Series: Harold Lloyd Director: Alf Goulding Producer: Hal Roach Titles: H.M. Walker Photography: Walter Lundin Editor: Stars: Harold Lloyd, Bebe Daniels, Snub Pollard Company: Pathé Exchange Released: 23 February 1919 Length: 1 reel Production No.: L-51 Filming dates: August 12-20, 1918 Rating: -/10

On The Fire

"A ballooning flirt (BUD JAMISON) and a willing lady (BEBE DANIELS), eager to dine at the Restuarant de la Sordide" are shown to a table by the owner (WILLIAM GILLESPIE), at a cost to poor SAMMY BROOKS who is trodden on outside by the diner. The world's laziest chef (HAROLD LLOYD) is in the kitchen when the waiter comes in and gives him the food order. The chef uses a series of ropes to pull on, which lower saucepans onto the stoves, and a garden hoe to collect eggs from a hen and empty them into a pot. Without ever getting out out his chair, he throws the relevant food at the waiter (JAMES PARROTT), who lands it all on his serving platter. SNUB POLLARD is the assistant chef, a champion plate-smasher, who uses his skills to destroy plates attempting to kill a spider whilst the chef ventures out into the restaurant with a makeshift rod to catch a fish from the indoor pond. When the rod fails, he jumps in and tries to catch the fish with his bare hands, much to the chagrin of the waiter. Even more to the chagrin of the diners who see a fish come flying over and land on their table - followed by the chef [see favourite bit]. Snub comes out of the kitchen to hit the fish with a mallet but instead gets shot in the rear by the chef who had taken aim to shoot the fish. The chaos is all too much for the waiters, who promptly quit. The owner is ruined and the chefs agree to make amends and act as waiters to the waiting customers with Harold disrespecting the male guests while flirting with their wives. When an order for limburger is made, the chef puts on a gas mask, which he then shares with one of the guests before escorting his lady into the kitchen. A fire breaks out in the restaurant which the chef tries to put out with a powerful hose. Everybody leaves, except the manager, who pulls a gun on the chef! The End.

Favourite bit One minute you are sitting there at the table, the next minute a fish comes flying over and lands on your table... followed shortly by the chef!

Trivia • Copyrighted December 4, 1918. • Reissued March 12, 1922. • The 49th film in the series to be produced; the 48th to be released. • The restaurant is French, called the "Sordide". • Chef Harold Lloyd is smoking a cigarette in the kitchen whilst he is cooking the food. Health and safety in 1919 was very different back then! • Sammy Brooks is the poor guy who is trodden on by Bud Jamison outside the restaurant at the beginning of the film. He is later seen as a diner who is picked up by Snub Pollard and dumped into the pond during the fire sequence.

	Harold Lloyd The chef
	Bebe Daniels Willing lady
	Snub Pollard Assistant chef
	Bud Jamison Ballooning flirt
	Sammy Brooks Short diner
	William Gillespie Restaurant owner
	Wallace Howe Bearded diner
	Margaret Joslin Diner
	Dee Lampton Waiter
	James Parrott Waiter
	Dorothea Wolbert Diner
	Noah Young Diner
	Harry Burns Diner
	M.J. McCarty Diner
	William Peterson Diner
	Lew Harvey Waiter
	Fred Jefferson Waiter
	Oscar Larson Waiter
	Marie Mosquini Diner
	D. Coburn [?]
	Billy Fay [?]
	Estelle Harrison [?]
	Paddy McGuire [?]
	Emmylou Wallace [?]
	William Blaisdell [*unconfirmed]
	Belle Mitchell [*unconfirmed]
	Fred C. Newmeyer [*unconfirmed]

Acknowledgements: The Harold Lloyd Encyclopedia by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd (book) Tommie Hicks (help) Jim Jarvis (help) Jesse Brisson (help; identification of Oscar Larson, Fred Jefferson and Lew Harvey) This page was last updated on: 30 April 2022