A vertigo-inducing thrill comedy where the perilous ascent of a skyscraper becomes a literal and visual metaphor for the American Dream, balancing high-altitude anxiety with the desperate romantic ambition of the Jazz Age.
Safety Last!
"You're Going to Explode With "Safety Laughs" when You see This Fun Bomb."
Director:
Sam Taylor
Fred C. Newmeyer
Cast:
Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Bill Strother, Noah Young, Westcott Clarke
Comedy
Romance
Budget:
$121,000
Box Office:
$1,500,000
Safety Last! - Easter Eggs & Hidden Details
Easter Eggs
Project A Clock Drop
Jackie Chan's 1983 film Project A features a famous stunt where Chan hangs from a clock tower and falls; it is a direct homage to Safety Last!.
Back to the Future Opening
In the opening scene of Back to the Future (1985), a clock featuring a small figure of Harold Lloyd hanging from the minute hand can be seen, foreshadowing Doc Brown's later clock tower climax.
Hidden Prosthetic
Throughout the film, Lloyd carefully hides his right hand or uses the prosthetic glove. In the climbing scenes, you can occasionally spot that his right hand doesn't grip as naturally as his left.