Feet First

Plot

Harold Horne is an ambitious junior shoe salesman working in a Honolulu department store who accidentally meets Barbara, the secretary to the store's owner, and mistakenly believes she is the owner's wealthy daughter. To impress her, Harold poses as a successful leather tycoon, a ruse that forces him into increasingly absurd situations to maintain his high-society facade. His deception leads him to stow away on an ocean liner bound for Los Angeles, where he must dodge the crew and his own boss while continuing to woo Barbara. The climax occurs when Harold is accidentally trapped in a mailbag and hoisted to the top of a skyscraper, leading to a harrowing and hilarious sequence where he must navigate the building's exterior to deliver a vital letter. Ultimately, his bravery and ingenuity during the high-altitude ordeal prove his worth, leading to a romantic resolution and a step up in his career.

Historical Background

Released just one year after the 1929 Stock Market Crash, 'Feet First' reflects the early Great Depression era's obsession with social mobility and the 'self-made man.' Harold's character, a lowly clerk pretending to be a tycoon, resonated with an audience facing sudden economic hardship. It also stands as a primary example of the 'Pre-Code' era, featuring franker humor and situations than would be allowed after the 1934 enforcement of the Hays Code.

Making Of

The production was a significant challenge for Lloyd, who feared that the addition of dialogue would slow down the 'rattle-trap' pace of his comedies. To ensure the skyscraper stunts looked authentic, the crew built a multi-story facade on the roof of the Southern California Gas Company building. This allowed the camera to look down past Lloyd's feet to the actual streets of Los Angeles hundreds of feet below. Lloyd struggled with the microphone technology of the time, which required him to stay relatively stationary during dialogue scenes, a stark contrast to his usual kinetic energy. He eventually used a record player in one scene to simulate applause, a meta-commentary on the artifice of early sound recording.

Visual Style

The film utilized the expertise of Walter Lundin and Henry Kohler, who specialized in the deep-focus photography required for the skyscraper stunts. They used a specialized camera tower to shoot downward, ensuring that both the actor and the distant street remained in sharp focus to maintain the illusion of height. The use of natural light on the rooftop sets gave the film a gritty, realistic texture that set it apart from studio-bound productions.

Innovations

The film is noted for its sophisticated use of practical perspective and rooftop set construction. It also experimented with early sound editing, such as using a ringing bell and a phonograph as plot devices that integrated sound directly into the logic of the gags rather than just using it for dialogue.

Music

The original 1930 release featured a synchronized score by Mischa Bakaleinikoff and Claude Lapham, though the climb sequence was notably left without music to heighten the tension through ambient sounds like wind and Harold's heavy breathing. For the 1962 'World of Comedy' compilation, Walter Scharf composed a new, more dramatic orchestral underscore for the climax.

Memorable Scenes

• The Skyscraper Climb: Harold accidentally ends up in a mailbag that is delivered to a painter's scaffold high above Los Angeles. He must navigate the building's ledge, dealing with a wet painting, a swarm of bees, and a loose rope.
• The Shoe Store Mix-up: Harold tries to wait on the boss's wife while hiding his identity, leading to a sequence where he accidentally fits her with a shoe containing a lit cigar.
• The Shipboard Magazine Chase: Harold discovers his face is on the cover of a magazine identifying him as a clerk and frantically tries to hide every copy on the ship from Barbara.

What Critics Said

At the time of release, critics were divided; some praised the return of Lloyd's 'thrill' stunts, while others felt the dialogue scenes were stiff compared to his silent masterpieces. Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times noted that the film 'virtually defies any spectator to sit through it without laughing.' Modern critics often view it as a fascinating but slightly uneven 'bridge' film that shows the growing pains of early sound comedy.

What Audiences Thought

Audiences initially turned out in large numbers, making the film a box office success, though it did not reach the heights of Lloyd's silent peaks. The skyscraper finale was the primary draw, with reports of theater-goers gasping and recoiling from the screen during the high-altitude gags. However, the character's 'go-getter' optimism began to feel slightly out of step with the deepening gloom of the Depression.

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