A salesman is helped out of a jam with an angry customer by a wealthy playboy. In return, he agrees to help the playboy get a divorce from his wife, only to find himself falling for the girl... Read allA salesman is helped out of a jam with an angry customer by a wealthy playboy. In return, he agrees to help the playboy get a divorce from his wife, only to find himself falling for the girlfriend of the customer who got him in trouble in the first place.A salesman is helped out of a jam with an angry customer by a wealthy playboy. In return, he agrees to help the playboy get a divorce from his wife, only to find himself falling for the girlfriend of the customer who got him in trouble in the first place.
- Eleanor's Lawyer
- (as Harry Van Meter)
- Unknown Role
- (uncredited)
- Tailor
- (uncredited)
- Physical Therapist
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen Kid Boots debuted at a New York City movie theater in October of 1926, many officers from the New York Police Department were sent there for crowd control, due to the increasing popularity of Clara Bow, as well as the great reviews of the film by critics.
- Quotes
Title Card: For Kid Boots, the painful path of duty him to--his pal's bedroom.
Sure, strictly speaking the storytelling is considerably light, and we kind of have to just take it at face value. From characters and scenes to the narrative at large, there's a certain Just So sensibility that wouldn't hold up under much scrutiny. The storytelling is quite beside the point, though: this is a picture built purely to entertain, and from one moment to the next we're greeted with terrific situational humor, gags, physical comedy, high energy, animated and expressive performances, and some witty intertitles to top it all off. Some bits are downright brilliant; some odds and ends come off better than others; for as slight as the storytelling is there are some instances that - fun as they are - raise a quizzical eyebrow as we wonder "wait, how was it that we got from A to B?" Part of me questions if 'Kid Boots' wouldn't have worked better as a series of one- or two-reel shorts, for the looseness of how it is put together kind of gives the impression that it started out that way on paper. One way or another, though, all involved fully embrace the spirit of the film, and the infusion of vitality and good cheer is more important than utmost cohesiveness.
Say what one will about how successful the comedy is, and how solid the writing is or is not overall, in all other regards this is splendidly well made. The cast really is a blast; decades later Bow might claim the most star power, but everyone truly just leaps wholeheartedly into the proceedings, from Eddie Cantor and Lawrence Gray to Billie Dove and Natalie Kingston. We get eyefuls of some great filming locations, and the sets are fantastic. While not altogether revelatory I very much appreciate the editing and cinematography, and the shrewd manner in which they're used to help craft the lark as we see it. The stunts and effects are excellent, some recalling the more famous contemporary comedians, and Tuttle's direction is wonderfully sharp in sustaining and indeed growing the highfalutin silliness. From hair and makeup to costume design and in all other details this is all-around swell, and if 'Kid Boots' falls short of perfect or riotous, I'm ready to forgive the deficiency.
Despite obvious reflections of the period in which it was made, I think this has more in common with modern cinema than one would suppose. As the shenanigans escalate over the length the plot increasingly just falls away, and it feels more and more like the intertwining threads of the characters is just a meager excuse for more outrageous notions. We can all surely name comedies of more recent decades that share that same ethos, be they of the 70s, 80s, 90s, or 2000s. With all this in mind, just how much favor this title deserves will vary significantly from one viewer to the next. For my part I don't think it's anything one needs to go out of their way to see, but the feature is a reliably good time from start to finish and might well help to lift one's mood if we're feeling down. What more could we really ask for? 'Kid Boots' is definitely a less well-known silent flick, but if you're looking for a merry diversion it's hard to go wrong here. My glad recommendation!
- I_Ailurophile
- Jan 23, 2024
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $314,332
- Runtime1 hour 17 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1