The Kid Brother

The last Harold Lloyd film I'll be discussing is The Kid Brother, which was released in 1927 and is out of keeping with his other films, as it is a Western melodrama instead of a contemporary urban story.

Lloyd plays the third son of a family of he-men--his father is sheriff and his two older brothers are brawny. Lloyd does the women's work, as there is no female presence. Basically, it's like Bonanza with Little Joe as a pipsqueak. He worships his father and brothers, though, and would like to do manly things with them.

Into town comes a medicine show. The show is owned by Jobyna Ralston, who inherited it from her father, but the show is run by a pair of unscrupulous hucksters. One of the is a strongman who leers after Ralston. They trick Lloyd, thinking he is the sheriff, into getting a permit to play in town.

Once Lloyd's father finds out that the show is in town, he shuts it down, and Ralston is without a place to stay. In an inspired bit of comedy, Lloyd brings her home, and his two brothers, dressed only in nightshirts, try to stay out of sight, eventually getting locked out of the house in the rain.

The medicine show grifters steal some money from Lloyd's father, and it is Lloyd who saves the day, finding their hideout on a derelict ship. In another exquisitely choreographed scene, Lloyd manages to outwit and out fight the strongman.

Most of the comedy in the film comes from Lloyd being chased and finding ways to elude his pursuers. This stuff is gold, and reminiscent of Buster Keaton, who of course was a contemporary (Lloyd did most of his own stunts, as Keaton did). As mentioned before, Lloyd is not well remembered today, partly because his persona was somewhat bland, and also because he refused to sell his films to television, sealing him off from generations to come.

The Kid Brother is solid entertainment, and I even got a bit of tear in my eye at the end when Lloyd's dad congratulates him on catching the crook. I highly recommend it.