Themes: Success is the Best Revenge, Sibling Relationships
Main Cast: Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Walter James, Leo Willis, Olin Francis
Release Year: 1927
Country: US
Run Time: 83 minutes
Plot
Even taking into consideration such worthy candidates as Safety Last and The Freshman, many Harold Lloyd fans regard The Kid Brother as his finest film. A humorous variation on Tol'able David, the film stars Lloyd as Harold Hickory, the youngest member of the rural Hickory family. Though out-muscled by his sheriff father (Walter James) and brawny brothers (Olin Francis, Leo Willis), Harold is the cleverest of the Hickorys, industriously figuring out all sorts of clever devices to streamline his housekeeping chores. Still, his father and brothers treat him as the baby of the family, leaving him to mind the farm while they head for a town meeting. In his dad's absence, however, Harold is deputized to deliver a "cease and desist" summons to a travelling carnival which has pitched camp nearby. Upon arriving at the carnival, Harold discovers that its owner is the lovely Mary Powers (Jobyna Ralston), whom he'd met the day before. A fire breaks out in the tent, leaving Mary homeless, but Harold invites her to stay the night at his farm -- making certain that his roughneck brothers observe the proper social amenities. The next day, it is discovered that the money for an important dam project, left in the care of Harold's father, has been stolen. The elder Hickory is held responsible, but the real culprit is brutish carnival strongman Sandoni (Constantin Romanoff). Through a chain of incredible coincidences, Harold finds himself facing Sandoni on board a derelict boat. For a while, it looks as though Sandoni is going to mop the deck with Harold, but our hero gains the upper hand when he finds out that his behemoth opponent can't swim! Just as his father is about to be lynched by the angry mob, Harold delivers the unconscious Sandoni to the doorstep of the jail. Proudly, Harold's father declares "Son, you're a true Hickory!" -- but the story isn't quite over yet, since Harold still has to propose to Mary, and to clean the clock of the local bully who's been annoying him all through the picture. Beautifully photographed and expertly directed (Lewis Milestone, though uncredited, helmed many of the important scenes), The Kid Brother is everything a good silent comedy should be, and an enduring testament to the brilliance of Harold Lloyd. Best bit: That eye-popping crane shot as Harold shinnies up a tree to bid several fond farewells to the departing Mary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
One of the "problems" with Harold Lloyd's best movies is picking out a "best" among them -- there's an embarrassment of riches to be found in at least half-a-dozen (and this writer would add The Milky Way to the usual list of silent candidates). But The Kid Brother may just stand out in front of the others, with its mix of action sequences and drama amid the comedy. It's got a knowing wit about it, as a "rural drama" at a time when such works were already an object of parody, that adds an additional humorous edge to its impressive array of gags, stunts, and cliffhanger plot elements. Obviously, much of the credit for the movie's success resides with Lloyd himself, and also the presence of Jobyna Ralston as his leading lady, but some recognition must be given to Lewis Milestone, whose career as a comedic director was reaching its peak in 1927 (he would win his first Oscar for Two Arabian Nights, made that same year). In those days -- as distinct from later on, when he slowed down as a director -- he knew how to move a story along, and on The Kid Brother Milestone (one of three directors here) does just that, incorporating a huge amount of plot in 83 minutes. Not that the plot ever gets in the way, or slows down the comedy.... ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
Constantine Romanoff - Sandoni; Eddie Boland - "Flash" Farrell; Frank Lanning - Sam Hooper; Ralph Yearsley - Hank Hooper; Gus Leonard - Townsman
Credit
Lewis Milestone - Director, J.A. Howe - Director, Ted Wilde - Director, Allen McNeil - Editor, Walter Lundin - Cinematographer, John L. Murphy - Production Manager, Jesse Lasky - Producer, Harold Lloyd - Producer, Adolph Zukor - Producer, Howard J. Green - Screenwriter, John Wesley Grey - Screenwriter, Wilde - Screenwriter, Lex Neal - Screenwriter
The Kid Brother is a 1927 comedy silent film starring Harold Lloyd. It was successful and popular upon release[1][2] and today is considered by critics and fans to be one of Lloyd's best films, integrating elements of comedy, romance, drama, and character development. Its storyline is an homage to a 1921 film called Tol'able David, although it is essentially a re-make of a little-known 1924 Hal Roach feature, The White Sheep, starring Glen Tyron.
The most important family in Hickoryville is (naturally enough) the Hickorys, with sheriff Jim and his tough manly sons Leo and Olin. The timid youngest son, Harold, doesn't have the muscles to match up to them, so he has to use his wits to win the respect of his strong father and also the love of beautiful Mary.
This was the last of Lloyd's features to star Jobyna Ralston, who starred as leading lady in five of his previous films. She would go on to play a supporting part in Wings.
Lloyd wanted the film to have more gags than any of his previous features, so around eight writers and gagmen worked on the script. Many of these bits were cut from the finished film, and some were incorporated into Lloyd's subsequent films. The rural setting was a contrast to most of Lloyd's urban films of the mid to late 1920s. It was filmed in then-rural Glendale, Burbank, and Altadena (near current-day Pasadena), and the derelict ship scenes were filmed at Catalina Island.
Lewis Milestone directed a majority of the film, in an uncredited capacity. He left the production due to contract problems with another studio.
Restoration
A restored version of The Kid Brother with a new score by Carl Davis was prepared by Kevin Brownlow and David Gill in the early 1990s. It is now available on DVD.
