Leave It to Henry
Cast & Crew
Jean Yarbrough
Raymond Walburn
Walter Catlett
Gary Gray
Mary Stuart
Barbara Brown
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In Riverside, a small town with a population of 10,000 "quiet and orderly" citizens, attorney Henry Latham, once thought to be the town's most upstanding resident, is arrested for arson and accused of burning down the McCluskey Toll Bridge. At Henry's trial, his son David testifies that his father had a dispute with Mr. McCluskey over a bicycle, and recalls for the jury the events of that fateful day: When McCluskey catches David and his friend, Georgie Colton, avoiding the twenty-five cent toll on his private bridge, he allows them to pass only after they promise to pay him later, and Henry gives his watch as collateral. At the dinner table that night, Henry argues against the all-female planning committee that his wife Edna has set up for Riverside's upcoming centennial celebration, and vows to put on a better celebration himself. The next day, David and his friend concoct a leaf-raking scheme to earn enough money to get back Henry's watch. At the same time, Henry meets with Georgie's father, Mayor George Colton, and suggests the town's celebration include a reenactment of the burning of the Prairie Queen , a ship that caught fire while sailing down the river one hundred years earlier. Although Henry sells the mayor on the idea of building a replica of the Prairie Queen and setting it on fire, Colton, fully aware of Henry's reputation for attracting trouble, worries that it will result in disaster. Later, Edna finds out about the missing watch and demands that David get it back immediately. When his son fails to produce the watch, Henry visits McCluskey to straighten out the situation. McCluskey, however, remains stubbornly firm in his demands, so Henry promises to complain to his senator. As the centennial celebration gets underway, Colton and Henry toast the successful construction of the steamboat replica, and prepare to transport it to the river for the celebration finale. However, Colton, Henry and taxi driver Milo Williams get drunk and steer the burning steamboat recklessly down the river. The townspeople gather by the river to see the burning boat, but watch in horror as the boat, unable to clear McCluskey's bridge, sets it on fire. David concludes his testimony on the witness stand by telling the jury that Henry was then jailed for setting the fire. Henry is eventually acquitted of the arson charge because of his son's testimony, and the city decides to erect a new bridge at the site of the fire.
Director
Jean Yarbrough
Cast
Raymond Walburn
Walter Catlett
Gary Gray
Mary Stuart
Barbara Brown
Houseley Stevenson
Ida Moore
Olin Howlin
Pat Phelan
George Mcdonald
Maynard Holmes
Burk Symon
William Vedder
Lee Phelps
Stanley Blystone
Harry Harvey
Crew
Wesley Barry
D. D. Beauchamp
Raymond Boltz Jr.
Lloyd Garnell
Charles Huber
Eddie Jones
Edward J. Kay
Tom Lambert
Harry Lewis
John Martin
Ray Mercer
David Milton
Peter Scully
Peter Scully
William Sickner
Ilona Vas
Allen K. Wood
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
For additional information on the "The Latham Family" series (also called the "Henry" series), please consult the Series Index and see the above entry for Henry, the Rainmaker.
