This is one of the four "Gildersleeve" comedies released during the war years. Harold Peary plays the hapless Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve-who says he doesn't seek out problems; they find him.
This film feels like it was written by the author of "Arsenic and Old Lace" with an assist by Groucho Marx, and a dose of "Andy Hardy". Gildersleeve is surrounded by some wacky characters in this screwball story.
His nephew, Leroy (Freddie Mercer), always seems to get the better of him in a contest of wits, but so does everyone else, including a little kid at the drugstore . The druggist, Mr. Peavey, enlists TG in a harebrained scheme to travel to New York City for two unrelated but equally preposterous purposes.
On his missions, Gildersleeve meets an amorous widow (Billie Burke) and a gold-digger (Claire Carleton). Meanwhile, he has a fiancee to appease. The entire cast does a good job with the script, carving out moments of mayhem and hilarity. Watch for the bellboy (Walter Tetley) who imparts his wisdom about women. And the window washer (Leonid Kinskey-"Casablanca") who hangs around for the romantic tutelage.
Director Gordon Douglas keeps the action moving without a dull moment as Gildersleeve gets sucked into the deepening mire of his misadventure. But it never becomes so silly that the story loses its thread or its entertainment value.
This film feels like it was written by the author of "Arsenic and Old Lace" with an assist by Groucho Marx, and a dose of "Andy Hardy". Gildersleeve is surrounded by some wacky characters in this screwball story.
His nephew, Leroy (Freddie Mercer), always seems to get the better of him in a contest of wits, but so does everyone else, including a little kid at the drugstore . The druggist, Mr. Peavey, enlists TG in a harebrained scheme to travel to New York City for two unrelated but equally preposterous purposes.
On his missions, Gildersleeve meets an amorous widow (Billie Burke) and a gold-digger (Claire Carleton). Meanwhile, he has a fiancee to appease. The entire cast does a good job with the script, carving out moments of mayhem and hilarity. Watch for the bellboy (Walter Tetley) who imparts his wisdom about women. And the window washer (Leonid Kinskey-"Casablanca") who hangs around for the romantic tutelage.
Director Gordon Douglas keeps the action moving without a dull moment as Gildersleeve gets sucked into the deepening mire of his misadventure. But it never becomes so silly that the story loses its thread or its entertainment value.