''Now or Never'' is a 1921 American

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

starring

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary '' Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film c ...

and directed by

Hal Roach Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr. Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, and screenwriter, ...

and Fred C. Newmeyer.

Plot

A young woman, who is employed as a nanny to a lonesome child named Dolly, is preparing to take a vacation which will include a long-awaited reunion with her childhood sweetheart. Her employers are a busy couple who have no time for their small daughter, so the nanny decides—without seeking their permission—to take Dolly with her on her vacation. Meanwhile, the young man she is to meet with races through the countryside by automobile on his way to his appointment. He crashes into a barn, loses his money to a tramp, and must complete his journey riding as a stowaway on the undercarriage of a train. After the couple meet, they and the child board a train. The woman has tickets for herself and Dolly, but the man has no ticket and no money. The young woman discovers to her horror that her young charge's father is on the train. She does not want him to see her with Dolly, so she leaves the little girl with the young man and joins her employer in a separate coach. The young man is not an experienced babysitter, and caring for the child poses many challenges for him, especially as he must also evade the conductor. The story ends happily: not only does Dolly's father approve of the young woman taking the little girl with her on her vacation, the young woman also discovers that her sweetheart is the man her employer was traveling to meet, as he has recently hired him for an important position.

Cast

as The Boy *

Mildred Davis Mildred Hillary Davis (February 22, 1901The reference book ''Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory'' gives Davis's birth date as January 1, 1900.August 18, 1969) was an American actress who appeared in fifteen of Harold Lloyd's cla ...

as The Girl * Anna Mae Bilson as The Lonesome Little Child (Dolly) *

William Gillespie William or Bill Gillespie may refer to: * William Gillespie (actor) (1894–1938), Scottish actor * William Gillespie (New Zealand politician) (1893–1961), New Zealand politician of the National Party * William Ernest Gillespie (1912–1967), A ...

as The Child's Father (uncredited) *

Noah Young Noah Young, Jr. (February 2, 1887 – April 18, 1958) was a champion weightlifter and actor. Biography Young was born in Cañon City, Colorado. His father, Noah Young, was a foreman of the Glenrock coal mine who later became a coal mine i ...

as Angry farmer (uncredited) * Roy Brooks as Chubby passenger (uncredited) *

Sammy Brooks Sammy Brooks (July 10, 1891 – May 16, 1951) was an American film actor. He appeared in 218 films between 1916 and 1938. He was born in New York City and died in Los Angeles, California. Selected filmography * Luke, the Candy Cut-Up (19 ...

as Short passenger (uncredited) *

Wallace Howe Wallace Howe (March 4, 1878 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts – November 23, 1957 in Los Angeles, California), born Orlando Wallace Howe, was an American film actor. He appeared in 104 films between 1918 and 1936, including many films with Harold Llo ...

as Sheriff of Teetersburg (uncredited) * Mark Jones as Passenger who throws shoe (uncredited) *

Gaylord Lloyd Gaylord Fraser Lloyd (March 20, 1888 – September 1, 1943http://death-records.mooseroots.com/l/206807310/Gaylord-Fraser-Lloyd ) was an actor and assistant director, known for ''Dodge Your Debts'' (1921), ''Trolley Troubles'' (1921) and ''Why Wo ...

(uncredited) *

Earl Mohan Earl Mohan (November 12, 1889 – October 15, 1928) was an American film actor of the silent era who was born in Pueblo, Colorado, and died in Los Angeles, California. He appeared in about 60 films between 1915 and 1927, usually in short fi ...

as Drunk (uncredited) * Charles Stevenson as Conductor (uncredited)

Preservation status

Prints of ''Now or Never'' exist in the collections of the

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the ar ...

and

George Eastman House The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...

.Progressive Silent Film List: ''Now or Never''
at silentera.com

Production notes

Harold's car is a 1919

Mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader, ...

series 5 Raceabout.

References

External links