Barnyard Follies (1940)

Pappy, the manager of the Farmdale orphanage, appropriates five thousand dollars of the taxpayers' money to enroll his charges in a 4-H project that could make the orphanage self-sufficient... See full summary »

Director:

Frank McDonald

Writers:

Dorrell McGowan (screenplay), Stuart E. McGowan (screenplay) (as Stuart McGowan)

Stars:

Mary Lee, Rufe Davis, June Storey

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mary Lee	...	Bubbles Martin
Rufe Davis	...	Bucksaw Beechwood
June Storey	...	Louise Dale
Jed Prouty	...	Sam Spitz
Victor Kilian	...	Hiram Crabtree
Joan Woodbury	...	Dolly
Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer	...	Alfalfa
Robert Homans	...	Fire Inspector
Dorothy Harrison	...	Queen of Dairyland
Harry Cheshire	...	Pappy (as Harry 'Pappy' Cheshire)
Mary Jane De Zurik	...	Cackle Sister
Carolyn De Zurik	...	Cackle Sister
James J. Jeffries	...	Radio Announcer (as Jim Jeffries)
John Archer	...	Jeff Hill (as Ralph Bowman)
Isabel Randolph	...	Mrs. Uppington

Storyline

Pappy, the manager of the Farmdale orphanage, appropriates five thousand dollars of the taxpayers' money to enroll his charges in a 4-H project that could make the orphanage self-sufficient. This infuriates Hiram Crabtree and Sam Spitz, who profit from selling supplies to the orphanage and therefore have no desire to see it become self-sufficient. Consequently, Crabtree and Spitz charge Pappy with misappropriation of funds and demand that he repay the money immediately. Just when things look bad for Pappy, he learns that he has inherited a nightclub and goes to the city to investigate. There he finds that the club is insolvent and that the performers are demanding their salaries. Pappy suggests that they come to Farmdale to work for their wages, and when the performers learn of the plight of the orphanage, they offer to stage a show to recoup the shortage in funds. Crabtree and Spitz, still trying to retain control of the orphanage, invoke a fire ordinance to prevent the show from ...

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Plot Keywords:

cigarette smoking | slang | barnyard | maid | dancing | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Barnyard Holiday
Written by Fred Rose and Johnny Marvin

User Reviews

The Good Old Days

The Director of a country orphanage has invested in the 4H Club philosophy. That means all the kids are learning farm life. The children are tending to cows and chickens and turkeys and growing crops. However, there is a problem at the orphanage. They are $5,000 in debt. The Director, affectionately known as Pappy (Harry Cheshire), needs to raise the money in 30 days.

It looks like the orphanage will get a break when Pappy inherits his brother's nightclub. But he's also inherited the contracts of the dancers and musicians. He decides to put the club's employees to work at the orphanage. Many complications follow. The 4H activities mean that, in time, the orphanage will be self sufficient. But the crooks, who loaned Pappy the money, don't want that. They've been skimming money off the orphanage for years.

Pappy has raised some money selling the nightclub, but not enough. So the kids at the orphanage decide to put on a show to raise the rest of the money. The musicians step in and help. It doesn't hurt that one of the kids (Mary Lee) is a spunky, little singer. It's a pleasant little film, not to be taken seriously. One in a long line of rural musicals, that Republic seemed to specialize in. I rather enjoyed it and was smiling throughout. The youngster, Mary Lee, was some talented kid.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 October 1940 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1