The Freshman
1925·76 min·US
ComedyRomance
Harold Lloyd's most personal film — and his biggest box-office hit. A small-town boy arrives at college determined to be the most popular man on campus, but his eager-to-please awkwardness makes him a laughingstock: the whole school is secretly mocking the "jig" dance he thinks is making him a hit. Lloyd plays the mounting humiliation with such genuine vulnerability that you feel every wince, and the climactic football game — where the freshman finally gets his chance to play — is one of the most thrilling and hilarious extended sequences in silent comedy. The film is also a surprisingly sharp satire of American conformity and the desperate need to belong. Lloyd, always the most accessible of the great silent comedians, here creates a character so universally relatable that the film hasn't dated a day.
Harold Lloyd's most personal film — and his biggest box-office hit. A small-town boy arrives at college determined to be the most popular man on campus, but his eager-to-please awkwardness makes him a laughingstock: the whole school is secretly mocking the "jig" dance he thinks is making him a hit. Lloyd plays the mounting humiliation with such genuine vulnerability that you feel every wince, and the climactic football game — where the freshman finally gets his chance to play — is one of the most thrilling and hilarious extended sequences in silent comedy. The film is also a surprisingly sharp satire of American conformity and the desperate need to belong. Lloyd, always the most accessible of the great silent comedians, here creates a character so universally relatable that the film hasn't dated a day.
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Explore Further
The Freshman - The Criterion Collection — The Criterion Collection
Criterion essay on Harold Lloyd's most successful silent comedy.
The Freshman
The Freshman: Speedy Saves the Day! - The Criterion Collection — The Criterion Collection
Critical analysis of Lloyd's iconic performance and the film's enduring charm.
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Cast
Harold Lloyd
Harold Lamb
Jobyna Ralston
Peggy
Brooks Benedict
The College Cad
Hazel Keener
The College Belle
Joseph Harrington
The College Tailor
Pat Harmon
The Football Coach
Leon Beaumon
Student (uncredited)
Ethel Broadhurst
Woman (uncredited)
R
Roy Brooks
Tall Student (uncredited)
Rosalind Byrne
Girl Caught in Suspenders at Dance (uncredited)
Charles Farrell
Student Bell Ringer at Frolic (uncredited)
Wally Howe
Gardener (uncredited)
Gus Leonard
Waiter Who Takes Harold's Pants (uncredited)
K
King Lockwood
Student (uncredited)
G
George Marion
Train Passenger (uncredited)
