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Moviecut—Gildersleeve on Broadway

source: Gildersleeve on Broadway

Gildersleeve on Broadway

For fans of The Great Gildersleeve, this is the best of the four features the character appeared in in the early 1940s. For everyone else, this is a wildly funny screwball comedy that transcends its radio roots. This time Gildy goes to the big city in an effort to convince wealthy Mrs. Chandler (Billie Burke, marvelous as always) not to close down her late husband's wholesaling business, which Summerfield's pharmacist Peavey relies upon. Mrs. Chandler is an eccentric millionairess with an even more eccentric brother (Hobart Cavanaugh) who has a William Tell complex, and the task will not be an easy one! This is also the most transgressive film in the series, as the fey Peavey (Richard LeGrand) gets to dance with Gildersleeve in a hotel nightclub and also dons womens clothing for the final reel. Watch for Leonid Kinskey in a delightful cameo as a window washing would be Lothario who learns some valuable lessons from Throckmorton.

Were the Gildersleeve films great cinema? No. But they were fun. Billie Burke is along this time, and while a little bit of her goes a long ways, this time she works well in the story. In this episode Gildersleeve is in love, but Billie Burke has her eye on Gilkdersleeve. Meanwhile Gildersleeve's actual girl friend decides to check up on him while he is in New York City. And, as usual, the plot revolves around misunderstandings and coincidences. Richard LeGrand plays the local druggist. He was a regular on radio shows ("Well, I wouldn't say that!")He has a bigger than usual part here. Although certainly typecast, Harold Peary really was quite entertaining as Gildersleeve. There are some gay overtones here, but all in good fun. Great for an hour of fun!

Gildersleeve on Broadway is the third of the four films based on the popular radio series, The Great Gildersleeve, which ran on the radio from 1942 until 1956. Walter Tetley, the voice of Leroy on the radio series, appears in this film in the role of the butler who shows Gildersleeve how to woo a woman. Walter was too old to play Leroy on screen and this is his only appearance in the four movies, so make sure you watch for him if you are a fan of the radio series.

HAROLD PEARY as Gildersleeve gets mixed up with fluttery society dame BILLIE BURKE and her crazy brother, HOBART CAVANAUGH, who has a William Tell fixation and likes to shoot arrows into apples atop heads. CLAIRE CLARLETON is the blonde gold-digger with an eye on a mink coat and ANN DORAN is Peary's jealous girlfriend from Summerville who tracks him to the big city to snoop on his activities. It's harmless fun, with Peary again showing a mastery of physical comedy and timing and all the others keeping up with him. FREDDIE MERCER is again on hand as little Leroy and RICHARD LeGRAND adds a lot of wry humor as the man who always gets a chance to say, "Well, I wouldn't say that." LEONID KINSKEY has a funny bit as an eavesdropping window-washer. It's another bad day for Gildersleeve and the funny script keeps things breezing along until the end with a final twist.