George Washington Slept Here

Ann Sheridan buys a dilapidated house believing that "George Washington Slept Here" in this 1942 film also starring Jack Benny, Percy Kilbride, Charles Coburn and Hattie McDaniel.

Sheridan and Benny are husband and wife Bill and Connie Fuller, about to be evicted from their apartment because of their dog shredding the hall rug.

Wanting to plant roots, Connie has fallen in love with an old house and purchased it, possibly without thinking it through. There's no water, the roof leaks, and Bill falls through the floor and continually falls down the stairs.

Their budget triples as their hired handyman (Kilbride) needs to buy more gravel, more this, more that, all the time drilling for water (and finding the neighbor's) - until the couple is nearly out of money.

After putting everything they have into the house, they can't pay the $5000 note on it. Hope is in the form of Connie's annoying Uncle Stanley (Coburn), who's come for a visit.

Based on the play by Moss Hart, "George Washington Slept Here" makes a good transition to the screen, thanks to the fabulous delivery of Jack Benny, who is a riot, the charm of the lovely Ann Sheridan, and the deadpan affect of "Pa Kettle," Percy Kilbride. He gives Benny a run for his money in the comedy department. You won't want to miss his rendition of "I'll Never Smile Again" and the one different facial expression he uses in the entire film.

All of the cast is good, including Hattie McDaniel, who watches the dinner table with the dinner on it float away and Charles Coburn as an uncle who only gives gifts of his photo.

Typical chaotic, warm, funny Moss Hart play that he wrote so well. Definitely worth seeing.

Percy Kilbride shows up often on Jack Benny's radio show, particular those broadcast during World War II. His deadpan delivery always had the cast and audience in stitches and it is a real treat to encounter Kilbride in roles as a postal official or delivery man, bent on enforcing the "rules" much to the chagrin of Benny, and his sidekicks. Later, as Pa Kettle, Kilbride enjoyed his greatest success. Any fan of Jack Benny and anyone who has access to Benny's radio shows can benefit from "George Washington Slept Here" because you not only get a good look at the man himself, but in this case you get the extra benefit of seeing Benny and Kilbride reprise, so to speak, their wonderfully workable comedy.

Years before Cary Grant and Myrna Loy tried to build their dreamhouse and decades before Tom Hanks and Shelley Long slipped into their money pit, Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan had a similar architectural mis-adventure. The two star as Bill and Connie Fuller, a couple of Manhattanites forced out of their apartment by their stringent landlord. Behind Bill's back, Connie buys a dilapidated house in the countryside that George Washington allegedly once spent the night in. The two set about fixing the place up, a Sisyphean task that is sure to make you laugh, in William Keighley's 'George Washington Slept Here.'

Based on the play of the same name by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, Everett Freeman's screenplay is frequently funny, occasionally contrived and not terrifically ambitious. The conceit is simple and the narrative structure is linear- a house is renovated. It's not what one would call an unpredictable story. On top of that, the characters aren't especially well- rounded creations, and conflicts which arise between them throughout feel forced. The witty dialogue and sharp interplay between those characters is entertaining, though, and the antics they engage in whilst repairing the house are funny; if not terribly original. It may not be the most sophisticated tale ever, but it is an enjoyable one.

The house- the main location in the film- is the same one used in 'Arsenic and Old Lace,' and Casey Roberts's set dressing and decoration of it is impressive work. Allegedly, the crew roughed the place up with sledgehammers before shooting, and the results are striking. One could be forgiven for thinking the building had really been abandoned for years. This all may seem like a trivial point to make, but when a film revolves around a structure being dilapidated; it's important that it actually does look run-down- the house in 'George Washington Slept Here' really does.

Ernest Haller was a great cinematographer with a keen eye and a real flair behind the camera, with his striking work in films like 'Gone With The Wind' and 'Rebel Without a Cause' still being extolled today. His work on 'George Washington Slept Here' is less laudable, consisting of visuals that are underwhelming and flat- dull, even. Additionally, of issue is Ralph Dawson's editing: a loose affair which leaves the film with an uneven pace- and as the aphorism goes, with comedy it's all in the timing.

A performer of impeccable comic timing, Jack Benny is terrific in the film. He was a suave, instantly likable entertainer of much charm, wit and talent, which he showcases in his performance as Bill. The character was written for him, and is quite similar to the persona established on his radio and television programs. Naturally, the role fits Benny like a glove, and he and co-star Ann Sheridan have a good chemistry on screen.

Sheridan has less to do then Benny, playing the straight-man, so to speak; a feat she was more than capable of. Her understated performance is beguiling, and she proves that she had the ability to handle comedy deftly. From the supporting cast, Percy Kilbride does a memorable turn as an eccentric building contractor, Hattie McDaniel is consistently good as the Fuller's maid and Charles Coburn steals his all too few scenes as the Fullers' tight-fisted uncle.

'George Washington Slept Here' is a light, well-acted and thoroughly enjoyable comedy from William Keighley that is sure to please and amuse. While not particularly original or affecting, the story is entertaining, the dialogue is sharp and stars Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan impress with their comedic talents and ease of performance. It may not bring down the house, but 'George Washington Slept Here' will surely leave a few rolling in the aisles.

The classic of the "ramshackle house in the country" genre is without doubt "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House", and although this predecessor by 6 years does not attain its succesor's high comic level, it is still amusing and worth a see. I must admit I feel ancient when a viewer here writes "Remember Jack Benny?" For those of us who grew up in the fifties he was a titan of early television. Although he and Ann Sheridan cannot match the chemistry of Cary Grant and Myrna Loy in the later flick, they still work well together, and the whole project is abetted by a marvelous script from the unmatched talents of Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, whose best lines go to Benny's Bill Fuller. Also notable are a contribution from Charles Coburn and a cameo from the inimitable Franklin Pangborn. Worthwhile comic viewing.

George S. Kauffman & Moss Hart's GEORGE WASHINGTON SLEPT HERE was one of Broadway's most successful comedies of the early 1940s, a bright and witty tale with a slightly Americana tone that World War II audiences found particularly appealing. The film version, sparked up by the completely unexpected chemistry of dry-humored Jack Benny and "Oomph Girl" Ann Sheridan, is every bit as charming.

When New Yorkers Bill and Connie Fuller (Benny and Sheridan) are evicted from their apartment (their third change of address in less than a year), wife Connie decides what they need is a place in the country... and buys an incredibly dilapidated house where George Washington is said to have once slept. Needless to say, husband Bill is horrified--and keeps on being horrified as the price of renovation skyrockets.

Benny was most popular when he played himself in roles tailored to his talents, but although this role is a bit atypical his talents are well suited to the constantly harried Bill Fuller--and he has remarkable rapport with co-star Ann Sheridan, an underestimated actress who shows tremendous flair for comedy as his determinedly optimistic wife. Both are well supported by a cast that includes Charles Coburn, Joyce Reynolds, and Percy Kilbride, and Hattie McDaniel (best remembered as Mammy in GONE WITH THE WIND) really shines as Hester, their long-suffering domestic who finds herself with a hole in the kitchen wall big enough for a horse to walk through--and one does! The pace is snappy, the script is witty, and every one is sure to have a good time. Recommended.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer