Young Pud is orphaned and left in the care of his aged grandparents. The boy and his grandfather are inseparable. Gramps is concerned for Pud's future and wary of a scheming relative who seeks custody of the child. One day Mr. Brink, an agent of Death, arrives to take Gramps "to the land where the woodbine twineth." Through a bit of trickery, Gramps confines Mr. Brink, and thus Death, to the branches of a large apple tree, giving Gramps extra time to resolve issues about Pud's future.
Acting
Lionel Barrymore's crotchety warmth anchors the absurd premise.
Writing
Death as polite gentleman — decades before Bill and Ted.
Director
Harold S. Bucquet
Lionel Barrymore
Julian Northrup aka Gramps
Cedric Hardwicke
Mr. Brink
Beulah Bondi
Nellie Northrup aka Granny
Una Merkel
Marcia Giles
Bobs Watson
Pud Northrup
Nat Pendleton
Mr. Grimes
Henry Travers
Dr. Evans
Grant Mitchell
Mr. Pilbeam
Eily Malyon
Demetria Riffle
James Burke
Sheriff Burlingame
Ian Wolfe
Charles Wentworth
Phillip Terry
Bill Lowry
Truman Bradley
James Northrup
Dorothy Adams
Florist (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Lionel Barrymore filmed in a wheelchair due to severe arthritis; the production incorporated it into Gramps's character rather than hiding it.
The 'land where the woodbine twineth' became Depression-era slang for death, referenced in everything from Looney Tunes to FDR's speeches.
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