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.
Review of Gildersleeve on Broadway
