Grandma’s Boy **** (1922, Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Anna Townsend) – Classic Movie Review 10,208

Director Fred C Newmeyer’s 1922 Grandma’s Boy stars Harold Lloyd (for his first feature), who shines in his silent-comedy tale of grandma’s boy, a hopeless coward and country bumpkin (Lloyd, of course) whose grandpa (also Lloyd in the flashback sequences) was given a lucky charm and became an American Civil War hero.

This prompts Grandma’s Boy (Lloyd) to acts of courage to capture a killer and get the girl (Mildred Davis) after his grandma (Anna Townsend) narrates this story and gives him a bravery token.

The splendid mix of funny gags and dramatic thrills can still enthrall audiences as it did all those years ago, and it is one of Lloyd’s best.

The film’s Southern mansion is actually the Hal Roach studio.

Also in the cast are Dick Sutherland as The Rolling Stone, Charles Stevenson as Harold’s Rival, Noah Young as Sheriff of Dabney County, Gus Leonard, Wallace Howe, Sammy Brooks, and William Gillespie.

Grandma’s Boy is directed by Fred C Newmeyer, runs 60 minutes, is made by Hal Roach Studios, is released by Pathé Exchange (1922) (US) and Woolf & Freedman Film Service (1923) (UK), is written by Hal Roach (story), Sam Taylor (story), Jean C Havez (story), Thomas J Crizer (uncredited), Harold Lloyd (story) (uncredited) and H M Walker (titles), is shot by Walter Lundin and produced by Hal Roach.

Suzanne Lloyd [Suzanne Lloyd Hayes] is the executive producer of the 2002 restoration, with Jeffrey Vance as producer and a score by Robert Israel.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,208

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