A 1931 kid runs away from his dad's belt—Depression-era parenting hits different.
Young Bill Emory is a typical mischievous, rambunctious boy, but his father William is a strict disciplinarian, and Bill is constantly being punished for simple childhood transgressions. Finally Bill can take no more of his father's excessive punishments and runs away. Complications ensue.
Acting
Lewis Stone's dad is somehow sympathetic AND terrifying.
Production
Pre-Code sincerity before Hollywood got cynical.
Director
William Beaudine
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released during the Great Depression, the film's family fracture resonated with audiences facing economic pressure at home. Beaudine directed over 350 films—this was his bread and butter.
Leon Janney was 14 playing younger; he quit acting in the 1950s to become a successful radio announcer. His child-star trauma arguably paralleled Bill's.
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