The Freshman
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The Freshman is a 1925 comedy film that tells the story of a nerdy college freshman trying to become popular by joining the school football team. It stars Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Brooks Benedict and James Anderson. It remains one of Lloyd's most successful and enduring films.
The movie was written by John Grey, Sam Taylor, Tim Whelan and Ted Wilde. It was directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor.
Lloyd plays Harold 'Speedy' Lamb, a bright-eyed but hopelessly naive young man who goes to college to fulfill his dream of being popular.
Harold decides the best way to win the college over is to imitate his movie hero, The College Hero. He mimicks him down to a little dance he does before greeting anyone for the first time. At college, he is quickly designated the "fool" and the entire college participates in an ongoing joke to make him think he's popular, when in fact he's the laughing stock of the whole school. He tries out for the college football team only to be made their practice tackle dummy and eventually their waterboy. His only real friend is Peggy, described in subtitles as "what your mother was like when she was young," and who works in his boarding house.
The whole thing finally falls apart during the dance, in which Harold loses his clothes in the movie's biggest scene due to a mishap with the tailor. It is finally revealed to him just what everyone thinks of him. Deciding he'll show them all that he's not just a joke, Harold is determined to get into the next big football game. His chance comes when his coach runs out of players, and he makes the most of it, haphazardly scoring the winning touchdown, which at last earns him the respect and popularity he was after. But he doesn't even want it any more. He's happiest with the fact that Peggy has just announced her love for him.
