The Great Gildersleeve

The radio show is A-1 and at the top of the heap of Old time Radio and had a cast that was amazing in it's greatness. The movie unfortunately is missing a few beats and cannot live up to the radio version. But you know what? It really doesn't matter much, Gildersleeve is still a delight to watch and there are enough good backup parts to carry the show. The radio show Leroy is not here and that is a major problem. Peavey is here, but he is not much of an actor on the screen. But there is still enough fun and characters to carry us on a charming romp through the days of yore, when fun was fun and it was rate G! I am a big fan of the radio show and also of the television show and I would recommend watching the movies whenever TCM runs them. Usually they run all the movies on the same day, so get your recorders ready.

An offshoot of the Fibber McGee and Molly radio show, Harold Peary is "Gildersleeve", a sad sack who gets into trouble now and then. In this adventure, his neighbors want to get him married off, and after the usual mis-understandings, he gets in deeper and deeper. Nancy Gates and Jane Darwell co-star, and can't seem to mind their own business. "None so Rare", sung by little tyke Freddie Mercer, first as an aria, then in jazz. he made a bunch of films in the first half of the 1940s, then seems to have disappeared; died young at age 48, but that doesn't seem to be discussed anywhere. It's ok. Gildersleeve always has a weird, creepy laugh, and spends the whole film oddly moaning and running in circles. the strange laugh really got annoying. SO much slapstick comedy...( the three stooges must have been busy that week.) it really got annoying. maybe comedy has just changed since this was made. Just a silly, quickie from RKO. Directed by Gordon Douglas; he worked with Elvis (follow that dream), Sinatra (five films!) and did the Falcon in Hollywood, an pretty good chapter in the the Falcon murders.

You don't have to be an old-time radio buff to enjoy films like this. If you're simply an admirer of good comedy, that's enough.

All the GILDERSLEEVE films made by RKO in the 1940s were thoroughly enjoyable, and this first one of the series was one of the very, very best. Of course it all hangs on Harold Peary's performance as the blustering Throckmorton Gildersleeve and he doesn't disappoint for a single moment. His performance is fresh, original and warm and he brings to the part a believability that rises above the occasional well-handled slapstick interludes. Peary was one of a kind and, as they say, we shall not look upon his like again.

Jane Darwell, fresh from her Oscar-winning performance in John Ford's THE GRAPES OF WRATH, added solid support as Aunt Emma, while the rest of the cast (which included some of the original radio stars) added much to the fun.

This pre-babyboomer piece of Americana is highly recommended for its wit, its charm and its evocation of the better USA that once was. Let's hope Warner Brothers (who now own the RKO films) will get these onto blu-ray or DVD real soon.

Great glimpse of small town America, when it and not car crashes was the focus of media entertainment. Gildy's a perfect small town character, right down to his basso profundo grunts, groans, and cackles. Here he's got a feud going with the town judge (Arnt) who's questioning his guardianship of teenage niece (Gates) and singing wonder nephew (Mercer). So naturally, to top his rival, Gildy runs for mayor. I love that little campaign parade down Main Street with a band and majorette, just perfect for a small town. Then too, how is eligible bachelor Gildersleeve going to escape the wiles of husband-hunting Amelia, the judge's sister of all people. She's nothing if not persistent. Anyway, the kids are cute, the plot amusing, plus there's a good whiff of a gentler age unfortunately gone by.

The first of four RKO movies about Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, a popular radio character voiced by Harold Peary. I'm far too young to have listened to the original Gildersleeve radio broadcasts but I have heard many of them thanks to Old Time Radio. It was a very funny sitcom with enjoyable characters and great voicework. The most distinct voice belonged to that of star Harold Peary, who continues the role in this film series. Gildersleeve is a friendly blowhard who takes in his niece and nephew after their parents die. In this first film in the series, a judge threatens to take the kids away from Gildersleeve if he doesn't marry the judge's spinster sister.

Harold Peary is fun but I think the phrase "a face made for radio" applies here. He has a very unique voice but his screen presence is lacking. Try closing your eyes during his scenes and you'll get an idea how much better he plays on radio. Jane Darwell plays Aunt Emma, who moves in to help Gildersleeve with the kids. She was such a fine dramatic actress and here she proves she can do comedy quite well, too. Lillian Randolph plays Birdie the maid. Nancy Gates and Freddie Mercer play the two kids. Mercer is a little weird and nowhere near as funny as Walter Tetley was in the role on radio. Gates is pretty and likable. Thurston Hall, Charles Arnt, and Mary Field round out the cast.

Probably my favorite scene in the movie is an early one where Gildersleeve takes his nephew's scooter to pick up Aunt Emma from the train station. In addition to being a hilarious scene, there's some cute rear projection effects. There are funny moments throughout even if it never manages to match the level of the radio show. As with all old movies about small-town America, there is a certain charm and innocence about it that I can't help but enjoy watching. For a lack of a better word to describe the feeling, it's a 'peaceful' viewing experience.