Harold Lloyd was for several years the most popular film star in the world. During the 1920s, his features bought in more money  than Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton combined. During his career he made over 500 movies. You can see movie posters of some of these by clicking on the highlighted text. Lloyd's eleven silent features eventually established him around the world as a symbol of ingenious American youth and vigor and to this day, his astonishing stunts and gags (most indelibly, Lloyd hanging on for dear life to the hands of a clock precariously attached to a skyscraper) remain a lasting contribution both to American culture and to the international art of film comedy. "The very most dramatic moment of my life was that in which I almost lost it". On August 24, 1919, Harold was posing for publicity stills at Witzel's Photographers, Los Angeles. One shot called for Lloyd to light a cigarette from a prop bomb, striking a sassy, devil-may-care pose. The prop so resembled a bomb that an actual bomb got mixed in with the fakes. The real bomb was handed to Lloyd. He lit the already-lit cigarette onto the wick, but found that the excessive smoke prohibited a good picture. As he signaled for a new wick, the bomb exploded. The force of the blast temporarily blinded Lloyd, and severed the thumb and forefinger from his right hand, and kept him out of the studio for almost seven months. Thanks to the input of former glove salesman Sam Goldwyn, Lloyd's impairment was covered within a prosthetic glove. At no time did Lloyd ever discuss the loss of the fingers, even in his 1928 autobiography, An American Comedy, or in numerous interviews and oral histories. The reason for this was that, at no time, did Lloyd want his fans to know about the disability, for he did not want his audiences to come to see him out of pity, or sympathy, or curiosity. He wanted people, simply, to laugh with him. This was a turning point in Lloyd's life for, upon returning to the studio in early March 1920, he had developed a sheer joy for being alive, and a gratefulness to simply have a career to return to. This joy showed on the screen, and contributed to the development of the spirited and uplifting characters that Lloyd was to portray in his films.. Harold's grand finale...a mastepiece of daring and cinemaphotography as Harold, with his leg caught in a rope swings to and fro across the face of the building, before he finally reaches the top of the building, safe in the arms of his Lovely leading lady. Unfortunately, many still do not recognize Harold Lloyd, his name or his work... but this is changing. The Giant Harold Lloyd clock at the South Yarra Jam Factory is our homage to Harold Lloyd and the films he made. Reproduced here are a couple of photos of The Giant Harold Lloyd Clock we built outside our restaurant at the Jam Factory. The clock is 4.5 metres high and 3 metres wide with a life-sized "Harold" hanging by one hand from the hands of the clock. The project took almost 4 months to build and erect. The clock under construction. The companies that build large clocks said it couldn't be done. But we did it! The full story is coming soon. "I feel that to be a comic is as vital and important a mission as being a physician, healing other wounds". Harold Lloyd 1928 To learn a bit more about Harold check out the Hero of the Twenties page, the Private Life of Harold page or read about his life in more detail on the Several Quicktime Movies page. Click on the highlighted text. The quicktime movies will take some time to download so be patient. Webmaster's note: We'll soon be adding more about Harold to these pages, in particular we'll be looking at Harold's 16 acre Hollywood mansion "Greenacres", and we'll be revealing some of the techniques he employed to create his remarkable special effects.