Harold Lloyd, these days, is the least known of the “Big Three” silent comedians, overshadowed by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. But in the 1920s he was the most successful, achieving the highest pay among silent film stars. He was known for his “Glasses Character” which embodied a resourceful and optimistic persona fitting the 1920s spirit, much like Jimmy Stewart in the 1940s or Tom Hanks in the 1990s.

In The Kid Brother, the most important family in Hickoryville is (naturally enough) the Hickorys, including 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 must use his wits to win the respect of his strong father–and also the love of beautiful Mary. The Kid Brother is a male version of the Cinderella story; Harold, the drudge of his family, lacks the size and strength of his father and brothers and is ordered about by all of them – only to prove the hero and win Mary’s love.

Harold Lloyd always claimed this to be his favorite among all his films, and, in later years, he proudly screened the film in selected theaters and at film schools.

Live musical accompaniment will be performed by Carolyn Swartz playing the fabulous grand piano at the Portland Conservatory of Music. As always, projected from a 16mm film print.