Gildersleeve's Ghost (1944) User Reviews

Amusing Adventure for Gildersleeve

[bigorangemichael · 6/10 · 21 December 2014]

"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.

A Gorilla, Ghosts, and Gildersleeve

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 11 July 2015]

The final Great Gildersleeve picture from RKO is a weird one but entertaining. The plot this time is that Gildersleeve (Harold Peary) is running for police commissioner. The ghosts of two of his ancestors (both also played by Peary) decide to help him but only get him involved with a mad scientist, an invisible woman, and a gorilla! They are Gildersleeves, after all.

This one's fun. I've enjoyed all of the Gildersleeve movies but this one appeals to me especially as I'm a big fan of old horror/sci-fi movies. Harold Peary is great in this one playing three separate roles. Frank Reicher is appropriately sinister as the mad scientist. Beauties Marion Martin and Amelita Ward pretty things up as the invisible woman and French maid respectively. Martin is also very funny. Love her scenes with Gildersleeve. Richard LeGrand, Emory Parnell, Lillian Randolph, Margie Stewart, and Freddie Mercer all offer good support. Marie Blake is the lady in love with Gildersleeve. Every movie in the series had to have one. Nick Stewart is hilarious as a cowardly chauffeur. It's a stereotypical role but he does a lot with it. The 'old dark house' touches are very nice. The guy in the gorilla suit may not be convincing but that's part of the charm of it. Every scene with the gorilla is great. The scene where Gildersleeve threatens to spank the gorilla, believing it to be his nephew Leroy in a costume, is priceless. I can understand it not appealing to everyone but if you enjoy old-school horror comedies with a little atmosphere and a lot of laughs, you'll probably like this.

"Be careful, you'll strain your ectoplasm"...

[Doylenf · 5/10 · 20 November 2007]

Unfortunately, the above quoted line is the best line in the film and comes early on when the plot involves two ghosts of Gildersleeve's ancestors rising from the grave and deciding to help him become police commissioner. Mad scientists with a potion that makes a girl (MARION MARTIN) invisible and an ape on the loose are the ingredients that add to the plot's ill advised mixture of laughs and fright.

RICHAD LeGRAND gets to say his famous line a little too often ("Well, I wouldn't say that"), and the scatterbrained cast includes AMELITA WARD, MARIE BLAKE and FREDDIE MERCER, all badly needing better material.

The ectoplasm is indeed strained to the utmost and the result is a flat comedy in search of a good script. What might potentially have seemed like fun material for Gildersleeve is turned into a forgettable sophomoric mess.

Not recommended, even for fans of the Gildersleeve radio comedy series.

Weakest of the Series

[dougdoepke · 18 February 2014]

Looks like the comedic setup here is more suited to an Abbott and Costello romp than to the gentler humor of Gildersleeve. The material is pretty familiar to old movie fans—a fake gorilla, a real gorilla (sort of), and invisible people who come and go. Of course, there's a ready-made bonanza of cheap laughs in schtick like this, so I suspect this series entry was working on a shorter production schedule than the preceding three that required more difficult scripts.

Anyway, familiar material or not, there's still the surreal premise that guarantees obvious laughs as director Douglas keeps things moving expertly. And get a load of blonde bombshell Marion Martin who wiggles in and out as the Marilyn Monroe of the '40's. Still, I was expecting the subtler humor of small town eccentrics that the series was so good at. Unfortunately, this distinctive brand of humor gets lost in the hectic hijinks of the surreal, making this the weakest of the four series entries, maybe not in the number of laughs, but in overall Andy Griffith-type satisfaction.

The weakest of the Gildersleeve movies

[75groucho · 3/10 · 4 June 2005]

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.

Amusing horror spoof

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 14 May 2022]

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.

Really Bad !

[80334080 · 2/10 · 9 April 2005]

This a good example of the type of potboiler movie made to fill out the bottom half of a double feature program. Double features were very common in the 1930's and 40's and the second half were very cheaply produced and usually mediocre at best. The Guildersleeve series rarely rose to that level. "Guildersleeve's Ghost" is an attempt to create a comedy/mystery movie which is a hard job- it can easily become ridiculous and boring instead of funny and that is what has happened here. If you want to see better examples of the type try some of the Abbot and Costello series where they meet scary characters such as the Invisible Man,Frankenstein, the Mummy or Jekyll and Hyde. I think the best example of comedy/mystery is the 1939 haunted house Bob Hope movie "Cat and the Canary". But don't waste your time with "Guildersleeve's Ghost". The only amusing part of this movie is Hal Peary's laugh and Mr Peavey's classic line "Well I wouldn't say that"-not enough to support an hour long film !!

Amusing hokum

[JohnSeal · 5/10 · 16 April 2005]

Harold Peary's Gildersleeve character appeared in a number of 1940s second features, and this is surely the most bizarre entry in the series. This time he's running for police commissioner against an entrenched and corrupt incumbent (Emory Parnell). When a gorilla (the ubiquitous Charlie Gemora) escapes from the lair of the local mad scientist (the suitably oily Frank Reicher), Gildersleeve is the only person who sees it, giving incumbent Commissioner Haley the electoral issue he's been looking for. This over the top blend of comedy, horror, and science fiction tickled my funny bone, but if you're not a fan of Gildersleeve--or are likely to be offended by the stereotypical black servants--you can safely give this one a miss.

The plot sounds so awful and nutty, I had to watch it!!

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 25 April 2021]

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.

A riot of fun!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 13 September 2017]

Producer: Herman Schlom. Copyright 26 May 1944 by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release: no official release date. The movie was block booked. Australian release: 12 October 1944. 5,831 feet. 64 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Gildersleeve doesn't actually tangle with the ghosts (there are two of them), but he does dance a merry jive with both a now-you-see-her, now-you-don't showgirl and a not-so-tame but definitely dysfunctional gorilla.

NOTES: Fourth and last of the Gildersleeve movie series.

COMMENT: It's almost inevitable that every series character will meet a ghost at some time or other in their film careers. This of course is the Gildersleeve entry and a riot of fun this clever little spoof is too. Oddly, however, most of the amusement is not delivered by Gildersleeve. True, he's in the movie, in triplicate in fact, but he's only tolerably diverting. (He also looks different too. Less presentable, less debonair. Same director as before, so it must be the photographer's less indulgent lighting).

Oddly, all the best bits of business are handed to Marion Martin, and all the funniest comebacks are delivered by Nick Stewart. Now I'm certainly not complaining. I love Marion Martin. She's a real dish, and here, for once, she has a major role. As for Nick Stewart, he is one of the most adept (yet unappreciated) comedians in the business. Not that the movie is lacking in expert farceurs: Richard LeGrand, Emory Parnell, Lillian Randolph, Marie Blake, for instance. (Reicher is great too. The way he keeps a straight face in the midst of all this gorilla-swapping and visible-in/visible-out bedlam is amazing). But Stewart easily tops them all.

The Forrester kids have less footage in this movie. Margie Stewart makes an extremely indifferent Marjorie anyway.

Before I conclude, I must mention Amelita Ward. She's a knock-out! I must also pay tribute to Vernon L. Walker' marvelous special effects.

I'm amazed this entertaining entry received such bad reviews. Robert E. Kent's risible script takes the mickey out of several horror sub- genres, including the invisible woman, the mad scientist, the haunted house, plus real and fake gorillas on the rampage. My only complaint is that it all ends somewhat abruptly. But that's life!

Gorillas, mad scientists, and invisible women Oh my my

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 26 March 2021]

Harold Peary stars as his famous radio character of Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve in this, one of a series of films RKO did adapted from the radio series. Not one of the better of the series.

Hollywood has a fascination with primate behavior from Tarzan to King Kong and occasionally folks like Abbott&Costello and the Ritz Brothers played it for laughs. This was not one of the better primate films.

Too much was thrown in here, everything from the ape, experimented on by the usual movie mad scientists to a disappearing and reappearing Marion Martin. Just too many ingredients without a proper recipe.

Plenty of Laughs

[Michael_Elliott · 28 February 2008]

Gildersleeve's Ghost (1944)

*** (out of 4)

Gildersleeve (Harold Peary) is in the middle of a heated election but soon gets caught up with a mad scientist, a mean gorilla and an invisible woman. Here's yet another horror comedy that takes place in a spooky house with a killer gorilla running around. This has been the plot for countless movies but I found this film to be one of the best of the genre with non-stop laughs and some pretty good special effects. I'd call this film better than any of Universal's "Invisible" films of the 40s and it also ranks as one of the better horror comedies of the era. The supporting cast is full of terrific comic actors who really add a lot of laughs to the film. Marion Martin, Richard LeGrand, Emory Parnell and Frank Reicher all do nice work in support of Peary. Black actor Nick Stewart gets a terrific role here and gets to show off his comic talent, which is very rare for a black actor in a Hollywood film from this period.

wacky premise

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 15 June 2021]

Two Gildersleeve ghosts discover experiments being conducted by mad scientist Dr. John Wells which include an invisible woman and an escaped gorilla. Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve is running for police commissioner against the incumbent Haley. His niece and nephew want to campaign for him in costumes, Leroy in a gorilla costume. This leads a mistaken identity and a hunt for a real gorilla although Haley believes that it's a PR stunt.

It's a minor comedy. The outlandish premise has some screwball potential. I don't know much about the comedic stylings of Harold Peary. It feels like that he's one half of a comedic duo and he struggling to fill both roles. With his tone, he should be a fraidy cat running from ghosts and other monsters. Chauncey dealing with the invisible woman is probably the funniest bits but one has to ignore the bad stereotype. He has a good amount of fraidy cat tone but he can go overboard. This would work better with more slapstick and physical humor. It's all a little less funny than the wacky premise should be able to deliver.

Enjoyable finale to Gildersleeve film series in spite of ripping off some well known classics.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 15 September 2018]

About one reel into this film, I realized that much of this plot I had seen in two films made three years before this: "Topper Returns" and "The Invisible Woman". Harold Pearcy opens up this film, not only with his trademark laugh, but as two different ghosts of his ancestors, out to help him win a local political election by having him solve a criminal activity going on, namely exposing the group of mad scientists in hiding in an abandoned mansion, trying to create an invisible army to help them take over the world. Their army so far? A gorilla and a former chorus girl (Marion Martin), bribed into doing the bidding of the mad scientists, especially creating fear in Gildersleeve's housekeeper's (Lillian Randolph) chauffer boyfriend (Nick Stewart) who thinks that she's a ghost, not merely invisible.

While Randolph plays a black domestic, she's grounded in reality and not played as a stereotype. That can't be said for Stewart who is a cowardly rip-off of Eddie "Rochester" Anderson's chauffeur character in "Topper Returns". Pearcy, in a gorilla suit, keeps being switched with the real gorilla which then appears over Stewart's shoulder. Martin delivers a tough and funny performance as the invisible woman, essaying every line with sparkle. Marie Blake, aka Blossom Rock (Grandma Addams), is funny and tough as the local female reporter. It's an enjoyable film utilizing plot developments from dozens of other forgotten B films, and serves its purpose as a pleasant time passer.

"And remember, if you're going to get mixed up in any scandal, I want to be the cause of it."

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 30 November 2023]

With a title like "Gildersleeve's Ghost", you wouldn't expect a gorilla to be one of the principal characters now, would you? That's an early surprise, right after two ancient ghosts ascend from their graves and decide to help their present-day relative win an election for police commissioner. Just the elements in those last two sentences would be enough of a premise for a wacky movie, but then you have to add a mad scientist (Frank Reicher), an over-sexed 'disappearing' lady (Marion Martin), a flighty newspaper reporter (Marie Blake), and current police commissioner Haley (Emory Parnell) into the mix, and the story gets about as hectic as it can with our hero Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (Harold Peary) trying to prove he's not going crazy. And as for that gorilla, there's a 'real' one as part of the mad scientist menagerie, and Gildersleeve's assistant Peavey (Richard LeGrand) running around in a gorilla suit as a decoy to lure out the other one! Zany is probably the best word to describe this boatload of nonsense, but in the end it's a pretty entertaining flick that doesn't in the least try to take itself seriously. Recommended? Not really, but you could do worse, as I have many times.

The Laugh

[tedg · 3 May 2005]

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.

Gorilla A Go-Go!

[cutterccbaxter · 28 September 2023]

"Gildersleeve's Ghost" was released in Lichtenstein as "Gorilla A-Go-Go." This is because the government in Lichtenstein passed a law in 1937 that foreign movies had to have titles accurately reflecting 51 percent the of the plot. Lichtenstein film makers were allowed to title domestic films as they saw fit.

RKO begrudgingly changed the title of "Gildersleeve's Ghost" because they didn't want to run a foul with the LFB (Lichtenstein Film Board). The LFB was the governmental body responsible for enforcing the foreign film title law. Violators of the law risked having subsequent films banned in Lichtenstein and the LFB was known to draconian in their enforcement. "Gildersleeve's Ghost" director Gordon Douglas flew to Lichtenstein to try and persuade the LFB to make an exception for his film maintaining a title change seriously undermined his artistic integrity. It was to no avail. The LFB appreciated his effort as it allowed them to ask if it was as easy to get a gorilla costume in all American cities as it was in Gildersleeve's hometown of Summerfield.

Douglas assured them it was and that the availability of gorilla costumes is what made America such a great country!