Two Bright Boys (1939)

Jackie Cooper and Freddie Bartholomew, both recent graduates of the MGM production factory, are reteamed in Universal's Two Bright Boys. While drilling for oil on his Texas ranch, young Rory O'Donnell (Cooper) must fend off the efforts of all-around villain Hallitt (Alan Dinehart) to claim Rory's property for himself. Meanwhile, expatriate Englishman Hilary Harrington (Melville Cooper) and his son David (Freddie Bartholomew) wander the countryside in search of a dishonest dollar. At first hired by Dinehart to help force Rory off his land, the two Britishers instead befriend the young rancher and try to help him bring in a gusher. Hardly Universal's most important 1939 release, Two Bright Boys was still entertaining enough to pay its way.