Pequeno Petulante

If you don't want to see Freddie Bartholomew as a bad guy, stay away from Lord Jeff. He plays a small-time grifter who gets sent to the merchant marines to reform his character. He's snobby and insulting, and has a bad attitude. I prefer him when he's sweeter, but I stuck with this movie for the supporting cast.

In the batch of boys arriving with Freddie to the merchant marine training school are Terry Kilburn and a very young Peter Lawford in his second movie! Terry has the cutest character in the movie, with a missing tooth (before it gets fixed, a Cockney accent, and a hopelessly optimistic and loyal personality. Mickey Rooney also takes on an accent-Irish-as he's the experienced student who helps show everyone the ropes. Charles Coburn is the no-nonsense head of the school, and Herbert Mundin is his second-in-command. Keep an eye out for Monty Woolley and Gale Sondergaard, but don't expect too much from anyone. No one's really given very much to do, and besides Terry, no one really succeeds in making the audience like him. You're better off with Boys Town or A Yank at Eton.

Although Lord Jeff came out the same year as Boys Town and is essentially the same story, what this film lacks is the star quality presence of Spencer Tracy. It also could be compared to Captains Courageous where Mickey Rooney and Freddie Bartholomew play the same characters.

Charles Coburn is the father figure here, head of a Thomas John Barnardo school which populate the British Isles and which were set up by the late Irish philanthropist, (he was Irish despite that name, just like Eamon DeValera).

The title comes from Bartholomew's character whom when we first meet is a spoiled kid living in luxury. However he's an orphan kid whom a pair of crooks, George Zucco and Gale Sondergaard, use as a shill for their thieving rackets. Scotland Yard arrests and exposes Bartholomew, but the adults get away.

The judge gives Bartholomew a break sending him to Barnardo school, one in this case that is a quasi-military institute that trains men for the Navy and Merchant Marine. In a country like Britain which depends on the sea and has the great naval tradition this is an important task the school undertakes.

Bartholomew is as tough a nut to crack as he was aboard Lionel Barrymore's fishing boat in Captains Courageous and as Mickey Rooney was in Boys Town. But Rooney's in this film as well and he's the mentor kid who whips Bartholomew in line.

If you've seen Boys Town you know the bad influences come back and they have to be dealt with. I'll save that for your viewing pleasure.

Herbert Mundin who usually played funny little milquetoast characters is the old sea salt who teaches seamanship and discipline to the kids. This was an interesting change of parts for him and he acquits himself admirably in a different persona. You'll also see a very young Peter Lawford as one of the kids, this was one of his earliest films.

The finale takes place aboard the new Cunard liner the Queen Mary. All in all Lord Jeff is a fine family film from MGM.

Kind of a combination of two mediocre, sentimental films..."Captains Courageous" and "Boys Town"...which, not surprisingly, results in a third mediocre, sentimental film. Give it a C.

Freddie Bartholomew played a sophisticated thief who worked with two adult criminals who raised him after his parents' deaths. Because of his sick upbringing, Freddie had no conscience. Despite this, when he was captured by police, he was sent to a training school for orphans, not reform school. However, despite getting a break, Freddie is a jerk and can't help but antagonize his peers--that is until he finally sees the light and turns to the side of goodness and fair play (huzzah).

This film came out the same year as BOYS TOWN and I assume one directly led to the other--as they are essentially the same film with a few changes here and there. Plus, although Mickey Rooney played a different type character, he was in both films--though in LORD JEFF he played a supporting character and Freddie Bartholomew was the lead. Heck, they even had a character in LORD JEFF that was much like Pee Wee, though fortunately, the British version did not have to die to make Freddie see the light! While this is a competent enough film, I was greatly disappointed because Charles Coburn was one of the leading characters BUT he was amazingly conventional. None of his usual pompous but charming persona is present. Apart from that, though, the film is pure late 1930s MGM family fare and is worth a look. But if you've seen BOYS TOWN, then you certainly don't need to see this, as it's just a rehash and predictably formulaic.

Orphan Geoffrey Braemer (Freddie Bartholomew) pretends to be a young English Lord with his con artist accomplices. After getting caught, he is sent to a mercantile marine boys school run by Captain Briggs (Charles Coburn). Terry O'Mulvaney (Mickey Rooney) is the longtime honor boy.

Mickey Rooney's stardom is rising and would soon overtake Freddie Bartholomew's childstar status. The two actors should switch roles since they fit the other characters better. Freddie is much more the high society straight boy and Mickey is the low class brawler con-man. I can do without all the sailing talk. I don't know anything about any of that. As always, one gets a sense that Mickey holds more interior acting power while Freddie is good at his specific style. This is not the best example of a boys school movie, but it's always great to have these two kids working together.