Lay That Rifle Down

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Collection Of Players Makes For A Satisfying Light Comedy........2006-11-29

A winning mixture of slapstick with sentiment, this black and white Republic Pictures vehicle for talented bumpkin Judy Canova profits from the well-liked comedienne's vaudeville background, thereby evading sugary components that should have lessened the appeal of a work that additionally includes a very experienced cast and crew under the able direction of veteran Charles Lamont. Canova, playing as herself, is employed as charwoman and general maintenance worker at her aunt's hotel in "Greebville", striving to earn enough money to cover mortgage payments for her run-down "ranch" where she lives along with three orphaned youngsters and, as a means of forestalling boredom, Judy is also subscribing to a mail order course with the Continental Correspondence School, hoping therewith to find true love. After fibbing to her aunt and cousin that she has already found a beau, the fanciful "Poindexter March" who is coming while on military leave to visit her by bus, Judy is driven to the town's bus station where she desperately accosts a single man (Robert Lowery) and persuades him to pose as her swain, presenting a golden opportunity for him, because he is a confidence man, and her abrupt attachment to him enables "Poindexter" to shift into high gear with his crime partner for a swindle of the locals, eventually drawing out the greedy worst from Judy's relatives along with the small town's banker. The film, shot in the San Fernando Valley, is paced nicely, having nary a dull moment, and editing by Arthur Roberts is accomplished in crisp fashion. Considered a musical comedy, the work showcases Canova performing three numbers, including her well-known rendition of "Sleepy Serenade" and a newly composed novelty item, "I'm Awful Glad I Was Born On My Birthday", all lip synched here. The film's characters are more provincial than hayseed, and a well-written screenplay supplies interest within a viewer for each. Sprightly Canova is always enjoyable to watch in action, and she is ably backed here by a talented supporting cast of largely seasoned actors, Richard Deacon gaining performing honours for his astringently humourous turn as an avaricious bank official attempting to foreclose upon Judy's ranch for his personal financial benefit, while even the three children cared for by Canova play smoothly, closely coached by director Lamont.

Judy Strikes Oil.......2006-11-04

A great Saturday Matinee movie. Judy Canova is always entertaining and gives a positive attitude to every situation. Her way of handling things always saves the day and you always want to stay in the theatre and see her movie over again. She's delightfully corn-pone and magical.

Typical 50s Comedy.......2005-04-28

I have not seen the DVD, so this review is from a VHS tape that was released some years ago. The star of this movie is Judy Canova, who had a radio show in the late 40s. In her radio show, Judy played a hillbilly who ended up in Hollywood - as such, that show was the predecessor to the Beverly Hillbillies. In Lay That Rifle Down, Judy owns a ranch and has taken in three orphans. She has trouble keeping up the mortgage payments and has to work at a hotel in the city to make ends meet. The bank manager is trying to foreclose on the ranch and the hotel owner drives Judy like a slave. On top of that, Judy is trying to find a man to marry and is using a correspondence course to look cultured to achieve this end. Being teased about the course and her attempts at improving her appearance, Judy lies and says she already has a boyfriend. Pressed with this, Judy gets a passenger just off the bus to pose as her boyfriend. This man takes to the role a bit too enthusiastically and it is revealed he is a con man taking advantage of a great opportunity to run a scam. How Judy deals with all this is what drives the story. The movie does wrap this up with a by today's standards contrived chase and the expected last laugh at the end. One of the funny moments in the film is seeing Judy's attempt at applying makeup per the instructions in the correspondence course. Other moments deal with an elevator that needs fixing (did they ever work like that?) and bringing hot water to the rooms (I guess the hotel had no running water in the rooms). The production and story are standard 50s fare. This is a nice family movie, with the unsophistication of the 50s.

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