The Kid Brother

Moviecut—The Kid Brother

source: The Kid Brother

Harold Lloyd lives on a ranch with his father and two older brothers, and he's never allowed to join in what they perceive to be man's business, because he's just a *. Well no one calls Lloyd a * and gets away with it for long. "The Kid Brother" was by all accounts one of Lloyd's personal favorites, and it also took longer to make than most of his other films. It's not one of my personal favorites -- I like the more physical Lloyd comedies that allow him to show off his athleticism and derring do. But for Lloyd fans, or fans of silent comedy in general, there's a lot to like here. Grade: B

*SPOILER* This delightful silent comedy with Harold as the kid brother in an all-male family is both moving and entertaining and what is more, very funny! Unlike his two brothers the fragile Harold is not the 'chip off the old block' and therefore regarded as a wimp by his family, the "Hickorys". But he turns out to be very shrewd and smarter than his whole family. In a stunning and breath-taking finale he prevails over a tough con-man and finally is able to make himself respected for his father (Jim, the sheriff). From what I can tell this is Lloyd's all-time best hence his ambitious "glassed character" has fully developed and is absolutely convincing. In contrast to his former "Lonesome Luke"- a rather rough and harddriving character the new bespectacled Harold, now being a believable human being, is charming and extremely hilarious. You cannot refrain yourself from laughing out loud when Harold disguises himself as his father to kid his narrow-minded brothers. Although the feature includes many individually hilarious scenes Lloyd artfully interwoves a thread of pathos, as well. Amazingly romantic scenes are always combined with great gags: Harold falls in love with bitter-sweet Jobyna Ralston (and you probably will, too because that beautiful girl has zing!)and climbs a tree towards the top in order to watch his beloved disappearing. Being lost in thought Harold who is enchanted by the girl's grace finally falls off the tree. Describing sight gags is a lost art hence you are not capable of pointing out the extent of wit and creativity of a certain idea- therefore I better throw in the towel and you should start watching Lloyd's top-notch gags. While one is touched by Harold's romantic love story the real treat is watching the potent and stunning finale which never takes a breath. Incredibly Lloyd is able to provide countless belly-laugh scenes as well as impressing the audience with genuine and deeply moving sentiment. His feature has just about everything one could ask for in a comedy: It is funny, exciting and even romantic. The astonishing carrer of Lloyd represents Hollywood's ideal. He developed a craft and- in my opinion- perfected the art of silent comedies. "Comedy can be manufactured, as television has proved but great comic personalities cannot"- Leonard Maltin. Lloyd's film is unique because Lloyd is unique. Sympathetic that I am to movie buffs who adore comedies of the fifties, sixties, etc. I nevertheless cannot help feeling that early silent comedies are the richest comedies in the cinema's history- worse still they have become mediums of a neglected art. Regarding "The Kid Brother" it is safe to say that this masterpiece with its brightest moments shines like a comic perfection that will glow forever. Let us keep alive his films for generations to come hence he deserves being honored.

Monday May 21, 7:00pm, The Paramount Theater Produced in what collectively became the greatest year of the silent era, Harold Lloyd considered The Kid Brother (1927) to be lacking sufficient action and humor. In reality, his tenth of eleven silent features was the synthesis of all his acquired talents. It was Lloyd's greatest success in blending his trademark gags with well-developed characters, and a thoughtful, engaging story. The story of an introspective and bullied younger son who surprises everyone with his true strength, suggests numerous popular sources, including, Hal Roach produced The White Sheep (1924), Henry King's Tol'able David (1921), and to some degree even Cinderella. Young Harold Hickory lives in a motherless home with his father, the town sheriff, and two terrorizing older brothers. The bucolic country setting recalls Grandma's Boy (1922), but is far more beautifully realized. To survive the dominance of his larger and stronger brothers, a multitude of gags cleverly demonstrate Harold's mental superiority over them as the films greatest source of humor. When a travelling medicine show rolls into town, Harold and Mary (Jobyna Ralston in her final appearance with Lloyd), the pretty daughter of the deceased owner, share an instant attraction, and a fear of the two thugs who have taken over the show. Constantine Romanoff as the murderous strong man is nearly as frightening in this comedy as the villain of Tolerable David, Ernest Torrance. Harold's hometown rival Hank Hooper (Ralph Yearsley, who also starred in Tol'able David) is larger, stronger, appropriately oafish, and the perfect foil for several amusing confrontations. Hiding aboard an abandoned ship in the final reel, Harold puts a pair of shoes on the medicine show monkey to draw the strong man away. The monkey waddles up the stairs and on deck, with the strong man in pursuit. The Kid Brother is a seamless, well-balanced combination of humor, romance and peril. It is atypically coordinated Lloyd. The pleasantly sentimental story is complimented by excellent casting and production design. What Lloyd saw as insufficient humor was actually a lighter treatment, increasingly reliant and more fully demonstrating his acting abilities (something many comics lacked) in what is without question his best work.

As for silent films, I consider "The Kid Brother" every bit as good as Chaplin's "The Gold Rush" or Keaton's "The General" and not too far behind "City Lights", in my mind, the ultimate silent masterpiece. To me it's Harold Lloyd's best and why it isn't more well-known to fans of old movies, I don't know.

While this is not one of Lloyd's most famous films, It is certainly one of his best. You can look through countless numbers of comedy films (The Gold Rush and The General included)and you will struggle to see better timing than that on display here. That is not a put down to those two classic comedies it is only a testament to the timing of Lloyd, Who was certainly on a par with Chaplin and Keaton. In this movie he plays the weakling in a family with two strapping brothers and a large hard to please father. Always put upon Harold has to capture a villain by himself to gain the respect of his father and brothers, And win the heart of his fair maiden. The amount of sight gags crammed into this 80 minutes is incredible, and the timing is as I said earlier is absolutely perfect.

Harold Lloyd movies, like "Safety Last", were authentically entertaining. This movie is pretty predictable and boring. Some of the gags are amusing, but several were old news in 1927. Hanging on the horse? Really?

Chaplin had City Lights. Buster Keaton had The General. Though Safety Last may be more iconic (indeed one of the most iconic movies of all time), I think The Kid Brother (1927) is the best expression of Harold Lloyd's brand of silent comedy: warm, peppy, and breathless in pace. This has to be one of the most tightly constructed movies ever. Other commenters have brought up how every shot, gag, and character is woven into the plot. There is not an extraneous shot in TKB. The gags are also uniformly excellent, not a dud in the bunch. More than his other features, Lloyd and his collaborators balance comedy and drama with seemingly effortless grace. Even when the story has brushes with dark material (ex. lynchings, stalking), it does not feel jarring. The character types who appear again and again in Lloyd's comic universe are here perhaps in their purest form: Jobyna Ralston as the love interest is at her most sweet and charming (in her last appearance opposite Lloyd), Walter James (who appeared as the intimidating father of Buster Keaton's love interest in Battling Butler the year before) is gruff but noble as Lloyd's estranged father, and the villains-- by God, the villains are terrifying here! The climactic chase/fight in the sunken ship succeeds not only due to the great choreography and Lloyd's physicality, but also Constantine Romanoff as the brutish Sardoni. When he throws Harold across the room, you can practically feel the bruises forming before he even lands! TKB also showcases Lloyd not only as a comedian, but as a performer in general. As an actor, he is the polar opposite of the reserved Buster Keaton; not to say Keaton is inexpressive (he was anything but), but Lloyd plays far more extroverted types, go-getters. Some say he mugs, but I think his expressions are among his best traits, a little exaggerated but hilarious. He oozes screen charm, all jaunty youthful energy so perfect for the optimism of the 1920s. Despite being in his thirties when this movie was made, Lloyd could still play eighteen and does it so well, channeling the insecurities that come from feeling you don't measure up to everyone else, trying to find yourself. He plays the emotional scenes well; nothing as powerful as the weeping scene in The Freshman, but still impressive. Overall, this is a masterpiece. Tight, funny, and with a happy ending which may or may not have you crying a little. What else could you want from a comedy?

Even though I had enjoyed several of Lloyd's films, I never really looked at him as being on the same level as Keaton. That's changed after seeing "The Kid Brother." The last half hour is as entertaining as anything on film. Harold's resourcefulness while fighting is a thing to behold! And the monkey with the shoes? Fantastic!