The Higgins Family films was Republic Pictures' response to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's popular Andy Hardy series, as well as 20th Century Fox's Jones Family series.
In the first seven movies, James Gleason, his wife Lucile and their son Russell played Joe, Lillian, and Sydney Higgins.
In the last two, they were all replaced, by Roscoe Karns, Ruth Donnelly, George Ernest and Spencer Charters, respectively.
Betty was played by Mary Beth Hughes in the fourth and Lois Ranson in the last five.
Gus Meins directed all of the Gleason pictures, and produced some of the later ones.