Big Brother on AllMovie

The Big Brother organization hadn't yet gone national in 1923, but it had enough of a reputation to inspire the title to this heart-warming drama, based on a story by Rex Beach. Jimmy Donovan (Tom Moore) is the leader of a tough East Side gang. When his pal Big Ben (Joe King) is killed by a rival gang, Donovan finds himself in charge of his kid brother, Midge (Mickey Bennett). The little boy's influence inspires Donovan to go straight, and settlement workers Father Dan (Charles Henderson) and Kitty Costello (Edith Roberts) help him raise Midge. Although a juvenile court judge sends the boy away to an orphanage because he does not feel that Donovan is a good influence, he offers to return the boy if Donovan proves himself worthy. That time comes when "Cokey Joe" (Raymond Hatton), a drug addict, steals a big payroll from Kitty. At first Donovan is accused of the theft, but he goes after the money and is wounded in retrieving it. While he is recovering in the hospital, the judge tells him that he can have Midge back as soon as he has recovered, and Kitty, too, is won over by him.