''Never Weaken'' is a 1921 American silent

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 co ...

and directed by Fred Newmeyer. It was Lloyd's last

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

, running to three reels, before he moved permanently into feature-length production. It was also one of his trademark 'thrill' comedies, featuring him dangling from a tall building. Lloyd and his crew honed and perfected their "thrill" filming techniques in this film, and put them to use in the 1923 feature ''

Safety Last! ''Safety Last!'' is a 1923 American silent romantic-comedy film starring Harold Lloyd. It includes one of the most famous images from the silent-film era: Lloyd clutching the hands of a large clock as he dangles from the outside of a skyscraper ...

Plot

Harold works in an office on a tall building next to his girlfriend Mildred (

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 ...

). He assumes they will be married, but overhears her talking to a man who says to her, "Of course I will marry you." Distraught, he decides to commit suicide, blindfolding himself and setting up a gun which will fire when he pulls a string attached to the trigger. But after putting on the blindfold he accidentally knocks over a bulb which pops, and he assumes he has shot himself. At that moment, a girder from the next door construction site swings into his office, lifting him and his chair outside. Pulling off the blindfold, the first thing he sees is a sculpture high on his building which he takes to be an

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

, and he assumes he is in

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

. However a

jazz band A jazz band (jazz ensemble or jazz combo) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a ...

on an adjacent rooftop garden soon disabuses him of that notion, and he realises he is high above the city. After several perilous escapades high on the construction site, he finally makes it to the ground, only to realise that the man Mildred was talking to was her

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

brother, who has agreed to officiate at their wedding.

Cast

as The Boy *

as The Girl * Roy Brooks as The Other Man * Mark Jones as The Acrobat *

Charles Stevenson Charles Stevenson may refer to: *Charles Stevenson (philosopher) (1908-1979), American philosopher. *Charles Alexander Stevenson (1855–1950), Scottish lighthouse engineer * Charles A. Stevenson (1851–1929), Irish-born American stage and movie a ...

as The Police Force *

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 Doctor, the Girl's employer (uncredited) * George Rowe as Crossed-Eyed Accident Victim

External links

Harold Lloyd and Mildred Davis in Never Weaken

*
Progressive Silent Film List: ''Never Weaken''
at silentera.com * * * 1921 films 1921 comedy films American silent short films American black-and-white films Silent American comedy films Films directed by Sam Taylor Films directed by Fred C. Newmeyer Films with screenplays by H. M. Walker Films with screenplays by Sam Taylor (director) 1921 short films American comedy short films 1920s American films {{short-silent-comedy-film-stub