By Glenn Erickson
The Goose and the Gander
Brief Synopsis
A divorcee can't stop meddling in her ex-husband's affairs.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Alfred E. Green
Director
Kay Francis
Georgiana
George Brent
Bob McNear
Genevieve Tobin
Betty [Summers]
John Eldredge
Lawrence
Claire Dodd
Connie [Thurston]
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Drama
Release Date
Sep
21,
1935
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Bros. Productions Corp.
Distribution Company
The Vitaphone Corp.; Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 5m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels
Synopsis
Georgiana is curious when she overhears Betty Summers plan to run away from her husband for the weekend with Bob McNear. She is even more interested when she learns that Betty was the woman who stole her husband, Ralph Summers. Planning a little revenge, she invites Ralph to visit her the next day at her Aunt Julia's cabin in the mountains near Santa Barbara. She obtains the licence plate numbers of both Bob's and Betty's cars and leaves them with the attendants at a gas station near the cabin. When they see Bob's car, the attendants claim they are out of gas and send Bob and Betty to Georgiana's cabin. Because she wants them to be there when Ralph arrives, she announces that her gas is locked up until morning and they will have to stay the night. Things become even more complicated when another couple, Lawrence and Connie Thurston, arrive in Betty's car. They are jewel thieves and have stolen Betty's car for their getaway. When Georgiana recognizes the car, Connie pretends to be the second Mrs. Summers. Lawrence hides the jewels in Aunt Julia's bedroom. When she finds them, Georgiana realizes who Lawrence and Connie are. The next day, as she tries to keep the jewels from the thieves, Georgiana spends a lot of time talking with Bob, and he asks her to marry him. She refuses, claiming that she is still in love with Ralph and intends to get him back. Meanwhile Ralph, and his brother Arthur arrive at the cabin and Lawrence locks them up. The police eventually show up and are thoroughly confused when Georgiana tries to explain everything that has happened. Realizing that she is in love with Bob, Georgiana no longer wants revenge on Betty and invents a story that will convince Ralph that Betty did nothing wrong. With the way cleared, Georgiana and Bob get married.
Director
Alfred E. Green
Director
Cast
Kay Francis
Georgiana
George Brent
Bob McNear
Genevieve Tobin
Betty [Summers]
John Eldredge
Lawrence
Claire Dodd
Connie [Thurston]
Ralph Forbes
Ralph Summers
Helen Lowell
Aunt Julia
Spencer Charters
Winkelsteinberger
William Austin
Arthur Summers
Eddie Shubert
Sweeny
Charles Coleman
Butler
Olive Jones
Miriam Brent
Gordon Elliott
Teddy
John Sheehan
Murphy
Wade Boteler
Sprague, hotel detective
Helen Wood
Violet
Carlyle Blackwell Jr.
Young Barkley
Milton Kibbee
Hotel garage man
Guy Usher
Police sergeant
Jane Buckingham
Mrs. Burns
Allan Wood
Bellboy
Jack Richardson
Baggage man
Nick Copeland
Detective
Cliff Saum
Detective
Glen Cavender
Detective
Davison Clark
Detective
David Newell
Hotel clerk
Eddy Chandler
Policeman
Edward Mcwade
Justice of the peace
Crew
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Drama
Release Date
Sep
21,
1935
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Bros. Productions Corp.
Distribution Company
The Vitaphone Corp.; Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 5m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels
Articles
The Goose and the Gander -
The enforcement of the Production Code encouraged romantic farces to avoid excess amorous hanky-panky, but a sly story and an adept cast could still make one think that the censor had taken a vacation. The almost absurdly complex storyline of The Goose and the Gander (1935) throws a group of urbane, misbehaving characters into a mountain cabin and lets the misunderstandings fly. Incensed to learn that her ex-husband Ralph (Ralph Forbes) is being two-timed by his new wife Betty (Genevieve Tobin), clever Georgiana (Kay Francis) schemes to get him back by arranging an 'accidental' meeting at her aunt's place in the woods. She tricks Betty and her illicit lover Bob (George Brent) into staying the night, just as Ralph is set to arrive. But things go crazy when Georgiana's scheme also brings a pair of jewel thieves (John Eldredge and Claire Dodd) into the picture. With everybody having something to hide, nobody can accuse anybody else; the false assumptions and deceptions become further tangled when a yokel police chief named Winkelsteinberger becomes understandably suspicious of the whole setup. In the middle of all this, Georgiana and Bob fall in love. Reviewers were impressed by the number of comical plot complications that solo screenwriter Charles Kenyon shoehorned into the film's fast and funny 65-minute running time. It's one of the glamorous Kay Francis's best star vehicles and also a top title for the prolific director Alfred E. Green, who directed four other movies the same year.
By Glenn Erickson
By Glenn Erickson
The Goose and the Gander -
The enforcement of the Production Code encouraged romantic farces to avoid excess amorous hanky-panky, but a sly story and an adept cast could still make one think that the censor had taken a vacation. The almost absurdly complex storyline of The Goose and the Gander (1935) throws a group of urbane, misbehaving characters into a mountain cabin and lets the misunderstandings fly. Incensed to learn that her ex-husband Ralph (Ralph Forbes) is being two-timed by his new wife Betty (Genevieve Tobin), clever Georgiana (Kay Francis) schemes to get him back by arranging an 'accidental' meeting at her aunt's place in the woods. She tricks Betty and her illicit lover Bob (George Brent) into staying the night, just as Ralph is set to arrive. But things go crazy when Georgiana's scheme also brings a pair of jewel thieves (John Eldredge and Claire Dodd) into the picture. With everybody having something to hide, nobody can accuse anybody else; the false assumptions and deceptions become further tangled when a yokel police chief named Winkelsteinberger becomes understandably suspicious of the whole setup. In the middle of all this, Georgiana and Bob fall in love. Reviewers were impressed by the number of comical plot complications that solo screenwriter Charles Kenyon shoehorned into the film's fast and funny 65-minute running time. It's one of the glamorous Kay Francis's best star vehicles and also a top title for the prolific director Alfred E. Green, who directed four other movies the same year. By Glenn Erickson
