Hayseed Romance 1935

In a lively silent-era comedy, Elmer Dolittle answers a bold advertisement from a woman seeking a husband. He travels to a quaint house, where he is introduced to the bright-eyed young girl Molly and instantly feels a spark of romance. To his surprise, he learns the person who posted the ad was not Molly at all but her practical, meddling Aunt Molly’s Aunt, who keeps a close eye on every move.

Between the kitchen duties and the aunt’s overbearing supervision, Elmer and Molly are put to work washing dishes, only to fumble and crash through the sink and stacks of porcelain, turning a simple chore into a playful catastrophe. The evening brings more chaos as Molly’s Aunt takes to the piano, delivering loud, lively songs that send dishes teetering and toppled objects skittering across the floor, leaving Elmer scrambling to catch what he can.

That night, rain begins to fall, and a hole in the roof turns the house into a dripping trap. Elmer climbs up to patch the leak, but a misstep sends him plummeting through it, landing on Molly’s Aunt’s bed and sending her careening out the window into a muddy puddle. He improvises by tucking a blanket over the large hole, only for the rain to swell again and burst through, showering water down onto Elmer and the Aunt below. The aunt then climbs back up and, in a ridiculous twist, pushes Elmer out the window and into the same muddy puddle. Choosing a safer night, he camps in the barn.

The following morning, Elmer resolves to declare his love for Molly, but the Aunt keeps interrupting, thwarting any chance for a quiet confession. Later that night, Elmer is haunted—figuratively and literally—by a ghostly version of himself who warns him to flee before Molly’s Aunt uncovers his feelings. As he tries to escape, the Aunt catches him and marches him to the Justice of the Peace, where a rush of ceremony unfolds. The officiant in this moment is Robert McKenzie, who stands in as the judge-like figure for the quickie wedding. Just as the ceremony nears its end, it is revealed that the marriage is intended for Elmer and Molly. When Elmer spots the ghostly double again, he drives it away with a shot, ending the spectral nuisance.