The 1955 film "Lay That Rifle Down" is a rural set comedy starring Judy Canova as a young woman working for a hotel in a small town. She owns a small farm which a greedy aunt and banker want to buy. Two confidence men have convinced the banker and aunt that the land is valuable. Judy Canova's character is also named Judy Canova and she lives on the farm with three adopted children and their grandfather. The title comes from the 1943 song "Pistol Packin' Mama" which has a line "Lay that pistol down." At one point on Judy's birthday she brings out a cake with some small embedded items. One boy finds a dime which he holds up. As part of the confidence scheme one man cashes a check for $25,000 and the teller has a hard time obtaining the cash and finally resorting to loose change coins.

The town is also named Greebville after a local family which owns the hotel. The town's name is close to "greed" which would apply to some of the residents. Judy Canova works for the hotel which is run by her aunt Sarah Greeb and her cousin Betty Greeb. Judy owns a small farm where she lives with Mr. Fletcher and his three grandsons. The farm is mostly sagebrush and does not produce much.

Judy cuts a birthday cake which has small items embedded as gifts.

The other children receive small items. Judy is waiting at a bus stop.

A newspaper headline reads "IKE ASKS FOR WAR." A handsome man gets off the bus and Judy asks him to pose as her boyfriend. He agrees and tells her that he is Poindexter March III, a Texas oil millionaire. Poindexter joins Judy at a resturant.

Judy's daughter Tweeny (Tweeny Canova) also works at the hotel, and Horace is Betty's friend.

Glover Speckleton is the local banker and General Ballard is a visiting Army general who wants to buy Judy's farm for the US government. He offers a lot of money for the farm. The "general" and Poindexter are actually confidence men running a scheme.

The men suggest that Judy sell her farm to her aunt. Judy is losing money on the farm and has taken out loans on the property. The banker and Judy's aunt make another attempt to buy the farm.

Judy refuses again. Poindexter meets Judy's family and is touched by her kindness and decides to drop out of the scheme and advises her not to sell the farm. Aunt Sarah and the banker threaten to report Judy to the authorities and have her children taken from her. Judy finally sells them the farm and receives $25,000. Ballard is not happy with Poindexter's defection and hit him, knocking him unconscious. Ballard tells Judy that Poindexter needs money and she gives him a check for $25,000. He takes the check to the bank to cash it.

The bank teller looks all over for cash to pay Ballard. Speckleton wakes up, finds Judy, and tells her to try and stop Ballard. Judy takes an antique rifle that the children have put a lot of gunpowder in and Mr. Fletcher drives her to town.

The teller gives Ballard successively smaller bills and counting each one while Ballard becomes impatient and wants to leave. The teller runs out of bills and is $50 short so he starts giving Ballard change coins.

Ballard now has his $25,000 and leaves the bank. The cloth bag reads "Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco." Judy arrives at the bank when Ballard is driving away.

The extra powder in the rifle blasts Ballard's car and almost disintegrates it.

The sheriff and others arrive.

The sheriff arrests the two men, the money is recovered, and the banker has Judy sign a paper nullifying the sale of her farm.

Judy Canova as Judy
Tweeny Canova as Tweeny
Jacqueline deWit as Sarah Greeb
Jil Jarmyn as Betty Greeb
James Bell as Mr. Fletcher
Leon Tyler as Horace
Richard Deacon as Glover Speckleton
Robert Burton as General Ballard
Director: Charles Lamont
Writers: Barry Shipman