suzanne Lloyd is here to celebrate the four-legged friends of the famously animal-friendly Lloyd household, from Prince and Pepper Man to Micheal and Nicki, Christopher Robin and Peter Pan.
And the unforgettable dog moments in Harold's films, from "Just Neighbors" (1919) and "Dr. Jack" (1922) to "Safety Last" (1923), "The Freshman" (1925) and "Speedy" (1928), starring celebrity pups like Pete and King Tut!
We pay a return visit to Tracey Goessel and Randy Haberkamp as Randy talks us through the history of dogs in the movies.
Was Rin-Tin-Tin really cheated out of an Oscar?
Plus: Stronghheart, Rudd Weatherwax and Laddie.
DONATE TO ASPCA: https://secure.aspca.org/donate
Harold Lloyd coffee "The Boy's Best Friend" by Breakfast at Dominique's
Check out The Official Harold Lloyd Website
Official Harold Lloyd Instagram
Harold Lloyd Facebook
Contact us at haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com
And do Harold proud by helping Shriner's Hospital for Children.
(100% produced, written, recorded, edited & released without artificial intelligence.)

Harold Lloyd biographer Annette D'Agostino Lloyd is helping us celebrate the 100th birthday of "For Heaven's Sake"! (released April 1, 1926) 
In the fall of 1925, "The Freshman" is breaking records for Lloyd at the box office while Harold his writers are prepping their first film for Paramount, a concept which takes a surprising evolution into a future classic. 
When the have to jettison the project, they're left wondering what kind of story to tell. The evolution of that story and its echoes in a lifelong dedication which begins for Lloyd in 1926. 
As the regular crew and cast assemble, Jobyna Ralston elevates the film in a rich role as "Hope," and Noah Young delivers a star turn as antagonist-turned-sidekick "Bull."
The difference between two-camera and multi-take shooting for the international releases. How Harold shot differently from Roach and others, and the differences in the final versions.
Plus: Constantine Romanoff, Arthur Houseman, and Foster Brooks.
"Magic In A Pair Of Horn Rimmed Glasses" (2009) & "The Harold Lloyd Encyclopedia" (2003) by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd
Check out The Official Harold Lloyd Website
Official Harold Lloyd Instagram
Harold Lloyd Facebook
Contact us at haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com
And do Harold proud by helping Shriner's Hospital for Children.
(100% produced, written, recorded, edited & released without artificial intelligence.)
 
 

The business of comedy has shifted, but some things haven't changed since Harold and his gag team were first making "Lonesome Luke."
From "Late Night with David Letterman," "Newsradio" and "What We Do In The Shadows," we're exploring the art of the writers' room with Emmy-nominated comedy veteran Joe Furey!
Why Lloyd films and other classic comedians still hold up better than others.
How making comedy has evolved over time, and how much it's stayed the same since the days. 
And allowing for the flexibility and the discipline to try new ideas and hone them into an art.
Joe's feature film "Love and Support" is available on Amazon Prime.
Check out The Official Harold Lloyd Website
Official Harold Lloyd Instagram
Harold Lloyd Facebook
Contact us at haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com
And do Harold proud by helping Shriner's Hospital for Children.
(100% produced, written, recorded, edited & released without artificial intelligence.)

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 and author of the upcoming two-volume limited edition book, "Laurel & 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 by July 31 st 2026. Or go to laurelandhardyfilms.com.
 

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 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
Official Harold Lloyd Instagram
Harold Lloyd Facebook
Contact us at haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com
And do Harold proud by helping Shriner's Hospital for Children.
(100% produced, written, recorded, edited & released without artificial intelligence.)

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
Official Harold Lloyd Instagram
Harold Lloyd Facebook
Contact us at haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com
And do Harold proud by helping Shriner's Hospital for Children.
(100% produced, written, recorded, edited & released without artificial intelligence.)
 

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
Official Harold Lloyd Instagram
Harold Lloyd Facebook
Contact us at haroldlloydpodcast@gmail.com
And do Harold proud by helping Shriner's Hospital for Children.
(100% produced, written, recorded, edited & released without artificial intelligence.)