In safety last, harold llloyd scales the von's department store facade to drum up business, (and to save his job to boot).
it's quite a challenging endeavor, but what makes it more nerve racking.....the dayum building keeps moving on him whilst he's scaling about like a human fly!
Here are a series of screen captures to demonstrate how this seemingly solid, well built immovable edifice gets around town more than a dishwater blond with a charge account at every downtown watering hole..............
we start off with an establishing long shot showing the building to be scaled . well lookee here, it appears to be the International Savings & Exchange Bank Building, (later known as the bank of italy building), at the corner of spring street and temple street. the old hall of records is peaking out on the left side of the building
the next shot is looking up the facade of the building showing the clock which will figure into some trouble for our hero later on
now wait just a dab blammit minute there........ howcome we didn't see a clock in the 1st establishing long shot????!!!???
oh... wait a minute, there it is, (must have had some prototype keebler elfs doing stagehand chores....ahhhhh the magic of hollywood). note the hall of records still peeking out on the left.....
Harold begins his climb, and reaches the 1st ledge......wait a second.....what view is that? blackstones??? further up on the left the majestic theater?!!!?....well bless my soul, the building has developed wings and has flown to a new location at the intersection of 10th, (to be named olympic in a few years when the .......well olympics come to town). and broadway. broadway splits into broadway to the left, and broadway place which merges with main st. on the right.
not seemingly being bothered by the buildings new address, 10 blocks to the south, and two blocks to the west of where he started.....(i say two blocks because new high street used to run between spring and broadway). view looking down showing that soon to be pesty clock.
keep on climbing....keep on climbing....kee.....what in the sam hill balzes is going on here???!!!, this varmint building has moved again....it's back to where it originally was. we are now looking south up spring street from temple street. you can see the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California building (soon to become the million dollar theater building), off to the right in the distance, which is located at 3rd and broadway
keep climbing....keep climbing....there's the roof of the old post office building on the right.....whew...the building seems to be staying put for now.
harold seems to be trying to grab the ledge to his left.........whoa nelly!!!! how in tarnation did we get back to 10th and broadway??!!? harold shoulda taken some Dramamine before this trip.
never mind, he reaches the ledge and........yoiks!!!!!! we're back to temple and spring fer cryin' out loud. i sure hope harold is gettin' frequent flyer mileage points for this trip!
never mind....just keep climbing.......he's almost up to the clock.....doh! the building has lept once again to broadway.....but wait a second, this ain't 10th and broadway......why it's ninth and broadway. the majestic theater which had loomed off in the distance, is now directly across the street, and there's the old hamburger's, (soon to be may co.) department store at 8th and braodway!!!
i knew that clock was gonna give harold trouble....lets see if he can grab that rope to get him out of this jam........(thank goodness, the building once again is staying put.......
all right...good, he got the rope.........what the.....??!!?? the building has lept a block south back to 10th and broadway
ok...almost at the roof.....whoa...whoa....wait just a cotton pickin' minute.......we're back on spring street, but it's 6th street and spring....??!!?? there's the alexandria hotel at the corner of spring and 5th
whew! made it to the top, and the building is staying put again, that lanyard for the flag pole looks like trouble though...........
wheeeeeee! a nice shot looking south on spring street....there's the stock exchange on the right between 6th and 7th
ahhhhh finally! at the top, and in the arms of his true love............and once again, the building has moved three blocks south and one block west back to 9th and broadway, there's hamburgers once again with the white coast federal savings building across 8th street...i don't know about harold, but i sure am exhausted!
so the next time i need a taxi, i'll just hail a building!