Comin’ Round the Mountain

Comin’ Round the Mountain

Year: 1951

Runtime: 77 mins

Language: English

Director: Charles Lamont

MusicComedy

Al Stewart and Wilbert, a duo of stage magicians, encounter Wilbert’s cousin Dorothy McCoy. They learn that Wilbert’s grandfather, Squeeze‑Box McCoy, hid a treasure in the Kentucky hills, prompting the trio, with their illusion skills, to chase the secret loot.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Comin’ Round the Mountain (1951)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Comin’ Round the Mountain (1951). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

New York, Kentucky, Fort Knox

The story starts in a bustling New York nightclub setting where acts are booked and rival egos collide. It then moves to the rural hills of Kentucky, where the McCoy-Winfield feud drives much of the plot and family dynamics. The treasure hunt climaxes with a sequence linked to the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, tying the local feud to a famous national vault.

🎭 Nightlife 🏞️ Rural landscape 🏦 Gold vault

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:18

Main Characters – Comin’ Round the Mountain (1951)

Meet the key characters of Comin’ Round the Mountain (1951), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Al Stewart (Bud Abbott)

A shrewd theatrical agent who books Dorothy and The Great Wilbert at a New York nightclub. He manages acts and navigates rival egos, using showbiz schemes to keep the money flowing. His scheming helps propel the plot and its comedic misadventures.

🎭 Showbiz 💼 Agent 🤝 Scheming

Dorothy McCoy (Dorothy Shay)

The Manhattan Hillbilly star who becomes entwined in the McCoy-Winfield feud and a love triangle with Wilbert and Clark. She blends charm with determination, seeking loyalty and love while navigating clan loyalties. Her choices drive romantic tension and comedic misunderstandings.

🎭 Performer 💘 Romantic lead 🤝 Loyal

Wilbert Smith (Lou Costello)

The inept escape artist who turns out to be the long-lost McCoy kin. His bumbling nature and good-heartedness propel much of the film’s chaos, including the love-potion chaos and the treasure hunt. He unwittingly becomes the focal point of the clan’s decisions and romantic entanglements.

🎭 Entertainer 🧪 Naive 🤯 Chaos

Granny McCoy (Ida Moore)

The matriarch who preserves family lore and pushes the treasure plot forward. She reveals key history of the feud and guides Wilbert toward the clues that unlock the gold’s location. Her presence anchors the clan’s traditions and the quest for wealth.

👵 Matriarch 🗝️ Keeper of secrets 🧭 Family loyalty

Kalem McCoy (Joe Sawyer)

Head of the McCoy clan who enforces traditional rules, including the demand that Wilbert marry Clora to access the gold. He embodies clan leadership and the pressure of lineage on personal choices.

🗡️ Leader 🧭 Clan head 💬 Negotiator

Aunt Huddy (Margaret Hamilton)

The local witch who provides the love potion and, in the process, helps fuel mischief. She and Wilbert craft voodoo dolls that cause pain when pins are stuck, intensifying the comedy and romantic chaos.

🧙 Witch 🪄 Magic 💊 Potion craft

Devil Dan Winfield (Glenn Strange)

Leader of the Winfield clan and the main antagonist in the feud. He participates in the family contests and experiences a reversal when the love potion, inadvertently, makes him fall for Wilbert. His actions escalate the conflict toward the vault confrontation.

⚔️ Antagonist 🧨 Rivalry 🧭 Feud

Clark Winfield (Kirby Grant)

Dorothy’s love interest and a rival from the Winfield side. His affections and rivalry with Wilbert create a tension-filled dynamic that tests loyalties within the feud.

💘 Love interest ⚖️ Rival clan 👫 Loyalty

Mattie McCoy (Shaye Cogan)

Kalem’s daughter, the 14-year-old Clora who is central to the marriage plot required for revealing the treasure. Her presence amplifies the stakes of family honor and future inheritance.

👧 Prodigy 💍 Marriage plot 🧭 Family

Luke McCoy (Robert Easton)

A member of the McCoy clan who participates in clan dynamics and the pursuit of the treasure within the feud.

🧭 Clan member 🗡️ Loyalty 🗺️ Strategy

Zeke (O.Z. Whitehead)

A supporting member of the McCoy/Winfield milieu providing additional comic or fringe involvement in the escalating capers.

🧩 Support character 🗡️ Sidekick

Jed (William Fawcett)

A local judge or authority figure who appears within the feud's clashes and legal proceedings, representing order amid chaos.

⚖️ Judge 🗳️ Authority

Droopy Beagle (Cliff Arquette)

A character likely used for comic relief, contributing to the film’s lighthearted tone within the feud and treasure capers.

🐶 Animal companion 😂 Comic relief

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:18

Major Themes – Comin’ Round the Mountain (1951)

Explore the central themes of Comin’ Round the Mountain (1951), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⚔️ Feud

Two rival clans, the McCoys and Winfields, have harbored a long-standing feud for decades. The history of insults, bets, and clashes sets the stage for ongoing scheming and comedic confrontations. The feud shapes choices, from marriage pressures to high-stakes shows and reckless competitions.

💰 Treasure

A treasure map hidden in Wilbert’s concertina triggers a hunt that spans mine tunnels and guarded vaults. The pursuit of gold intertwines clan loyalties with danger, as the mine leads toward a vault described as needing guards and resolve to reach. The treasure serves as a catalyst for alliances, betrayals, and dramatic misadventures.

💘 Romance

A love potion shared and spread through the group creates a web of romantic confusion, initially drawing Dorothy to Wilbert and later entangling Clark and others. The potion fuels farce as affections shift, collide, and then fade, forcing characters to reconsider loyalties. After the spell wears off, relationships are re-evaluated against the backdrop of the treasure hunt.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 16:18

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Fast-paced treasure hunt comedies like Comin’ Round the Mountain

Chaotic chases for hidden loot, driven by bumbling heroes and absurd clues.If you liked the chaotic treasure hunt in Comin’ Round the Mountain, you'll enjoy these movies. This list features comedies where bumbling adventurers chase hidden loot, leading to slapstick fun, whimsical misadventures, and lighthearted resolutions.

treasure huntslapstickbumbling heroeswhimsicallightheartedchaotic adventurehidden loot

Narrative Summary

The narrative typically revolves around a dubious map or family legend that prompts an unlikely group of heroes to embark on a quest. The journey is filled with comical obstacles, misunderstandings, and rival treasure hunters, all building towards a playful reveal that often mocks the initial greed or ambition.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here based on their core plot engine—a comedic treasure hunt—and their shared light, playful tone. They prioritize humor and whimsical adventure over genuine peril, creating a consistently fun and undemanding viewing experience.

Comedies with magical mishaps like Comin’ Round the Mountain

Stories where spells, potions, or stage tricks cause hilarious romantic and social chaos.Fans of the love potion chaos in Comin’ Round the Mountain will find more to love here. These movies feature whimsical stories where magic or trickery leads to romantic mix-ups, silly misunderstandings, and a generally playful, fast-paced comic vibe.

magic mishapslove potionwhimsicalfarcicalromantic chaossillyplayful

Narrative Summary

The plot is driven by a magical intervention that disrupts the normal social order, typically around romance. Characters find themselves in absurd situations dictated by the magic, leading to a series of comedic set pieces before the spell is broken or the trick revealed, resulting in a happy and harmonious conclusion.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their use of light magical elements as a primary source of comedy. The shared vibe is one of whimsical chaos, where the stakes are emotional and humorous rather than dark or dangerous, appealing to a love for playful, farcical storytelling.

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Comin’ Round the Mountain Summary

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Comin’ Round the Mountain Summary

Comin’ Round the Mountain Timeline

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Comin’ Round the Mountain Timeline

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More About Comin’ Round the Mountain

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