The captain is Guy Kibbee, as Asa, and the captain's kid is Sybil Jason, as Abigail. The interactions between these 2 stars makes for a pleasant screen play. Other actors include May Robsin, as elderly Aunt Marcia, 18y.o. Jane Byran, as Abigail's decade-older sister: Betsy Ann, Fred Lawrence, as Betsy Ann's boyfriend: Tom, Gus Sky, as Aunt Marcia's chauffeur, Mary Treen, as Aunt Marcia's housekeeper, Granville Bates, as the sheriff, and Dick Purcell, Maude Allen, and George Stone as the robber gang.
The plot has several components. There is the conflict between Aunt Marcia and Betsy Ann over whether Betsy should be going to summer school or be home, where she can promote her marriage plans with Tom. There is the animosity between Aunt Marcia and Asa over his frequent drunkenness and escapades while drunk. Also, there is Abigail's hero worship of the laid back Asa and his tall tales. Aunt Marcia and Abigail come into frequent conflict over Abigail's extreme measures to be with Asa, especially when he is in jail. Then, there's the arrival of the 3 thieves, who initially plan to rob the bank. However, they redirect their attention to the possible buried treasure on Bird Island, when they learn about that. Abigail found the map to the treasure in Aunt Marcia's attic things.
In the middle of the night, Asa and Tom take Asa's fishing boat to Bird Island. They don't know that Abigail and Betsy are stowaways inside the cabin, until Tom sings the romantic ballad "Drifting Along". A little later, Abigail sings "I'm the Captain's Kid". Upon landing, they immediately find a treasure chest filled with expensive goblets. But 2 of the thieves have barrowed a boat, and stick up the treasure seekers. However, Asa gets ahold of the gun and sticks up one of the thieves. However, the other thief, behind him, grabs his arm, and he accidentally fires at the other thief, killing him. Asa is charged with murder in a court hearing, in which the remaining robber tells big lies about what happened. Abigail doesn't help, by telling that Asa has killed people before, derived from his tall tales. Thus, Asa is kept in jail, pending a regular trial.
The 2 remaining robbers knock out the chauffeur, and take their own car for a getaway. Abigail rouses the chauffeur, and they chase after the robbers. The chauffeur loses consciousness for a while, when Abigail drives the car, nearly hitting various vehicles and objects. The chauffeur regains consciousness and finishes the drive when they find the robbers, having overturned their car. Police soon arrive and arrest the robbers. Asa is let out of jail when it is discovered the man he killed was wanted for murder in another state. Asa is given a monetary award, and the treasure chest contents, which had been confiscated by the city. Marcia now tries to be pleasant with Asa, seemingly hinting at a possible marriage proposal. But Asa gets in his fishing boat and motors off, with Abigail again a stowaway.
Sybil Jason(as Abigail), a precocious youngster, was signed by Warner as a possible answer to Fox's Shirley Temple. The screenplay is structured as a typical Shirley Temple film, with Abigail a virtual orphan, with a cranky older person at odds with her, becoming friends with a young unmarried woman, and with an older man. She has no contact with other children.
The relationship between Asa and the layed back sheriff was most unusual. When the sheriff left the jail for a while, he let Asa roam the office. He agreed to let Asa out for a couple of days to hunt for the treasure.
See this entertaining film at YouTube.
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