The Kid Brother
| The Kid Brother | |
|---|---|
| File:Kidbrother2.jpg US Poster | |
| Directed by | Ted Wilde J.A. Howe (co-director) Harold Lloyd (uncredited) Lewis Milestone (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Harold Lloyd |
| Starring | Harold Lloyd (Harold Hickery) Jobyna Ralston (Mary Powers) Walter James (Jim Hickory) Leo Willis (Leo Hickery) Olin Francis (Olin Hickory) |
| Cinematography | Walter Lundin |
| Edited by | Allen McNeil |
| Distributed by | Paramount |
Release dates | January 22, 1927 (U.S.) |
Running time | 84 min |
| Country | U.S. |
| Language | Silent (English) |
The Kid Brother is a 1927 comedy silent film starring Harold Lloyd, considered by critics and many of Lloyd's fans to be his best film. Its storyline is an homage to a 1921 film called Tol'able David.
Plot
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.
Miscellanea
- Lloyd wanted the film to have more gags than any of his previous features, so around eight writers and gagmen worked on the script. In later years, Lloyd said that this was his personal favourite of his own films.
- 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.
- 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 and Altadena (near current-day Long Beach), 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.
- Lloyd made his final major public appearance in 1970 at a benefit screening of The Kid Brother in London.
- 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.