MovieChat Forums > The Hoodlum (1919) Discussion > One question - SPOILER ALERT

One question - SPOILER ALERT

posted 9 years ago by mdonln
4 replies | jump to latest

I just finished raving about this movie; even saying there are no questions left unanswered. I still love the movie just as much but, out of the blue, I remembered I do have one question.

Who was that kid in the bed at Guthrie's house when Amy and William break in? I think it's Dish, Amy's buddy from Craigen street, but nothing really explains why he's there.

In the context of the movie I get it; he reveals that Guthrie is Peter Cooper, but are we to assume old man Guthrie, now charitable and kind, has taken him in? I have to admit, I found it a bit weird the little boy was in Guthrie's bed.

[–] gbgutierrez91 9 years ago

Just saw today I had it on DVR from silent Sundays on TCM, I actually forgot I saw a couple years back I didn't see it in my movies here on IMDB guess I forot to check it off. Anyways, yeah that was Dish like you said old man Guthrie is now a charitable guy took him in, hell maybe even adopted him we'll never know. As for a little boy in his bed being weird you gotta remember when this film took place, things were different back then, people didn't jump to conclusions like you just did, it was more innocent back then.

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

gbgutierrez91, thanks for the response.

As for a little boy in his bed being weird you gotta remember when this film took place, things were different back then, people didn't jump to conclusions like you just did, it was more innocent back then.

I say 'weird' because the kid popped out from under the sheets out of nowhere. It distracted me so my mind wandered trying to figure out who he was. Had they mentioned this character before; perhaps a sibling or cousin? Why wouldn't he be in his own room? I didn't immediately jump to something lurid but it did, at some point, cross my mind.

Remember, Amy and her friend had broken in to find proof of Guthrie's wrongdoings. Maybe they'd find more skeletons in his closet. He seemed to transform after his stay on Craigen street but I had no idea where they were going.

The title threw me off too. I kept waiting to see who the hoodlum was supposed to be. Was it the kid, the grandfather, the boyfriend? These things flashed through my mind like a pulse. Sure I thought this was a different time but it doesn't mean things like that didn't happen back then. If anything, they wouldn't have been as sensitive to it as we are now so it's possible they'd put it in a movie; especially one with that title.

[–] gbgutierrez91 9 years ago

The title threw me off too. I kept waiting to see who the hoodlum was supposed to be. Was it the kid, the grandfather, the boyfriend?

It's none of those guys, I thought it was obvious The Hoodlum was Amy herself, she is the main character after all. Of course she wasn't always a hoodlum though she transformed into one.

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

gbgutierrez91 says > It's none of those guys, I thought it was obvious The Hoodlum was Amy herself, she is the main character after all. Of course she wasn't always a hoodlum though she transformed into one.

Yes, by the end, I figured the title referred to Amy but, all throughout the movie I kept expecting to see someone who fits the description of what I consider to be a hoodlum. Based on my understanding of the word, I don't think it applied to any of the characters; especially not Amy. I suppose the connotation of the word has changed since then.