'' Jeepers Creepers'' is a 1939 American musical comedy starring

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

, with the popular hillbilly comedy troupe

the Weaver Brothers and Elviry The Weaver Brothers and Elviry were musical comedy vaudeville and film performers, in the " hillbilly" style. The group consisted of brothers Leon "Abner" Weaver and Frank "Cicero" Weaver, with June "Elviry" Weaver. The group headlined a traveling v ...

. Rogers plays a Sheriff in a town where a rich industrialist cheats a poor family out of their land when coal is discovered there. The unusual title refers to the 1938 song " Jeepers Creepers" by

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

and

Jerry Mercer Gerald "Jerry" Mercer (born April 27, 1939) is a Canadian drummer, best known for his work with the rock groups Mashmakhan and April Wine. Personal life Mercer was born in Newfoundland. Prior to becoming a full-time musician, Mercer worked ...

, which Rogers and the cast sing during the film. The film also features " Little Brown Jug", "

In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree is a popular song dating from 1905. It was written by Harry Williams and Egbert Van Alstyne (music). Popular recordings in 1905 were by Henry Burr; Albert Campbell; Haydn Quartet; and by Arthur Pryor's Band. O ...

", "

Listen to the Mocking Bird "Listen to the Mocking Bird" (1855) is an American popular song of the mid-19th century. Its lyrics were composed by Septimus Winner under the pseudonym "Alice Hawthorne", and its music was by Richard Milburn. It relates the story of a singer dream ...

", and "

In the Good Old Summer Time "In the Good Old Summer Time" is an American Tin Pan Alley song first published in 1902 with music by George Evans and lyrics by Ren Shields. Background Shields and Evans were at first unsuccessful in trying to sell the song to one of New York ...

Plot

Wealthy industrialist M. K. Durant (

Thurston Hall Ernest Thurston Hall (May 10, 1882 – February 20, 1958) was an American film, stage and television actor.Aylesworth, Thomas G. and Bowman, John S. (1987). ''The World Almanac Who's Who of Film''. World Almanac. . Pp. 186-187. Career Stag ...

) discovers a rich vein of coal on the Pineville property owned by

the Weavers The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City originally consisting of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. Founded in 1948, the group sang traditional folk songs fro ...

. When the family refuses to sell their property to him, he discovers the Weavers owe back taxes. Durant pays them, takes possession of their land and begins mining. Sheriff Roy and the rest of Pineville's citizens come up with a plan to drive Durant and his miners away. The miners retaliate by starting a forest fire. Durant is trapped under his car when it overturns in the path of the fire. After he is saved by the sheriff and the townspeople, Durant relents; he stops his mining operations and returns the land to the Weavers. Durant's daughter, Connie (

Maris Wrixon Mary Alice "Maris" Wrixon (December 28, 1916 – October 6, 1999) was an American film and television actress. She appeared in over 50 films between 1939 and 1951. Early years Wrixon was born in Billings, Montana, and raised in Great Falls, ...

), and Sheriff Roy have also fallen in love to make this a very happy ending.

Cast

Reception

Showmen's Trade Review ''Showmen's Trade Review'' was a weekly trade magazine for exhibitors and distributors of motion pictures published by Charles E. "Chick" Lewis (February 6, 1896 - October 22, 1953) out of offices in New York City. History and profile The first ...

'' wrote, "For the great masses of American theatergoers, ''Jeepers Creepers'' should provide thoroughly enjoyable entertainment. It's loaded with hokum ..making the film as a whole anything but a critic's delight; but as far as the average family is concerned, it's solid homespun comedy-drama right down their alley." ''

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' agreed, stating that "This picture will probably be all right for the backwoods nabes, but for city and suburban houses it does not measure up as interesting screenfare. The story is tried and true, but bewhiskered to its knees and without any unusual or novel twists." Additionally, ''

The New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'' found the film "too wobbly to stand alone, in this section of the country anyway ..This Republic story about a rugged individualist taking advantage of the poor mountaineers has long gray whiskers down to here."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeepers Creepers (1939 Western Film) 1939 films Republic Pictures films 1939 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films American black-and-white films Films directed by Frank McDonald 1930s English-language films 1930s American films