By Violet LeVoit
Granny Get Your Gun
Brief Synopsis
An elderly woman turns sheriff to clear her granddaughter of murder charges.
Cast & Crew
Read More
George Amy
Director
May Robson
Minerva Hatton
Harry Davenport
Nate [Paulson]
Margot Stevenson
Julie Westcott
Hardie Albright
Phil Westcott
Clem Bevans
Smokey
Film Details
Genre
Suspense/Mystery
Comedy
Release Date
Feb
10,
1940
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
56m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
6 reels
Synopsis
When Julie Westcott's abusive ex-husband Phil threatens to expose Julie's gambling addiction and sue her for custody of their daughter, Minerva Hatton, Julie's mother, helps out by calling her old friend, attorney Nate Paulson. Minerva, a sharpshooter who paid Phil $10,000 to divorce Julie, asks Nate to investigate gambling house owner Riff Daggett and find out who hooked Julie on gambling. After discovering that Julie wrote two rubber checks to Riff to cover her $8,000 gambling debt, and that Phil can file felony charges against her, Minerva sets out to strike a deal with Phil. At Phil's house, Minerva finds his recently murdered body with Julie's handkerchief lying beside him. Minerva tries to shield her daughter from murder charges and shoulders the guilt herself, but an inconsistency in her story on the witness stand leads to Julie's arrest. Determined to clear her daughter's name, Minerva begins an investigation of her own and discovers that Daggett is the owner of the small dog that came running out of Phil's house when she discovered his body. With this information, Minerva goes to Nate's, where Smokey, Nate's assistant, finds Daggett's picture in an old detective story magazine in the "Wanted" section of true crimes. After Minerva and Nate are sworn in as sheriffs pro tem , because the actual sheriff's department is away at a rodeo, the two go after Daggett. They soon locate Daggett, and when he reaches for his gun, Minerva beats him to the draw and shoots him. When the injured Daggett admits to killing Phil, the mystery is solved and Julie is set free.
Director
George Amy
Director
Cast
May Robson
Minerva Hatton
Harry Davenport
Nate [Paulson]
Margot Stevenson
Julie Westcott
Hardie Albright
Phil Westcott
Clem Bevans
Smokey
Clay Clement
Riff Daggett
William Davidson
Fitzgerald
Arthur Aylesworth
Sheriff Quinn
Granville Bates
Tom Redding
Ann Todd
Charlotte
Vera Lewis
Carrie [Ellis]
Max Hoffman Jr.
Frayne
Archie Twitchell
Joe
Walter Wilson
Judge
Nat Carr
Wadsworth
Edith Conrad
Matron
John Deering
First reporter
Creighton Hale
Second reporter
Ed Graham
D.A.'s assistant
Jack Mower
Bailiff
Laird Cregar
Court clerk
George Ovey
Cass
Earl Dwire
Jake
Jimmy Fox
Shorty
Garland Smith
Mechanic
Dave Willock
Timid young man
Crew
Milo Anderson
Gowns
Bryan Foy
Associate Producer
Kenneth Gamet
Original Screenplay
Erle Stanley Gardner
Story
Les Guthrie
Assistant Director
Jack Killifer
Film Editor
Lou William O'connell
Photography
Hugh Reticker
Art Director
C. A. Riggs
Sound
Ted Thomas
Dialogue Director
Jack L. Warner
Executive Producer
Film Details
Genre
Suspense/Mystery
Comedy
Release Date
Feb
10,
1940
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
56m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
6 reels
Articles
Granny Get Your Gun -
Gray haired and sweet-faced May Robson may not have been the oldest actress in movies, but the Australian-born (and Oscar-nominated) actress was one of very few faces in Hollywood's Golden Era born before the Civil War. Here, the queen of a rough-and-tumble Nevada mining town comes to the defense of her granddaughter (Margot Stevenson) when she's sued for divorce on wrongful charges, only to get herself tangled up in a murder case. This comedy-western was, astoundingly, how Warner Brothers burned off their rights to the last Perry Mason novel in their possession, by re-writing the sleuth as a part for the diminutive (5'2") actress who, at the age of 82, was still spry enough to do her own car chases.
By Violet LeVoit
By Violet LeVoit
Granny Get Your Gun -
Gray haired and sweet-faced May Robson may not have been the oldest actress in movies, but the Australian-born (and Oscar-nominated) actress was one of very few faces in Hollywood's Golden Era born before the Civil War. Here, the queen of a rough-and-tumble Nevada mining town comes to the defense of her granddaughter (Margot Stevenson) when she's sued for divorce on wrongful charges, only to get herself tangled up in a murder case. This comedy-western was, astoundingly, how Warner Brothers burned off their rights to the last Perry Mason novel in their possession, by re-writing the sleuth as a part for the diminutive (5'2") actress who, at the age of 82, was still spry enough to do her own car chases.
By Violet LeVoit
Quotes
Trivia
Publicity claimed May Robson did not use a double for the car chase.
Notes
An Los Angeles Examiner pre-production news item noted that Humphrey Bogart was originally set to play the role of "Riff Daggett," and that Jane Bryan was originally slated for the role of "Julie Westcott." August 1939 Hollywood Reporter news items indicate that Vincent Sherman was originally set to direct the film and that Lya Lys was cast in a featured part. Hollywood Reporter news items also note that production on the picture was postponed to allow May Robson to finish her role in Four Wives. According to studio publicity material, Robson did not use a double for the filming of the car chase scenes. The car, a vintage Ford, was reported to have been so heavily damaged during the chase scenes that it was junked at the end of production.
