Professor Beware (1938) User Reviews

A Nice, Forgettable Little Comedy

[theowinthrop · 7/10 · 26 March 2005]

I recall that for many years this was the only one of Harold Lloyd's movies that occasionally turned up on screen in New York City. It is a passably funny film about an archaeologist who falls for the daughter of a tycoon and finds himself fighting the forces of Wall Street and fate itself to get the young lady. Lloyd's character is trying to fight an apparent curse from the tomb that he opened. The film literally goes to it's conclusion before the viewers learn if the curse will or will not work. Lloyd is ably supported in the film by Raymond Walburn, William Frawley, Lionel Stander, and Thurston Hall. Phyllis Welch was the young woman Lloyd pursues. She did nicely in the role, but not spectacularly. Her career soon faded from sight.

Of the sound films made by Lloyd, "Professor Beware" usually is near the bottom. It is better (in my opinion) than "Welcome Danger" or "Feet First", but it falls below the other four sound films. The problem with it is that it lacks any relationship to the type of film identified with Lloyd at his peak. It's situation comedy plot could have been done by most other comedians or leading men of the day. But it is not a total failure, and is worth watching.

It's Harold Lloyd! Yes, but wait...

[sno-smari-m · 5/10 · 20 January 2009]

By the mid-1930's, the movie industry had gone through an incredible transformation since the silent era of less than a decade before, and the stars of earlier times had not been left uninvolved by it all. Harold Lloyd had once been considered a king of comedy, the only one who could equal Chaplin in popularity, and perhaps even in creativity (no, not really, but pretty close). However, in 1938 things were different. Not that Harold turned into a washed-up stereo-example of a tragic clown who was nearly unable to work and had even more difficulty in finding it, such as Buster Keaton to a degree was viewed for some time. Lloyd had grown far too wealthy in his prime that he ever needed to worry about financial matters. Rather, what finally happened to the Glasses-character was a gradual, unremarkable, and really quite undramatic fade-out. The character didn't seem to fit in anywhere in the new world, and perhaps not even the new medium of talking pictures; at least some of us who have had the opportunity to watch his second to last film PROFESSOR BEWARE are tempted to claim so.

One could say that the story had been indirectly forced upon Lloyd. He had originally intended to make a comedy set in the English knighthood, but was advised to forget that idea because of circumstances in Britain at the time. Instead, he and his crew began to develop a vague story about an Egyptologist (eventually named Dean Lambert) who is convinced that there are telepathic parallels between his relationship to an attractive woman and an Egyptian man of old times, who had been killed due to a forbidden love. The film centers his superstitiousness, quite characteristic for Harold Lloyd, his chases from the police, and so on. Okay, so the premise is promising enough. Lloyd spent a great deal of his own money on the project, determined to make this one better than his previous talkies, none of which had been on par with his best silent work. He was teamed with well-known gag-man Clyde Bruckman and hired the quite competent director Elliott Nugent.

Sadly, what remains of Lloyd's high ambitions and hopes is a rather mixed experience. The biggest problem with the film may be the very star who produced it; as is often the case with great comedians, our expectations of Lloyd are too demanding for us to be able to fully enjoy his weaker output. The adventure starts off rather slowly, and Harold's acting comes off as exaggerated at times, as if he's a bit uncomfortable with the project himself. The continuity appears forced, and there is little complexity to trace within the characters; their development throughout the film is minimal. What I have now criticized is, of course, merely things I feel should be there because I know that a talent like Harold Lloyd was capable of not only adding them, but produce them into his comedy so slickly that every aspect felt spontaneous and natural in context to one another. On the plus side, there's quite a bit of funny business to be found here once it rolls; one part which made me laugh hard had Harold (or Lambert, whatever) hiding a chicken under his coat while driving along with a sheriff, pretending that he does the chuckling himself. To be fair, a similar scene was included in Lloyd's previous film THE MILKY WAY, then with a horse in a cab, but this version was probably even funnier as it put the Egyptologist in a more embarrassing situation; after all, a sheriff usually appears more threatening than a cab driver. Similar routines, while heavily borrowed from Lloyd's silent films, make the film quite pleasant to watch most of the time.

The climax is something of a disappointment, however; it all ends with a huge fight among dozens of men, teased by Harold, set aboard a yatch. Had this been silent it would have worked wonderfully, but sound is the ultimate sinner here; it gets too noisy, too realistic to be funny. At least it doesn't give you the warmth that Lloyd's silent features provided. That would be okay if it gave something original and unexpected in exchange, but sadly it doesn't. If anything, the use of sound feels clumsy, something which contemporary audiences would not accept ten years after THE JAZZ SINGER, and neither did I.

The good points of PROFESSOR BEWARE were not enough to save audiences' overall impression of it, and the film was a total flop both critically and at the box-office. Lloyd was disappointed in the film himself, and decided he'd had enough. He didn't exactly retire, as one might believe; rather, the comedian told Paramount that he would not make another film until he could come up with a concept he truly felt confident about. He never did, and after a while turned his attention to other interests than making movies. Although he was to appear in a one-shot film by Preston Sturges nine years later, PROFESSOR BEWARE turned out to be Harold Lloyd's last independent production. Made twenty-five years after his debut on the screen, this can be said to be his swan song; one may wish it was better, but the world isn't perfect, is it? I am grateful he made this film, for the laughs it gave me.

Not Lloyd's best, but worthwhile viewing

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 24 September 2016]

This was Harold Lloyd's final comedy before his first retirement. The 1938 film features Harold as an archaeologist who starts to believe that he may be a reincarnation of an Egyptian pharaoh for whom things did not end up well. Wonderful cast of supporting comedy players (including Raymond Walburn, William Frawley and Lionel Stander) in an intermittently amusing affair with, for me, one hilarious sequence.

There's a scene in which Harold, accompanied by Walburn and Stander, is picked up on the road for a ride by what turns out to be the small town sheriff. Well, Stander has just snatched up a stolen chicken and when he sees the sheriff's badge shoves the chicken onto poor sap Harold who hides it under his jacket.

As they ride along with the sheriff, the chicken starts to make clucking sounds and, as a cover-up, Harold starts pursing his lips like he's imitating a chicken. Of course, the hilarity in the sequence builds as the chicken starts making loud squawking sounds with Harold now trying to convince the increasingly suspicious, albeit dim witted, sheriff that the racket is coming from him.

At one moment there is a camera shot of Harold's legs, as seen from Harold's angle looking down at them, as we see a chicken egg roll down them to the floor of the car. I almost fell out of my chair laughing. This comedy might not be Harold Lloyd at his best but it is well worth a look if you can find a copy somewhere. The not so great box office on this one convinced Harold to retire for about ten years, and the film is ably directed by workman director Elliott Nugent.

This film and "Welcome Danger" are the only two feature films distributed by Paramount that did not wind up in the big box of Lloyd films put out about ten years ago. Welcome Danger has been on Turner Classic Movies a few times, but Professor Beware was never on VHS or DVD and disappeared off the face of the earth since AMC decided that zombies combined with sexual assault were more entertaining than good old fashioned slapstick. Please catch it if you can, it is worth it.

End of the line for Lloyd

[lzf0 · 28 November 2001]

Harold Lloyd was more popular than Buster Keaton in the 1920s. He was a decent actor and was successful in the sound era. This is his last film, before the one-shot comeback for Preston Sturges in the 1940s. Harold is maturing in this movie. He plays straight for character actors such as Bill Frawley, Lionel Stander, Sterling Holloway, and Raymond Walburn. It is basically a long chase film with Harold being accused by car theft. There are plenty of sight gags, which Lloyd still performs beautifully. In the dialogue scenes, he has become a very sharp straight man. Is this a great film? No. Is it as funny as "Safety Last" or "Speedy"? Certainly not! But it is no embarrassment! Lloyd could have continued making these affable little comedies. He was tired of the business and decided to become a producer. For years this film was difficult to see, but it is now part of the AMC package. It is pleasant and Lloyd's star still shines brightly.

I'm surprised Lloyd didn't hold out for a better script.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 18 May 2020]

During the 1920s, Harold Lloyd was box office gold. You might be surprised to hear that his comedies outdrew those of Keaton or Chaplin during that era and he was the most popular silent comedian on the planet. So, with this amazing reputation, it's quite surprising that several of his sound comedies were relative duds....pleasant enough to watch but far less well written than his earlier efforts. A few were really good ("Movie Crazy" is a great sound comedy) but most were contrived and difficult to love. "Mad Wednesday" and "Professor Beware" both are among the difficult to love movies.

The story is about Professor Dean Lambert (Lloyd), a world famous Egyptologist. One night, he comes upon a damsel in distress and unquestioningly helps her....but it really makes no sense. After all, she wants him to change clothes with a drunk guy and wait out in the car....for a woman he just met! Soon, the police arrive and see the Professor in his underwear and they arrest him! Suddenly, he finds himself in the newspapers...and without a job.

Later, the woman he helped returns. Now you'd THINK he'd take her to explain the situation to the judge or prosecutor. Instead, he runs to New York because he is about to go on an expedition to Egypt. So, in other words, he fleas the state and risks a very long prison sentence AND loss of his reputation instead of staying in California to straighten out the problems. And, to get to New York, he soon finds himself bumming rides and riding the rails!! Oh, and did I mention that the Professor just happens to think he is the reincarnation of a 3000 dead Egyptian...and the lady who asked for his help was his lover 3000 years ago?!

Does ANY of this make any sense? Of course not!! Is it funny...sometimes. But at least Lloyd is likable in this film...and there are a few cute moments here and there. But on balance, it's definitely a sub-par Lloyd outing....and this would explain why it was a decade later when he made his next (and final) film.

The Misadventures of Professor Lambert

[lugonian · 8/10 · 19 May 2019]

PROFESSOR BEWARE (A Paramount Release, 1938), directed by Elliott Nugent, stars Harold Lloyd, silent film comedian of the 1920s, in his final sound comedy of the 1930s. Lloyd, whose movie career dates back to 1915, first appearing in comedy shorts before reinventing his "glasses" character from short to feature length comedies through the next decade, has come a long way since his talking debut in WELCOME DANGER (1929). Producing a new comedy every two years by the 1930s, Lloyd was always searching for new ideas to make his next comedy better than his last. Though PROFESSOR BEWARE attempts to work its way with familiar material adding a fine mix of old and new comedy routines, the final result is a series of segment chases during its 93 minute course.

The prologue opens briefly "in ancient Egypt 3000 years ago" where Neferus is being buried alive in a tomb while Anebi, the woman responsible for his downfall, screams while looking on. Move forward, "Los Angeles, 3000 years later," introduces Professor Dean Lambert (Harold Lloyd), an archealogist for the Olympia Museum, who happens to be the exact replica (except for his glasses) of the statue image of Neferus. Because of Neferus' fate, which has Lambert refusing to have anything to do with women fearing it may be responsible for his own downfall, as explained on the Egyptian tablets, history begins to repeat itself. No sooner after driving away from the museum does Lambert meet Jane Van Buren (Phyllis Welch), a damsel in distress stranded on the road with her car in the ditch with "Snoop" Donlan (William Frawley), her talent scout, on their way to an audition. Hanlon not only happens to be found drunk inside her car, but happens to be left unconscious in his underwear. Lambert is talked into giving his clothes to Donlan so they can be on their way to the theater. When Lambert is caught by the police in his underwear, he gets arrested and immediately loses his museum job. Invited to go on an Egyptian expedition, Lambert accepts, leaving for New York City to meet the boat on its way to Egypt, but has trouble heading for his destination. Being accused of stealing Donlans's priceless watch, Jane, who loses her audition anyway, drives cross country in the stolen museum station wagon, searching for Lambert to bring him back to prove his innocence. Their paths eventually do meet, with Lambert, determined not to miss that boat to Egypt, both venture on their cross country road tour which becomes a series of one misadventure after another. Also in the cast are Raymond Walburn (Judge James G. Parkhouse Marshall), Lionel Stander (Jerry Jerimiah), Thurston Hall (J.J. Van Buren), Clara Blandick (Amelia Green, the landlady), Cora Witherspoon, Sterling Holloway, Irving Bacon, Montagu Love, Charles Lane, Guinn Williams, Ward Bond, among many others.

Though PROFESSOR BEWARE doesn't compare with Harold Lloyd's best silent comedies (namely SAFETY LAST (1923), SPEEDY (1928), the film overall is entertaining enough to sit through its entirety without losing any interest. Scenes involving Lloyd's Lambert driving his car under a tent, or he ending up frozen after being taken out from a refrigerated train car, are reminiscent to any one of the Three Stooges comedy shorts. There's also a lengthy scene involving Lloyd, Walburn and Standing bumming a ride on top of a freight train and making a run the opposite direction as the train approaches a tunnel, this being one of the highlights. As mentioned before, PROFESSOR BEWARE is a series of individual chases before its climatic run involving a build-up crowd of people chasing after Harold, being more in mood than exact manner to Buster Keaton's better constructed comedy short, COPS (1922). The aforementioned character-types help the movie along, and PROFESSOR BEWARE does have its huge assortment of them to go around. Lloyd's co-star, Phyllis Welch, makes her first and farewell performance on film. She works well as Lloyd's traveling companion, and might have gone further in movies had she not married and retired upon the film's release.

Unlike Lloyd's silent and sound comedies, PROFESSOR BEWARE was possibly the only Harold Lloyd comedy circulating on television since the 1960s, and more commonly shown notably on New York City's WPIX Channel 11 (1967-1973) for several years before having a brief stint on public television in the early 1980s. From 1994 to 1999, PROFESSOR BEWARE became part of the film library to cable television's American Movie Classics As much as Turner Classic Movies has had many tributes to the films and career of Harold Lloyd, ranging from silent to talkies, thus far, PROFESSOR BEWARE has never become part of its movie package. With no know video cassette or DVD distribution, PROFESSOR BEWARE deserves better recognition considering it being one of those movies that appears to have improved with age, regardless of its thin plot with familiar run-on gags in Harold's Lloyd's world of comedy. (*** tablets)

In which sheer dull raucousness is substituted for cleverness and vitality

[I_Ailurophile · 5/10 · 25 December 2023]

Harold Lloyd was a comedic icon with few real equals in early cinema, even if he may not have had the same name recognition as some contemporaries. Lloyd gave us the same reliable stunts, gags, situational humor, physical comedy, and general silliness, and there's not one of his silent classics that isn't a terrific, hilarious classic. Then again, while the man's career continued past the advent of talkies, his meaningful success thereafter is far more variable. 1932's 'Movie crazy' is a clever, delightful blast that definitely recalls the energy and wit of its silent predecessors, but the same can't be said for 1930's 'Feet first,' which was an improvement on 1929's 'Welcome danger'; in my opinion this title's immediate antecedent, 1936's 'The milky way,' was possibly the weakest picture Lloyd was ever involved with. It's not necessarily that there was a specific struggle with the new sound format, and the aforementioned sound features were still enjoyable in some measure, yet they're a big step down for a cinematic legend; somewhere along the line the cleverness and vitality just leaked away from the star's output. Sadly, I think 'Professor beware' tends to have more in common with that lesser side of his body of work, and it pales in comparison to Lloyd's best.

By all means, this 1938 flick earns some laughs. Regrettably, they are all too few. Like in 'The milky way,' the situational humor is somewhat overtaken by plot, and the plot is thin and less than convincing. Rather than inspire the desired reaction, some would-be sharp dialogue, some gags, and some of the abject ridiculousness just come off as hollow raucousness and empty hot air. The pacing is troubled, as too many story beats and intended jokes are disallowed from manifesting, breathing, and resolving in their own time; the film just rather blows past some of the writing, and as a result feels scattered and harried. In turn, 'Professor beware' becomes sadly ordinary and unremarkable: there are wide swaths of fare from the early to mid 30s that's reasonably well made, and which provides a good time to some extent, but which exists in a bland, middling space that fails to make any big impression. This, I'm sorry to say, distinctly seems to count among such so-so cinema. It's not outright bad, and there are far worse things you could watch. The whole thing, though, is that for a star who at his best earned one laugh after another and commanded our attention, a piece that struggles to earn either laughs or mere engagement is a huge fumble.

The writing favors utmost zest and pizazz over sly ingenuity, or judicious storytelling; even if that weren't true, Elliott Nugent's direction is far too uncareful - orchestrating scenes with high energy, sure, but treating the material poorly. There are ideas here that should be delightful, yet through to the bombastic climax, so much of it is instead simply overcooked and dull, like meat that's left on a grill until it's charred and flavorless. The cast fully embraces the bluster, bless their hearts, not least with Lloyd sacrificing his body, and this is well done in all other regards: sets, costume design, stunts, effects, and so on. It rather says a lot, however, that as the digital timer broached the one hour mark I had all but checked out of the viewing experience, and there was still another solid half-hour to go. If you want a 30s comedy, you'll get it, and it's a decent enough way to spend ninety minutes, but I strongly suggest that you follow this up by revisiting 'Dr. Jack,' 'The freshman,' or 'Why worry?' - any one of the icon's silent classics stand head, shoulder, knees, and toes above 'Professor beware,' and only by checking them out will you truly get a good sense of what Lloyd was capable of. Oh well.

A very funny film from opening credits to the end.

[richard-764 · 9/10 · 23 March 2011]

"Professor Beware," in addition to the amazing Mr. Lloyd, boasts a supporting cast of heavyweights: Lionel Stander, Raymond Walburn, William Frawley, Sterling Holloway, Cora Witherspoon and Thurston Hall. Each of these character actors add immensely to the story, which is a quest in the best sense of the word. Lloyd is a professor of Egyptology who is searching for the final, but lost, tablet that will solve a riddle of the ages. His cross-country journey that ends on a yacht with one of the best comic fight scenes in movie history is fraught with mishaps and odd characters who block Lloyd's frantic attempts to get to New York in order to catch a steamship to Egypt. It is unfortunate that this film is not available in any form (I have a VHS tape from TV I made in the '90s) and not even on Turner Classic Movies. If you have the opportunity to see the film, be sure to do so. A true comic classic.

I you like Indiana Jones you will love this film!

[danio2000 · 10/10 · 8 October 2002]

Professor, Beware is fun, funny, charming, heart-warming, and an all around great old film. More so, it is a great adventure like an original Indiana Jones movie. More so, it has some concepts that bear thinking about - more than most comedies. This is the kind of film that one gives a satisfied sigh afterwards and says: "They don't make em like that anymore".

Enjoy!

Last Harold Lloyd Film until 1947

[springfieldrental · 8/10 · 1 January 2024]

Comedian Harold Lloyd's output in movies slowed considerably when he made the transition to sound from silent films. His annual releases turned to every other year. With the premier of June 1938's "Professor Beware," Lloyd took a break from screen acting for the next nine years before he returned for one last hurrah in 1947.

"Professor Beware" was a departure from the hands-on writing, directing and editing Lloyd usually did for his films. Since signing on with Paramount Pictures, the studio took over all his tasks. Lloyd was limited to acting and as a partial producer. Critics noticed because of this new arrangement, the brilliance of Lloyd was lost in the shuffle. Film critic Leonard Maltin spoke for the multitude of reviewers when he noted, "One of Lloyd's last vehicles has good moments, but the tale of archeologist searching for rare tablet is thin."

Lloyd plays Professor Dean Lambert, an Egyptologist who reads a tablet on a royal who fell in love with the Pharaoh's daughter, only to die because of it. The archeologist possesses a similar face as the ancient Egyptian, which convinces him it's bad luck to be in love. Later, the professor meets and falls in love with aspiring actress Jane Van Buren (Phyllis MacDonald), who is in line to inherit a fortune. A bogus scandal gets Lambert fired, and the pair of lovers decide to join an Egyptian expedition leaving New York City in ten days. In their travels cross-country they have to elude the police.

"Professor Beware" was the only film for Phyllis MacDonald, 24. From 1935 she was a success on the Broadway stage and earned the New York Times Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress two years later for 'End of Summer.' Signing a 'no-marriage' clause with Paramount, MacDonald married Lloyd soon after filming ended, forcing an end to her short-lived film career. She continued acting in regional theater before passing away at 95 in September 2008.

A few modern day film critics are more forgiving on "Professor Beware," which was repeatedly on broadcast television for years. Its wacky madcap ending drew praise from reviewer Dan Stumpf, who noted the movie "wraps up with a full ten minutes of delightful sight gags, wonderfully conceived, and beautifully shot and edited as Harold storms a yacht and we get that wonderful feel of his Silent Movie days, that this guy can sweep a football field or climb a skyscraper and take us right along with him." It was almost a decade before Lloyd was be seen on the big screen one last time.