were shot at halftime at California Memorial Stadium during the November 1924 Big Game between UC Berkeley and Stanford University. Reception The Freshman is widely considered one of Lloyd's most hilarious, well-constructed films and was his most successful silent film of the 1920s. Hugely popular at the time of its release, it sparked a craze for college films that lasted well beyond the 1920s. It was one of Lloyd's few films to remain widely available after the sound era, and he reissued the film (with cuts) and used extended scenes in compilation films of the 1960s. The football game sequence was reused by Lloyd and director Preston Sturges in Lloyd's last film, The Sin of Harold Diddlebock (1947). The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: 2000: AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs – #79 Copyright lawsuits American humorist and author H. C. Witwer sued Lloyd in April 1929 for $2,300,000 over The Freshman, claiming that it was "pirated" from Witwer's short story "The Emancipation of Rodney", first published in 1915. When Witwer died from liver failure in Los Angeles, on August 9, 1929, the lawsuit had not been settled. Witwer's widow pursued the lawsuit and won a judgment against Lloyd in November 1930. On appeal, the United States Court of Appeals overturned the ruling and Witwer's widow received nothing. A further lawsuit was brought in 2000 by Lloyd's granddaughter, Suzanne Lloyd Hayes, against the Walt Disney Company, alleging that elements of The Freshman were copied to the 1998 comedy The Waterboy; the US District Court in Los Angeles eventually ruled against Hayes. Home media Criterion released The Freshman on Blu-ray and DVD on March 25, 2014. See also Harold Lloyd filmography The Sin of Harold Diddlebock References External links The Freshman essay by Annette D'Agostino Lloyd at National Film Registry The Freshman essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 , pages 101-103 The Freshman: Speedy Saves the Day! A Harold Lamb Adventure! an essay by Stephen Winer at the Criterion Collection 1925 films American silent feature films American football films American black-and-white films Films directed by Fred C. Newmeyer Films directed by Sam Taylor Films set in universities and colleges American sports comedy films United States National Film Registry films Films with screenplays by Sam Taylor (director) Films with screenplays by John