Gildersleeve's Ghost

Normally, if I were going to watch a picture from a series, I'd start at the beginning. But the fourth or four Great Gildersleeve films called to me when I read the summary on IMDB. I sounds so weird, so ill-conceived and so nutty that I had to see it!

Throckmorton Gildersleeve is running for police commissioner. Two of his dead relatives (all played by Harold Peary) visit him and decide to help him in the election. Unfortunately, things get really foul things up and Throckmorton becomes involved with a mad scientist, an invisible (and quite frisky) woman and a sometimes invisible gorilla. I kid you not!!! Can it get any stranger than this????

The best thing going for this film is that thankfully it doesn't take itself seriously...which separates it from films like those of, for instance, Ed Wood Jr.. It's meant to be hokey and silly...and it does certainly succeeds at this!

So is it worth your time? Well, a lot of it depends on you. For many, I am sure it's so silly that you would hate it. But for others, its ridiculous story elements (and it's chock full of 'em) make it a must-see! For me, I enjoyed its dopiness. It's not good...but it IS entertaining! And, it certainly won't be mistaken for an Oscar nominee or addition to the Criterion Collection!

By the way, while he acts much like Willie Best and looks a lot like him, that's Nick Stewart playing Chauncy. You might remember his as Lightnin' in the old "Amos 'n Andy" TV series. While some might dislike his scared black guy shtick in this film and find it's not politically correct, it's very similar to Lou Costello in "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein"...in fact it's nearly identical.

I wanted to like it, I really did. As an old-time radio buff, I have a soft spot for movies like this one, and The Great Gildersleeve is one of my favorite characters. But there's no saving this turkey. It's a dreadful outing; the plot is a ridiculous farrago about the ghosts of Gildy's ancestors rising from the grave to help him thwart the machinations of a mad scientist with an invisibility potion. The movie starts out with a lame premise and flubs along to keep it afloat, making for very tedious viewing. A certain amount of contrivance is to be expected for any sitcom extended to feature length, but this movie takes it too far to be successful. All that needs to be said about 'Gildersleeve's Ghost' to get the idea of what viewers are in for is that much attempted hilarity is derived from confusion between a gorilla on the loose and various characters disguised in a gorilla costume. Final analysis: Almost unwatchable.

"The Great Gildersleeve" is my favorite old time radio show, but I can't necessarily say this is this big-screen version is the best example of what made the show work so well.

Running for police commissioner, Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve is caught up in a whirlwind affair involving an escaped gorilla, an invisible woman and a mad scientist lurking in a mysterious mansion near Summerfield. The chain of events is set in motion by two ghosts from the Gildersleeve family tree (played by Harold Perry, in addition to his work as our favorite Uncle Mort). Of course, only Gildy sees the gorilla, the ghost girl and other mysterious goings- on, leading everyone to believe he's probably going a bit mad.

Lots of the humor comes from misunderstanding or conveniently placed trap doors and invisible girls vanishing at just the right moment. Plot threads are brought up and then dropped just as quickly (once the ghosts vanish in the first reel, they're not heard from again, despite claims they want to help our hero).

As a fan of the radio program, it's fun to see various cast members from the show on screen, playing their familiar roles. Marjorie and Leroy are played by different actors (a necessity since both roles were played by older actors than the characters they played) however. Mr. Peavey and Judge Hooker are on hand, with Mr. Peavey playing the foil to Gildy throughout the film. (You may become weary of his famous line, "Well now, I wouldn't say that" before the final reel).

At just over an hour, the movie doesn't overstay its welcome, but it's not necessarily anything to write home about either. If you're a big fan of the radio show, give it a try. If you've not heard of Gildersleeve, find some of the radio programs first to get a better feel of why the show was so popular.

Though no great shakes on its own, "Gildersleeve's Ghost" is at least much better than "Gildersleeve's Bad Day", the only other film in this series I have seen so far. It throws in everything but the kitchen sink: ghosts, a mad scientist and his shady assistant, a loose gorilla, an invisible woman, a "haunted" mansion with secret passageways, a thunderstorm, etc. Clever special effects, funny if old-hat gags, an astoundingly fleshy and bodacious Marion Martin (when we see her body in the flesh, that is), and a good supporting comedic performance by the prolific but little-known Nicodemus Stewart. **1/2 out of 4.

Its common, I suppose, for celebrities to make it on a single attribute. Julia's smile, Jaylo's butt... and Peary's laugh. He was already one of the top radio personalities of all time based on his exploitation of that one comic effect.

Here, it is transferred to the screen as nearly all radio successes were. And it is shoehorned into a formula cornucopia: a real gorilla and a gorilla costume; a disappearing and reappearing "show" girl (who gets to be nude on screen in a shower scene, but invisibly so); and a mad scientist. The whole thing is framed by the ghosts the ancestors of Gildy's and his sidekick, played by the same actors of course.

Its the old kind of simple comic nesting: the story within the story, that contains actors acting and confusions between the two.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.