The Big Idea

1917Short⏱️ 9m

ShortComedy

⭐ 6.5

IMDB Rating

307 votes

A clerk in a failing antiques store gets a big idea on how to move the merchandise so that he can save the store and possibly win the girl.

Director

N/A

Writers

N/A

Stars

Harold Lloyd, 'Snub' Pollard, Bebe Daniels

Release Date

December 30, 1917

Language

None

Country

United States

💬 7

Reviews

📽️ View on IMDB

🎭 Top Cast

Harold Lloyd

as Harold

'Snub' Pollard

as Snub

Bebe Daniels

as The Girl

William Blaisdell

👤

Sammy Brooks

Lige Conley

👤

Billy Fay

William Gillespie

as Customer in top hat

👤

Max Hamburger

👤

Oscar Larson

🎬 Technical Specs

Aspect Ratio

1.33 : 1

Sound

Silent

Color

Black and White

Filming Location

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Production

Rolin Films

🏷️ Keywords

get rich quick schemewoman licks a man's fingerslapstick comedyromantic rivalantique store

🎯 Categories

SlapstickComedyShort

⭐ Featured Review

Harold Lloyd has his look but not his high level stunts

by SnoopyStyle • 2025-01-20

7/10

"Harold (Harold Lloyd) and Snub (Harry Pollard) are battling over The Girl (Bebe Daniels). They escort her to her job at an antique shop. The shop is failing and her job is unlikely to continue. Harold comes up with an underhanded Telegram scheme to get more business to the shop. This early Harold Lloyd comedy has no high level stunts, but he has developed his bespectacled everyman look. The story is fine. The middle has too much Snub and not enough of Harold. I really do like the ending which differentiates this from Popeye. All in all, this a solid comedy short. It just needs a stunt to push..."

💡 Did You Know?

Advertisements for "Kodak Film" and "Coca-Cola" can be seen at the corner shop. Both Kodak and Coca-Cola were founded in the 1800s and were established companies by 1917, the year this comedy was produced.