Grandma's Boy (1922)

A meek young man must find the courage within when a rogue tramp menaces his home town.

Director:

Fred C. Newmeyer (as Fred Newmeyer)

Writers:

Hal Roach (story), Sam Taylor (story)

Stars:

Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Anna Townsend

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Harold Lloyd	...	Harold - Grandma's Boy
Mildred Davis	...	Mildred - Harold's Girl
Anna Townsend	...	Harold's Grandma
Charles Stevenson	...	Harold's Rival
Dick Sutherland	...	The Rolling Stone
Noah Young	...	Sheriff of Dabney County
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Morgan	...	Little Boy with Grandma (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Always the mama's boy, or in this case a grandma's boy, Sonny joins a posse after a tramp accused of robbery and murder. He is unable to conquer his cowardice until Grandma tells him of his grandfather, also a coward, who overcame his fears with the help of a magic amulet. With new courage (and the charm), Sonny captures the fugitive and becomes the hero of the day.

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Plot Keywords:

young man in tight pants | cowardly hero | bully comeuppance | double barreled shotgun | shyness | 

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Taglines:

See the boy who shied at his shadow shake off his fear and capture a desperate criminal, subdue a bully and---oh, most courageous thing of all!---win the girl of his heart

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1922 (USA)

Also Known As:

The White Feather

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$94,412 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$261,400, 31 December 1922

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 56 min (2002 release)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally intended as a serious movie, this film was altered by Harold Lloyd into a comedy by adding the gag scenes later on.

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Goofs

Grandma's boy puts six mothballs in the chocolate box. His girl gives him one from the box, but when his rival later picks up two, there are seven mothballs in the box instead of five.

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Quotes

Title Card: .The place. BLOSSOM BEND: One of those slow towns where the Tuesday morning Express arrives Wednesday afternoon. If Monday's train gets out of the way.

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Connections

Referenced in The Big Show (1923)

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Soundtracks

You Are the Ideal of My Dreams
(1910) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Herbert Ingraham
Sheet music shown before The Girl plays it on piano

User Reviews

A little courage goes a long way

Given the right words of encouragement by his grandmother, a milquetoast lad gradually finds the courage to stand up to his longtime rival in this early career Harold Lloyd comedy. The plot is a bit more complicated than just that as there is an accused murderer in town too who Lloyd also finds the courage to pursue, but given the brief one-hour running time, the film works fine with is rather simple story. Highlights include Lloyd and his rival inadvertently holding hands - after reaching behind a lady sitting between them - and the pair both accidentally chewing mothballs in a chocolate box and having to keep their disgust out of sight of the woman. There is also a great bit in which Lloyd's finger gets caught in a jar and the look-alike used for Lloyd as a young boy has an uncanny resemblance. The structure of the film is a little awkward with an extended flashback involving Lloyd's grandfather subtracting from the immediacy of the action, but the film concludes on a high note with innovative tracking shots and lots of great sight gags in the final quarter. If not as funny as 'Speedy' or as imaginative as 'Safety Last!', this is still an amusing earlier effort with Lloyd very much in his element.