Gildersleeve's Ghost

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.