Why Worry? is a 1923 film directed by Fred Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, starring Harold Lloyd.
Harold is Harold Van Pelham, a filthy rich aristocrat who is also a hypochondriac, constantly taking pills and being pushed around in a wheelchair when he is actually perfectly fine. His nurse (Jobyna Ralston) is hopelessly in love with him, but Harold is oblivious.
Seeking relief for his nonexistent heath issues, Harold goes to "Paradiso", an island country off the west coast of South America. Unfortunately for Harold, Paradiso is extremely unstable. An American adventurer named John Blake is actively working to start a revolution to further his own financial interests on the island. When Blake gets the wrong idea and comes to believe that Harold has been sent by American authorities to stop him, he has Harold thrown in jail. Harold then actually does find himself trying to stop Blake.
Last Lloyd film produced by Hal Roach, as Lloyd began financing his own films after this. First film to pair Lloyd up with Jobyna Ralston, who co-starred with Lloyd in six features, which included most of his best films.
Tropes:
- Babies Ever After: Ends back in America, with Harold's nurse, now his wife, giving birth.
- Banana Republic: "Paradiso", plagued by political instability and revolution. Originally it was just supposed to be Mexico (which in those days was plagued by political instability and revolution), but Lloyd apparently decided it would be in better taste to make the locale fictional.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Colosso is described as a "wild hermit" whom the authorities are only able to arrest because he's suffering from a terrible toothache. After Harold pulls Colosso's tooth, Colosso becomes his loyal servant.
- Big Guy, Little Guy: Harold when he's paired up with "Colosso", a hulking giant played by 7'2" John Aasen.
- Brick Joke: Harold tells Colosso to find his nurse. Colosso has never met Harold's nurse, so Harold draws an extremely crude stick figure to help him. Twice Colosso brings the wrong woman to Harold. Later, near the end of the film, after the big action sequence has gone down and Harold has been reunited with his nurse, Colosso shows up again, dragging seemingly every woman in town by ropes to Harold.
- Butt-Monkey: Mr. Pipps, Harold's valet, who can't catch a break and keeps wandering into disaster. He's separated from Harold when he blunders into some guerillas and gets roughed up. In another scene he takes shelter in an outhouse only for the outhouse to get hit by a cannon ball fired by Harold.
- Captain Oblivious: Harold spends about half the film totally unaware that his "peaceful" vacation spot is undergoing a violent coup. He remains oblivious as Blake gives him a military escort to the "hotel" (read: jail), where Harold happily signs the "registry" (read: his own death sentence).
- Hypochondria: Harold is firmly convinced that he is an invalid with heart trouble, when he's actually perfectly healthy. He decides to put down Blake's revolution because it's bad for his health.
- Idle Rich: Harold, whose hypochondria tends to foster loafing. The opening finds him at the "Great Shire Country Club", where rich people go to do nothing.
- It's All About Me: Harold wants the revolution halted because it's inconvenient for him personally."You boys will have to stop this fighting. It's bad for my heart."
- Mistaken for Special Guest: Blake's idea that Harold is the American agent sent to Paradiso to put a stop to his sedition.
- No Name Given: Jobyna Ralston's love-struck nurse is never named.
- Oblivious to Love: Harold has no clue that his long-suffering nurse has a crush on him.
- Questioning Title?: Why Worry?
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: The nurse finally lets Harold have it, saying how sick she is of his hypochondria and hearing about his "Pills! Pills! Pills!" Harold promptly falls in love with her.
- A Taste of the Lash: Blake whips an elderly local woman.
- The Tooth Hurts: Colosso the enormous giant is semi-incapacitated with an excruciating toothache. When Harold manages to yank his tooth and relieve his pain, Colosso becomes Harold's friend for life.
- Unstoppable Rage: Harold goes into this when he sees his nurse getting manhandled by Blake. It's what causes Harold to finally realize that he has feelings for her.
- Worst News Judgment Ever: An enormous headline and an even bigger picture in the paper announce that Harold Van Pelham is going to South America for his health.
