The Old Homestead

Another in the series of films Republic made from 1939 to 1944 headlining the rustic family musical group known as "The Weaver Brothers and Elviry." In real life, June Weaver (Elviry) was married to Frank Weaver (Cicero)but always played the wife of Abner (Leon Weaver)in the films. June Weaver also had a daughter,Loretta, from a previous marriage that appeared in many of the films as Loretta Weaver. This mid-America adventure finds Farmington town mayor Elviry Weaver (June Weaver)and her husband police chief Abner (Leon Weaver)under heavy critical fire because crime runs unabated in their town. Leader of the critics is Councilman Bell (Jed Prouty), who is secretly responsible for the crime wave by operatating a "Protection" racket and if the townspeople do not sign up for the service, his henchmen stage hold-ups,thefts and other acts of intimidation. Elviry travels to the state capitol to enlist the aid of a prominent investigator, but he is too busy to help her. She then conceives the idea of enlisting the aid of gangster Scarf Lennin (Dick Purcell)who has the reputation of being able to take over any racket he wants to control. Elviry masquerades as a crook to inveigle Scarf into bringing his mob to Farmington to cleam out the local lawless element. Once this is accomplished, it is her plan to tell him the heat is on and it will be best for him to leave town. Scarf and his mob come to town and soon smoke out Councilman Bell's racket, and the lawlessness is abated...only to be replaced with a worse situation. Scarf has taken over the Weaver Family's old homestead and turned it into a night club and gambling joint. Workers from a nearby defense plant flock there, stay up late and lose their money, which is bad on their morale and effects their war production work. Newspaper editor Fred Morgan (Robert Conway) crusades against the menace of the club and the administration which permits it, causing a rift between himself and the Weaver's daughter, Mary Jo (Maris Wrixon.) When the Weavers attempt to close down the club, Scarf reminds Elviry that she is officially his "partner" and that if she exposes him, she will go to jail also. Abner saves the day by a cleaver ruse. He has proof that Scarf and his mob, as well as Bell and his gang, all have more than their alloted share of sugar. (Which means nothing to those who aren't aware of WW II rationing.) He organizes a raid and secures proof they have all violated the sugar rationing act and are liable to ten thousand dollar fines, ten years imprisoment or both. Peace reigns once again in Farmington as Mary Jo patches up her quarrel with Fred, and Abner and Elviry retire from politics and move back to their Old Homestead. Cicero (Frank Weaver) was the "dumb" part of the musical act, remained mute a la Harpo Marx and concentrated mostly on playing his hand-saw instrument during the family musical numbers, which is why June had to play the wife of her real-life brother-in-law, who did speak.