The Big Idea is a 1917 American short comedy film starring Harold Lloyd.

[2] Harold, Snub and Bebe are employees at a pawn shop that is having trouble attracting customers.

He circulates a fake telegram stating there is an item in the pawn shop marked with a double X that contains $10,000.

Harold proceeds to mark numerous items in the shop with the double X and makes sure that several people on the street accidentally see the bogus telegram.

For example, the Chicago Board of Censors required a cut of a closeup of hands holding U.S.