''The Country Kid'' is a 1923 American silent comedy drama film directed by

William Beaudine William Washington Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres. Life and car ...

for Warner Bros. It stars

Wesley Barry Wesley Barry (August 10, 1907 – April 11, 1994) was an American actor, director, and producer. Barry began his career as a child actor in silent motion pictures and later became a producer and director of both film and television. As a direc ...

Spec O'Donnell Walter "Spec" O'Donnell (April 9, 1911 – October 14, 1986) was an American film actor. Biography Born in Fresno, California, in 1911, O'Donnell appeared in more than 190 films between 1923 and 1978. He worked frequently for producer Hal R ...

, and

Bruce Guerin Bruce Guerin (January 18, 1919 – June 27, 2012) was an American child actor known for his roles in silent films during the 1920s. Biography Guerin was born in Los Angeles to a family that worked in showbusiness. His mother was a vaudeville per ...

as three orphaned brothers who struggle to preserve their inheritance and remain together.

Plot

Orphaned Ben Applegate (Barry) strives to care for his younger brothers (O'Donnell and Guerin) and run the farm left to them. Their unscrupulous legal guardian, Uncle Grimes (George Nichols) schemes to take their property and separate the brothers, but he is ultimately thwarted by a benevolent judge (George C. Pearce). The Applegates are reunited, their property restored, and they are adopted by caring neighbors.

Cast

as Ben Applegate *

as Joe Applegate *

as Andy Applegate *

Kate Toncray Kate Toncray (1867 – December 6, 1927) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 170 films between 1905 and 1925. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri and died in Manhattan, New York City.Helen Jerome Eddy Helen Jerome Eddy (February 25, 1897 – January 27, 1990) was a motion picture actress from New York City. She was noted as a character actress who played genteel heroines in films such as ''Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' (1917). Early years Edd ...

as Hazel Warren * George Nichols as Mr. Grimes *

Edmund Burns Edmund Burns (September 27, 1892 – April 2, 1980 ) was an American actor. He was best known for his films of the silent 1920s, particularly ''The Princess from Hoboken'' (1927), '' Made for Love'' (1926), and ''After the Fog'' (1929), althoug ...

as Arthur Grant * George C. Pearce as The County Judge

Production

The story was conceived and written as a vehicle for popular child star Wesley Barry. Barry had been signed to a Warner contract by

Harry Rapf Harry Rapf (16 October 1880, in New York City – 6 February 1949, in Los Angeles), was an American film producer. Biography Born to a Jewish family, Rapf began his career in 1917, and during a 20-year career became a well-known producer of ...

in 1922 and was one of the studio's top draws at the time. William Beaudine had directed Barry with considerable success in ''

Heroes of the Street ''Heroes of the Street'' is a 1922 American silent crime drama film directed by William Beaudine. It stars child actor Wesley Barry, Marie Prevost, and Jack Mulhall. This film survives in George Eastman House. Plot When a smart aleck street ...

'' (1922), which led to the pair working together on a number of Warner films, one of which was ''The Country Kid''.

Release

Released at the beginning of November 1923, ''The Country Kid'' was distributed on a

state rights In American political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments rather than the federal government according to the United States Constitution, reflecting especially the enumerated powers of Congress and the ...

basis, as were all Warner pictures of the early 1920s. It garnered mixed to unfavorable reviews. A number of critics found the film "trite" and melodramatic, and many commented on Barry's increasing age. The ''Variety'' reviewer reflected, "While there is no particular finesse in the way the picture is put together, the scenes in which the three kids figure hold a definite appeal for the countless thousands with a soft spot for homely sentiment."

Box Office

According to Warner Bros records the film earned $263,000 domestically and $25,000 foreign.

Preservation

It is an extant film, archived in the David Bradley Film Collection at Indiana University and in the holdings of Warner Bros. A complete version and an abridged version are preserved. ''The Country Kid'' was one of the films purchased by Kodak for its

Kodascope Kodascope is a name created by Eastman Kodak Company for the projector it placed on the market in 1923 as part of the first 16mm motion picture equipment. The original Kodascope was part of an outfit that included the Cine-Kodak camera, tripod, Ko ...

home library collection, the source of a number of abridged surviving films.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Country Kid 1923 films 1923 comedy-drama films 1920s English-language films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films directed by William Beaudine Warner Bros. films 1920s American films Silent American comedy-drama films