Summary
In the twilight of the silent era, 'Meet the Folks' unfurls a lighthearted, yet culturally telling, romantic comedy. We witness the fated encounter of Jimmie Adams' meticulously fussy city-dweller and Gayle Lloyd's spirited, attractive young woman aboard the 'Mountain Dew Express,' both bound for the rustic charm of the Tennessee hills and their respective kin. However, their nascent romance is immediately tested by the discovery that their families are entrenched on opposing sides of a deep-seated, Hatfields-and-McCoys-esque feud. As moonshine-fueled skirmishes erupt and rural traditions clash, the film poses a charmingly simple, yet potent, question: can love truly conquer all, even when 'all' includes generations of entrenched hillbilly warfare and the very real threat of comedic mayhem?
Synopsis
A male fusspot (Jimmie Adams) and attractive maiden (Gayle Lloyd) meet on the "Mountain Dew Express" train, each headed to visit relatives in the Tennessee hills. Upon arriving, however, they quickly discover they're on opposite sides of a Hatfields-and-McCoys-style feud between hillbilly clans. Can romance survive moonshine-fueled rural warfare? Adams carved out a moderately successful career in two-reel comedy shorts for various studios through the later silent era, relying more on his singing talent with the arrival of sound. Alas, not for long, as he died of a heart attack in 1933. - Dennis Harvey
