"THE KID BROTHER"

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19466, 13 November 1928, Page 9

"THE KID BROTHER"

HAROLD LLOYD IN EXCELLENT COMEDY. ENTERTAINING PROGRAMME AT MUNICIPAL THEATRE. Seldom has a more amusing and entertaining pictorial programme been shown in Christchurch than that presented .at., the Mum-' cipal Theatre last evening. It would be hard to say which was the better picture—Harold Lloyd in "The Kid Brother" or Eichard Due in "Sporting Goods," the two comedies being full of incident and amusing situations, the combination making an excellent evening's entertainment. ■ . , Any picture in which Harold Lloyd plays the principal part can always be to be something out of the ordinary, and this latest production compares more than favourably with such,a tf.aure as "Saiety Last. It is full of surprising incidents, and not for a moment does the action slacken. As the youngest son in a family of three, , the star has a part which provides him with many opportunities for mirth-provoking sceneß. The p.cture opens in the little village of Hickoryville, named after the .famny of Hickory of which Harold is the. insignificant member. His father is the sheriff, while the two older brothers are sturdy limbs of the family tree. Harold finds that when any question of importance is ..to be decided he is not consulted,' despite his every effort to be useful. On the day on which the money is i raised to build the dam which would make the town of Hickoryville, Harold is told to remain at home, conferences being not for young men. With nothing better to do, he dons his father's gun, hat, and badge, and parades outßide the house. At that moment the medicine show of the late "Professor Power passes, and; he is asked for a permit for the show to remain in town. Dazzled by the new authority that has been thrust upon him, he gives permission, the charming young daughter of the late professor .helping considerably in that decision. But he then has to face-his father, who never before bas allowed a show to remain in the. town. Ihe sheriff arrives home, and on bearing the news orders Harold to have the show removed, in this respect his efforts are anything but successful, and he finds himself handcuffed to a cart. The arrival of his father puts a different aspect to the situation. an ensuing fight the show is. burned to the ground, but Harold takes, it upon himself to take the young show girl to his home. Then follow a series of very amusing events, when Harold borrows his brother's bed for the young girl. The next day is to.be a celebration on the occasion of the raising of the money for the dam, but when the sheriff seeks, the money he finds that it has been stolen. It is then that Harold comes to the rescue, after his brothers have failed m their attempts to capture the thieves. The manner in which he finally obtains the money is ; filled with action. Although the plot .of the. picture is not complicated, it is sufficient to; maintain the interest through a series of hilarious situations. As a comedian Harold Lloyd is outstanding, and in this picture ho gives of his best. The supporting actors also play their parts with ability, with the result that an outstanding production is the result. . ... t .. ■- "Sporting Goods" is one of the best pictures in which Richard Dix has starred. It is light comedy of a style which ib very suitable to the characterisations that Dix portrays. JThe story tells of a young salesman, Richard Selby, who is. travelling the Navajo desert on his way to California. At a water-hole he meets a millionairp whose car is stuck in a water-holo. In demonstrating that the road is negotiable, he rums his own car. The millionaire, having decided to take the train for the remainder of the Journey,lends Selby his car. From that instant the young man findß himself in the midst of exciting events. He is motoring along the road when he meets another car totJ»« broken down, and offers to take the occupants, a young girl and ber mother, to their destination. They arrive at the hotel, where Selby is mistaken for a millionaire. He is ushered into the best suite in the hotel, where every luxury is thrust upon mm. Meanwhile, he has fallen m love witt. the young girl, Alice, and decides to carry the situatioi through. But he is faced with tlse difficulty of carrying out two roles—that of a millionaire and that of a salesman. H.IB endeavours to sell his patent golf suit, and at the same time keep up appearances, are exceptionally amusing. The climax is rather unusual, but everything is explained satisfactorily, and the young couple are happny m The be Luxe Orchestra, under the baton of Mr Arthrj Lilly, prrv;des at- «»eUj»* programme of music, the cvertr-i to the first part be : -c *> » Chinese .Garden, and that to the second "Baymond.