''The Bashful Bachelor'' is a 1942 American film directed by Malcolm St. Clair. It is the second of seven films based on the

Lum and Abner ''Lum and Abner'' was an American network radio comedy program created by Chester Lauck and Norris Goff that was produced from 1931 to 1954. Modeled on life in the small town of Waters, Arkansas, near where Lauck and Goff grew up, the show pr ...

radio series created by and starring

Chester Lauck Chester "Chet" Lauck (February 9, 1902 – February 21, 1980) was a comic actor who played the character of Lum Edwards on the classic American radio comedy '' Lum and Abner''. Early life and career Chester Lauck was born in Alleene, Arkansa ...

and

Norris Goff Norris Goff (May 30, 1906 – June 7, 1978) was an American comedian in radio and film best known for his portrayal of Abner Peabody on the rural comedy '' Lum and Abner''. Biography Nicknamed "Tuffy," Goff was born in Cove, Arkansas, but s ...

Plot

Small town store owner Lum Edwards (

) in Pine Ridge has a thorn in his side because his partner in the Jot-em-Down general store, Abner Peabody (

), has exchanged the store delivery car for a race track horse. And because Lum doesn't have the guts to approach the woman he is in love with, Geraldine (

ZaSu Pitts ZaSu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who, in a career spanning nearly five decades, starred in many silent film drama film, dramas, such as Erich von Stroheim's 1924 epic ''Greed (1924 film), Greed'', along wi ...

), and propose to her once and for all, he lays a complex scheme to impress her in a fake "rescue" mission. He fails tremendously in this mission, and nearly gets everyone killed in doing so. However, he doesn't give up, but tries again, and finally succeeds in impressing her. His problems continue when his proposal, to be delivered to Geraldine by his partner Abner, is instead delivered to a very prone bachelorette, Widder Abernathy (

Constance Purdy Constance Purdy (August 3, 1887 – April 1, 1960) was an American film actress and classical music performer. Early life Purdy was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 3, 1887, to American railroad executive Thomas C. Purdy and Jane ...

). She jumps at the possibility of marrying Lum, and the game is afoot. Lum doesn't get out of trouble until the town sheriff (

Irving Bacon Irving Ernest Bacon (September 6, 1893 – February 5, 1965) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 500 films. Early years Bacon was the son of entertainers Millar West Bacon (who was a teenager) and Myrtle Vane. He was born ...

) finds widow Widder's disappeared husband.Dwyer, 1996 p. 232-233: Filmography, plot synopsis

Cast

as Lum Edwards *

as Abner Peabody *

as Geraldine *

Grady Sutton Grady Harwell Sutton (April 5, 1906 – September 17, 1995) was an American film and television character actor from the 1920s to the 1970s. He appeared in more than 180 films. Early years Sutton was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the son ...

as Cedric Wiehunt *

Oscar O'Shea Oscar O'Shea (8 October 1881 – 6 April 1960) was a Canadian-American character actor with over 100 film appearances from 1937 to 1953. Early years O'Shea was born in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Acting O'Shea was a comic actor who earne ...

as Squire Skimp *

Louise Currie Louise Currie (born Louise Gunter; April 7, 1913 – September 8, 2013) was an American film actress, active from 1940 into the early 1950s. Biography Currie was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the daughter of Charles W. Gunter, a banker, ...

as Marjorie *

as Widder Abernathy *

as Sheriff / Fire Chief *

Earle Hodgins Earle Hodgins (October 6, 1893 – April 14, 1964) was an American actor. Career Early in his career, Hodgins was active in stock theater, including working in the Ralph Cloninger troupe of Salt Lake City, Utah, the Siegel Stock company of ...

as Joseph Abernathy *

Benny Rubin Benjamin Rubin (February 2, 1899 – July 15, 1986) was an American comedian and film actor. Born in Boston, Rubin made more than 200 radio, film and television appearances over a span of 50 years. Career In 1929, Rubin went to Hollywood, where ...

as Pitch Man

Notes

External links

* * *

References

*Dwyer, Ruth Anne. 1996. ''Malcolm St. Clair: His Films, 1915-1948''. Filmmakers Series, No. 38. ''

The Scarecrow Press Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an American independent academic publishing company founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns t ...

'', Lanham, MD & London. 1942 films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films Films based on radio series Films set in Arkansas 1942 comedy films RKO Pictures films American comedy films Films directed by Malcolm St. Clair 1940s American films Lum and Abner English-language comedy films {{1940s-US-comedy-film-stub