Douglas Messerli | The Dangers of the Male Touch: Harold Lloyd Becomes Macho [Introduction]

the dangers of the male touch: harold lloyd becomes macho 

by Douglas Messerli

Although in Harold Lloyd films there are some occasions, as I have registered throughout these pages, of him crossdressing, and several instances of his being mistaken for a homosexual, in the end there is something almost homophobic about Lloyd’s films. 

     Perhaps because he is generally characterized as a weak and wimpish figure while still determined to get the film’s heroine, the writers generally go out of their way to prove Lloyd is a man in the most stereotypical of ways presenting pejorative attitudes toward sissy boys and gay men. Even touching another man is perceived as dangerous territory in his films. And manhood is defined by violent and bully-like behavior, which for much of the film is dished out to Lloyd himself before he proves that he can be just as violent and capable of bullying.

     In connection to these issues, I discuss three of Lloyd’s films, A Sailor-Made Man (1921), Grandma’s Boy (1922), and The Kid Brother (1927).

 

Los Angeles, June 12, 2024

Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (June 2024).