THE KID BROTHER

Ted Wilde, J.A. Howe

United States

- 1927

Harold is a weak and somewhat shy boy who is treated like a child by his father, Sheriff Hickory. The sheriff seems to only rely on his two older sons to do the jobs that require responsibility. But the appearance in town of Mary Powers changes Harold’s attitude and he feigns bravery and determination in front of the girl he is now in love with.

Ted Wilde, J.A. Howe

Ted Wilde (1889-1929) was a New York director and screenwriter. His professional career began in the 1920s with producer Hal Roach. After the success of ‘Safety Last!’ (Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor, 1923), he began collaborating with Harold Lloyd that same year on the screenplay for ‘Why Worry?’, and in 1924 he directed his first comedy, ‘Battling Orioles’, written and produced by Roach. He was a screenwriter for films starring Lloyd such as ‘Girl Shy’ (1924), ‘The Freshman’ (1925) and ‘For Heaven’s Sake’ (1926), before the actor and producer chose him to direct ‘The Kid Brother’ (1927). In 1929 he was nominated for an Oscar as best director for ‘Speedy’ and died suddenly that same year. J.A. Howe (1889-1962) was born in Kansas and died in New Mexico. He directed a hundred short films before co-directing ‘The Kid Brother ‘ with Ted Wilde in 1927, and would collaborate with him again a year later on the screenplay for ‘Speedy’.