Behind the scenes of Silent Film Speedy with Film crew.
Harold Lloyd, a leading figure in silent film comedy, was best known for his “Glasses Character”—an optimistic everyman whose plucky spirit resonated with 1920s audiences. Starring in nearly 200 films, Lloyd defined a unique thrill-comedy style, performing many of his own daring stunts—including the iconic moment in Safety Last! (1923), where he dangles from a clock high above Los Angeles. Remarkably, he continued such feats even after a 1919 accident that cost him two fingers.
Watch the entire Silent Film, Safety Last, staring Harrold Lloyd, 1923
Lloyd’s rise to fame was supported by collaborations with producers like Hal Roach, and later through his own Harold Lloyd Film Corporation. Among his top-grossing hits was The Freshman (1925). However, his transition to sound films was less successful, and his tight control over distribution limited later exposure—contributing to a legacy overshadowed by contemporaries like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
Full Silent Film, The Freshman, Harold Lloyd. Top grossing hit of 1925.
Yet behind Lloyd’s memorable on-screen antics were pioneering artists like my grandfather, Andrew "Mac" MacDonald, and his younger brother William "Bill" MacDonald. Together, they helped shape the golden era of silent film from behind the scenes—Mac as a special effects innovator and construction expert, and Bill as a gifted art director, whose creative vision brought many of Lloyd’s films to life.
Full movie, For Heaven Sake, 1926, staring Harold Lloyd. Such a fun slapstick.
William “Bill” MacDonald: Art Director Extraordinaire
Bill MacDonald was the art director on several of Lloyd’s most iconic films, including For Heaven’s Sake (1926). As art director, he was responsible for the visual design, set construction, and mood-defining aesthetics that grounded Lloyd’s stunts and storytelling in believable, yet cinematic, environments.
His work supported both comedic action and emotional resonance, from bustling cityscapes to romantic small-town scenes. Among his most notable achievements:
1. Girl Shy (1924)
Directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, this romantic comedy follows a shy tailor’s apprentice who dreams of becoming a romance expert.
Key Set Designs:
Small-Town Americana: Bill’s set work featured quaint storefronts, a humble tailor shop, and period-accurate interiors with wooden paneling and vintage signage, evoking early 20th-century rural life.
Urban Chaos: For the climactic city chase, he designed sets full of tram lines, bustling storefronts, and layered street scenes to reflect the protagonist’s transformation.
Collapsible Props: My grandfather, Mac, invented the first collapsible walls and props used in silent cinema, which enabled Lloyd’s signature physical comedy. These practical elements allowed seamless stunt work while adding visual flair.
2. For Heaven’s Sake (1926)
Directed by Sam Taylor, this film juxtaposes wealth and poverty as Lloyd plays a millionaire caught up in mission work in a rough urban neighborhood.
Key Set Designs:
Wealthy Interiors: MacDonald’s opulent designs used plush furniture, chandeliers, and ornate textures to emphasize the protagonist’s upper-class lifestyle.
Urban Mission: Slum sets featured worn furniture, narrow alleys, and cluttered rooms, contrasting visually with the earlier luxury while remaining stylized to avoid alienation.
Action Sets: To support Lloyd’s gags (e.g., herding drunken men), MacDonald included functional streetscapes with breakaway elements and obstacles that enhanced comedic timing and allowed for safe stunt execution.
3. Speedy (1928)
Lloyd’s final silent feature, Speedy, directed by Ted Wilde, was set largely in New York City and filmed partially on location.
Key Set Designs:
City Streets: Studio-built environments blended with on-location shots. MacDonald’s sets—newsstands, storefronts, and tram lines—helped sustain the film’s urban realism and fast pace.
Coney Island: The amusement park sequence combined live footage with designed elements like game stalls, rides, and collapsible booths—allowing Lloyd to perform slapstick amidst controlled chaos.
Tram Depot: The heart of the story, this set featured rustic detail like hay bales, woodwork, and nostalgic signage. It functioned both as a sentimental anchor and as the stage for the film’s thrilling climax.
Behind-the-Scenes Innovation
Bill MacDonald’s contributions were not limited to aesthetics. Working alongside Lloyd and cinematographer Walter Lundin, he ensured the sets were not only visually compelling but also engineered for the physical demands of slapstick comedy.
Techniques and Tools:
Matte Paintings to extend scenes like boardwalks or urban streets.
Forced Perspective to create the illusion of large crowds or depth in small studio spaces.
Breakaway Props like collapsing booths or fences, key to many of Lloyd’s gags.
Even within the constraints of the silent era—limited budgets, no color, and no sound—Bill MacDonald created immersive worlds that supported narrative clarity and audience engagement. His ability to balance realism, spectacle, and comic potential placed him among the era’s most skilled visual storytellers.
Legacy
Though Harold Lloyd’s fame eclipsed many of his collaborators, the work of behind-the-scenes talents like Bill MacDonald and Andrew Mac MacDonald was foundational to his success. Their innovations in art direction, special effects, and set construction helped define not only Lloyd’s films but the very language of silent cinema itself.
Their legacy lives on in the enduring appeal of these films, where carefully crafted sets still dazzle—and where collapsing walls and vintage trams hold as much magic as any Hollywood spectacle.
Sharrie and Donna Williams 1953
This is a rich, heartfelt personal reflection filled with vivid detail and a strong emotional throughline.
I only remember my great uncle, William MacDonald, as a small child, just before he passed away from heart failure in 1954 at the age of 61. My grandfather, Andrew “Mac” MacDonald—William’s older brother—wanted my little sister and me to meet the great man so we’d always remember him. I recall him in a wheelchair, a Scottish plaid blanket draped across his knees. He kissed Donna and me, and even as a child, I could sense his kindness.
He and his wife lived in Cheviot Hills, Los Angeles, in a beautiful Spanish-style home built in the 1920s. I was mesmerized by his collection of vintage Hollywood memorabilia—posters, props, and photos of him with movie stars. That visit made a lasting impression on me. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be part of the motion picture world.
My grandfather, Andy—"Mac" to everyone else, "Granddaddy" to Donna and me—continued to have an incredible career at MGM until the studio closed in 1968. He had started there in 1924, but his career in film began even earlier, in 1915, at Metro Pictures—the same year Maybelline was founded. So from 1915 to 1968, Granddaddy helped shape the Golden Age of Hollywood.
I truly grew up surrounded by glamour. On one side of the family was Maybelline, founded by my dad’s uncle and my great uncle, Tom Lyle Williams, who launched the brand at just 19 years old. On the other side were my mother’s father and her uncle Bill—both pioneering forces in the motion picture industry. You might say Hollywood was in my blood. Maybe I was born with it... maybe it was Maybelline.
As children, my sister and I staged backyard productions, using props Granddaddy brought us from the studio. We even had a box of sparkling costumes that had once belonged to our mother, who had trained for a dance career at MGM. I dreamed of being a singer, and thanks to Granddaddy, I began private lessons with the wife of Maestro Shapiro. I studied Italian opera for five years.
Granddaddy, Great Uncle Bill, and Great Uncle Tom Lyle Williams were my lifelong inspirations—and they ultimately led me to write The Maybelline Story.
