''Gildersleeve's Ghost'' is a 1944 American fantasy comedy film directed by Gordon Douglas from an original screenplay by Robert E. Kent. It is the fourth and final film in the Gildersleeve's series, all of which were produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, based on the popular NBC radio program, ''

The Great Gildersleeve ''The Great Gildersleeve'' was a radio situation comedy broadcast in the United States from August 31, 1941 to 1958. Initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson, it was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. The series was buil ...

'', created by Leonard L. Levinson and itself a spin-off of '' Fibber McGee and Molly''. Released on September 6, 1944, the film stars Harold Peary, Marion Martin, Richard LeGrand, Amelita Ward, Freddie Mercer, and Margie Stewart. The film initially focuses on elections for the position of

police commissioner A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...

, with Gildersleeve as a candidate. He tries to boost his chances by investigating a series of questionable scientific experiments. But Gildersleeve's

sanity Sanity (from ) refers to the soundness, rationality, and health of the human mind, as opposed to insanity. A person is sane if they are rational. In modern society, the term has become exclusively synonymous with ''compos mentis'' ( and ). The ...

is questioned when he meets the

ghosts In folklore, a ghost is the soul or Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit of a dead Human, person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from a ...

of his own ancestors, an

invisible woman The Invisible Woman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), The Fantastic Four'' #1 (November 1961). Susan St ...

, and a

gorilla Gorillas are primarily herbivorous, terrestrial great apes that inhabit the tropical forests of equatorial Africa. The genus ''Gorilla'' is divided into two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla, and either four or five su ...

Plot

Gildersleeve is running for police commissioner against the incumbent Haley. He believes he can boost his chances by exposing the questionable experiments being conducted by scientist Wells. His attempts to do so are somewhat hindered by the ghosts of two of his ancestors (both also played by Peary), as well as an invisible woman and a lovesick gorilla—and naturally everyone thinks he is losing his mind.

Cast

* Harold Peary as Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve / Ghost of Randolph Q. Gildersleeve / Ghost of Jonathan Q. Gildersleeve * Marion Martin as Terry Vance * Richard LeGrand as Mr. Peavey * Amelita Ward as Marie * Freddie Mercer as Leroy Forrester * Margie Stewart as Marjorie Forrester * Marie Blake as Harriet Morgan *

Emory Parnell Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career. Early years Parnell was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He spent eight months in the Arct ...

as Police Commissioner Haley *

Nick Stewart Horace Winfred "Nick" Stewart (March 15, 1910 – December 18, 2000), also billed as Nick O'Demus, was an American television and film actor. He was best known for his role as Lightnin' (Willie Jefferson) on TV's '' The Amos 'n' Andy Show'' (1951 ...

as Chauncey *

Frank Reicher Frank Reicher (born Franz Reichert; December 2, 1875 – January 19, 1965) was a German-born American actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Captain Englehorn in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Early life Reicher was born in M ...

as Dr. John Wells * Joseph Vitale as Lennox * Lillian Randolph as Birdie *

Charles Gemora Carlos Cruz Gemora (June 15, 1903 – August 19, 1961), commonly known as Charles Gemora, was a Hollywood makeup artist renowned as "the King of the Gorilla Men" for his prolific appearances in many Hollywood films while wearing a gorilla suit. ...

as the Gorilla (uncredited)

References

External links

* * * 1944 films 1940s fantasy comedy films 1944 comedy horror films 1940s ghost films American comedy horror films American fantasy comedy films American black-and-white films Films based on radio series Films directed by Gordon Douglas American ghost films American mad scientist films RKO Pictures films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films The Great Gildersleeve Films about elections Films about gorillas Films about invisibility English-language comedy horror films English-language fantasy comedy films {{comedy-horror-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links