Feller Needs a Friend (1932)

Produced by William Randolph Hearst's Cosmopolitan productions for MGM release, Feller Needs a Friend teams child-star Jackie Cooper with rustic comedian Chic Sale. Cooper plays Eddie Randall, a physically challenged boy who is overprotected by his parents. He finds a kindred spirit in his aged uncle Jonas (Sale), who tries to treat Eddie like a regular kid. The boy is forced to suffer the taunts of his snotty cousin Froggie (Andy Shufford) before a happy ending can be considered. Based on the William Johnson novel Limpy, Feller Needs a Friend was co-scripted by Sylvia Thalberg, the sister of MGM-head Irving Thalberg. Watch for silent-film comedian Max Davidson in an amusing bit. The film is also known as When a Feller Needs a Friend. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi