Groucho Marx on Harold Lloyd:
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Groucho Marx
Harold Lloyd — 1 year ago(November 09, 2024 08:08 AM)
Groucho Marx had a lot of respect for Harold Lloyd and his comedic style, though he was often more vocal about his admiration for other comedic legends like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. However, in various interviews and writings, Groucho spoke fondly of Lloyd’s talent, particularly his ability to perform physical comedy with precision and grace.
One of Groucho's more memorable comments about Lloyd came during an appearance on The Dick Cavett Show in 1969, where he praised him as one of the greats. Groucho was quoted as saying, "I think Harold Lloyd was a very, very funny man. I don't think he ever got his due. He was terrific."
Groucho, being a fellow master of timing and wit, would have appreciated Lloyd’s blend of slapstick and character-driven humor. While Chaplin was known for his emotional depth and Keaton for his stone-faced physicality, Lloyd's specialty was a charming, everyman persona, mixed with outrageous stunts—often with a lot more comedy derived from nervous energy and relatable awkwardness. Groucho likely saw Lloyd as a peer in terms of comedy craftsmanship, and while they had different styles, there was mutual respect among the greats.
Additionally, Groucho admired the way Lloyd maintained his stardom through the changing tides of cinema, with his persona evolving from slapstick to more romantic comedies as the years went on. Despite his acclaim, however, Groucho acknowledged that Harold Lloyd wasn't as widely recognized or celebrated in comparison to Chaplin or Keaton during the time.
So, in short: Groucho respected Harold Lloyd's comedic genius, though Lloyd's legacy sometimes flew under the radar compared to some of his contemporaries.