Uncle Joe (DVD)

Socialite debutante Clare (Gale Storm) worries her well-to-do parents with fast living and a gutter romance with decadent and impoverished painter Paul D'Arcy. In an attempt to smother the embers of their forbidden love, Clare's parents send her away to visit Uncle Joe (Slim Summerville).

Joe is a simple but wise farmer who spends his time inventing all manner of newfangled laborsaving devices while shyly courting spinster Julia (the incomparable comedic actress Zasu Pitts). At first distressed by the folksy gait of Joe's hometown of Baysville, Clare takes to the country when all the local boys, who use to tease her, now come a-courting.

When Julia defaults on her mortgage and her home is threatened with repossession by the bank, Clare, Uncle Joe and the boys rally together to save her house by winning a limerick contest on the radio. Ardor blossoms between Clare and Dick, son of the local banker, while the youngsters also seek a way to awaken Uncle Joe and Julia to their autumnal passion for each other.

Brimming with whimsy and crackerjack performances marinated with mirth, Uncle Joe is a sweet natured and warm slice of hilarity.

• comedy