My Wife's Relatives (1939) Reviews

My Wife's Relatives is an easy-to-take entry in Republic's "Higgins Family" series. It all begins when Joe Higgins (James Gleason), business manager of a prosperous candy-manufacturing firm, is ordered by his pompous boss Ellis (Purnell Pratt) to break up the romance between Ellis' son Bill (Henry Arthur) and Joe's daughter Jean (Mary Higgins). Refusing, Joe quits his job and sets up his own candy company. It's a money-losing enterprise until Joe's wife Lil (Lucille Gleason) loses her diamond ring in a batch of candy and offers a $5000 reward to anyone who can retrieve the ring. The ensuing "run" on the Higgins Family's product puts them on the same footing financially with Ellis, who is now more amenable to the marriage between Bill and Mary. In addition to real life husband and wife James and Lucille Gleason, My Wife's Relatives also stars the Gleason's son Russell as Sid Higgins. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi