The Old Homestead

The Old Homestead is a musical comedy produced by Liberty Pictures Corporation at RKO-Pathé. Although only six songs are listed in the credits, this rare film contains all or part of 21 different songs, 3 of which are Bob Nolan's original compositions: "Way Out There", "Happy Cowboy" and "That Old White Mule of Mine". Most of the others are fiddle tunes featuring Hugh Farr. The Sons of the Pioneers have a fair amount of dialogue and Fuzzy Knight provides the comic relief. The plot is predictable, but the film is fun to watch because of the enthusiasm of the young Sons of the Pioneers in their first feature-length movie. The Old Homestead is available online from Sinister Cinema.

Mary Carlisle as Nancy Abbott
Lawrence Gray as Bob Shackleford
Willard Robertson as Uncle Jed
Lillian Miles as Peggy
Eddie Kane as Mr. Wertheimer
Fuzzy Knight as Lem
Eddie Nugent as Rudy Nash
Dorothy Lee as Elsie Wilson
Sons of the Pioneers (Len Slye, Bob Nolan, Tim Spencer, Hugh Farr) as ranch hands
George Lloyd as Elsie’s husband
Harry Conley as J. Wilberforce Pratt

Left: Mary Carlisle as Nancy Abbott and Lawrence Gray as Bob Shackleford. Center: Eddie Kane as Mr. Wertheimer Right: Willard Robertson as Uncle Jed and Lillian Miles as Peggy.

Left: Fuzzy Knight as Lem. Center: Eddie Nugent as Rudy Nash, popular crooner who falls in love with Nancy Right: Dorothy Lee as the vamp, Elsie Wilson, who sets out to snare Bob.

Farm Hands: Len Slye (Roy Rogers), Bob Nolan, Vern (Tim) Spencer and Hugh Farr.

Left: George Lloyd as Elsie's husband. Right: Harry Conley as J. Wilberforce Pratt, press agent

The full song list includes many uncredited numbers by the Sons of the Pioneers. (Thanks to Laurence Zwisohn and Larry Hopper for help identifying titles and composers.) Our copy of the film had been spliced many times which accounts for the gaps and jumps in the songs themselves.

According to Laurence Zwisohn's cue sheet, there should be three more songs in the film in addition to those we have audio clips for (below):
There's a Roundup in the Sky (Bob Nolan), sung by the Sons of the Pioneers
Tumbling Tumbleweeds (Bob Nolan), sung by the Sons of the Pioneers
Wagon Wheels (Billy Hill / Peter DeRose), sung by the Sons of the Pioneers

In this countrified musical, a farm boy and his girl head for the big city to find fame on the radio. When he becomes popular their relationship is strained and the two break up and begin pursuing other relationships. Fortunately, they are reunited in the end. Look closely for a brief appearance by Roy Rogers who appears under his real name Leonard Slye. Songs include: "Moonlight in Heaven," "Somehow I Know," "The Plowboy," and "When the Old Age Pension Check Comes to Our Door." (Unknown contributor)

The film opens with the farm hands sitting around taking a coffee break and joining Bob Shackleford singing "Plow Boy", the film's theme song. Bob [Gray] sits on the plow behind a white horse. Bob Nolan peeks out from behind a blossoming tree.

Fuzzy Knight, Len Slye, Tim Spencer & Hugh Farr on the left with Bob Nolan behind them. Lawrence Gray on right, sitting on the plowshare.

The hands return to their plowing while Bob's adopted cousin, Nancy Abbott, tries to persuade him to go to New York City to pursue a career in singing. He laughs it off, so she decides to take things into her own hands and she writes a New York radio talent scout, Wertheimer, praising Bob's singing. A few days later, Wertheimer shows up at a barn dance at Uncle Jed's, where we hear Len calling a square dance.

Left: Bob Nolan at left with the standing bass. Hugh and his fiddle can be seen on the buggy. Right: Eddie Kane as Mr. Wertheimer

Mr. Wertheimer searches the crowd for the singers and introduces himself to Nancy. After the Pioneers and Lem sing, "When Our Old Age Pension Check Comes to Our Door" the talent scout listens while they accompany Bob Shackleford singing "Plow Boy".

Hugh, Len, Tim, Fuzzy and Bob Nolan singing "When Our Old Age Pension Check Comes to Our Door".

Hugh, Len, Tim, Lawrence Gray and Bob Nolan singing "Plow Boy".

Wertheimer hires them all for his radio program dubbed "The Old Homestead", which is to be broadcast from New York. (While he, Uncle Jed, Nancy and Bob are discussing the business end of it, we can hear Hugh Farr's fiddle playing one of his breakdowns.) Uncle Jed and Nancy discuss her fears while in the background we hear the Sons of the Pioneers singing, "Old Rover".

A New York radio show involves moving everyone, including Nancy and Uncle Jed, from the old homestead to New York and Wertheimer makes a point of asking them to wear their farm clothes at all times. Waiting their turn at their NY radio debut, chewing gum and wearing their loud, ill-fitting country go-to-meeting clothes, they listen to an unidentified artist singing "Deep River".

After a nervous start on the part of Wertheimer and Uncle Jed, the boys swing into a fiddle breakdown followed by Way Out There. Vern (Tim) nervously tugs at his suit jacket. Bob Nolan's suit is a couple of sizes too small, Len sports stripes galore and Hugh wears a wild plaid.

Just as we expect, the show is an immediate hit, naturally. While she is watching the boys perform, and while we listen to an instrumental and then Bob singing "Plow Boy", Nancy meets famous crooner Rudy Nash and his jealous partner, Elsie Wilson. Bob takes an immediate irrational dislike to Rudy.

Instead of going to bed as directed by Uncle Jed, the boys go to a nightclub owned by Peggy. Sitting at the bar, they watch an unidentified performer sing "Harlem Nasty Man".

Len, Hugh, Fuzzy, Tim and Bob Nolan singing, "Honey dat I Love So Well".

Lem lifts Peggy onto the piano and the Pioneers accompany her while she sings Happy Cowboy.

Clockwise from Fuzzy Knight at piano: Hugh Farr, Bob Nolan, Len Slye, Lillian Miles and Tim Spencer

Nancy and Rudy arrive shortly. The proprietor, recognizing Rudy, thinks he puts two and two together and offers Nancy $1,250 a week for the boys to perform at the club.

Mary Carlisle, unidentified proprietor and Eddie Nugent

Elsie decides to stir things up by making a play for Bob, inviting him to her room and making a big fuss over him. Bob returns to the hotel suite before Rudy brings Nancy home and unjustly accuses Nancy of playing fast and loose. She points out the lipstick on Bob's chin. The quarrel continues but so does Bob's infatuation with Elsie.