The Country Kid (1923)

Synopsis
Child actor Wesley Barry (who was actually 16 when he made this picture) played in several Mary Pickford films and his starring role in this drama almost seems like a male version of any number of Pickford roles. Ben Applegate (Barry) is left in charge of the farm after the death of his father and he also has to take care of his two younger brothers, Joe (Spec O'Donnell) and Andy (Bruce Guerin). Their guardian, Uncle Grimes (George Nichols), wants the farm for himself so he sends them to an orphan asylum. Ben manages to rescue his brothers from the institution and they all head for the courthouse to battle for their rights. Along the way, Ben has made friends with Arthur Grant (Edward Burns) and his sweetheart, Hazel Warren (Helen Jerome Eddy). The couple decides to marry so they can adopt the Applegate boys, which nicely solves their dilemma. Barry was one of those rare actors whose career went comfortably from childhood to adulthood. After playing small roles in various films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, he became a director. William Beaudine, who was behind the megaphone for The Country Kid, was well-known in the silent era for his work with youngsters, but in the sound era he became more famous for making quickie, low-budget pictures. His ease with child actors came in handy once again when he began directing the Lassie television series. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide