by Allan Fish
(USA 1927 83m) DVD1/2
A Hickory from Hicksville
p Harold Lloyd d Ted Wilde, J.A.Howe, Lewis Milestone w John Grey, Tom Crizer, Ted Wilde ph Walter Lundin, Henry H.Kohler ed Allen McNeil m Carl Davis art Liell K.Vedder
Harold Lloyd (Harold Hickory), Jobyna Ralston (Mary Powers), Walter James (Sheriff Jim Hickory), Leo Willis (Leo Hickory), Olin Francis (Olin Hickory), Constantine Romanoff (Sandoni, the thief), Eddie Boland (Flash Farrell), Frank Lanning (Sam Hooper), Ralph Yearsley (Hank Hooper),
It may not be the most famous of Lloyd’s vehicles, an honour probably held by Safety Last, but The Kid Brother is the best film of the comedian generally rated behind Chaplin and Keaton in the lists of the mighty. Why is this? Partly because Lloyd’s persona has dated slightly, partly because his influence was not as strong as the others, partly because he didn’t really have too much creative influence, not writing or directing his films. Yet one glance through this work and you’ll find The Freshman, Never Weaken, Movie Crazy, Safety Last and For Heaven’s Sake, The Kid Brother is my nomination as his best film. And though set in a rural country setting more associated with Keaton rather than in the urban town he seemed so much a part of, and not really containing any death-defying stunts or seriously violent humour, as characterises the building climb in Last and the use as the tackle bag in Freshman, The Kid Brother is a little gem of a film that deserves more recognition than it currently gets.
Harold Hickory is the youngest of three sons to a roughneck sheriff in a small rural town (Hickorysville, what else?) who falls for Mary, a travelling show girl. When the show is burned down he invites Mary to come and live with his family, but when the town’s money is stolen by thugs from the show, Harold’s father is blamed, so Harold sets out to prove his innocence and win his father’s respect (as well as his girl’s hand).
Like Keaton, Lloyd is one of life’s put-upon, but equally like Keaton is fearless and ingenious. Just marvel at his use of a butter churn and his primitive washing machine, where he wraps up all the crockery in a net, dunks them, puts them out on a shelf to dry over the stove, waits for them to dry, then places the shelf back on the sideboard and the plates are put away for next time. Or chortle at his wonderful chase gag with a local who he tries to escape from; he puts his clothes up in the tree branch so his foe has to climb up to get them, then just as the foe climbs up, as the branch lowers down to the ground, Harold comes up and takes them down again and walks off. Another favourite sees him scare someone off with a stick, at first thinking himself tough until he realises the stick he had picked up had a snake entwined in it. But best of all is the simple gag where he parts from his girl and he begins to climb a tree as she goes down a hill away from him. As he climbs, she comes back into sight down the hill and he keeps calling after her, each time having to climb higher to get her in view. Finally he realises he’s forgotten one last thing, climbs to the very top and shouts after her. When she turns, all he forgot was to say “goodbye”, at which she turns and goes and he proceeds to fall out of the tree. Of course it’s from another era and may now seem quaint, but it’s just so wonderfully done.
The film comes to an end quite superbly aboard an abandoned ship, where he tussles with one of the villainous showmen, at one point nearly drowning each other in the water (which he returned to in Movie Crazy). Finally he traps the villain by the age old trick of throwing life belts around him so he can’t move. He then hoists him up, puts him overboard, and proceeds to use him as a raft cum canoe to sail home. This is only the beginning of the chase and he returns in the nick to save the day. “Son, you’re a real Hickory” says his father. You’re more than that, Harold, you are just what Kevin Brownlow referred to you as, the third comedy genius (of the silent screen) and worth all the plaudits he has since received.
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Along with the great gags you mention I like the one where the villain is about to give Harold the coup de grace across his skull only to see the lethal blow have no effect, and another no more effect. It’s a wonderful bit of illusion of the sort Lloyd was particularly good at. Whether this is his best I’m not sure, but for me it’s near the top along with Why Worry and the quite underrated talkie The Cat’s Paw. I guess this is as far Lloyd goes in the poll, but you’ve done him fair honor along the way.
I’ve always liked the idea of Harold Lloyd, but of his many films I’ve only seen ‘Safety Last’. This post gives me several to start with. Thank you.