George Gobel Movies
"Lonesome" George Gobel was barely of voting and drinking age when he was first hired as a musician/comic on the WLS radio Barn Dance in his native Chicago. True stardom eluded Gobel until 1954, when he debuted in his own variety series on NBC television. Historians have compared Gobel's low-key, self-effacing style to that of Herb Shriner and Johnny Carson, but anyone who's ever seen him in action will agree that he was in a class by himself. Comporting himself more like the studio janitor than the star of the proceedings, Gobel would quietly assume command by wryly commenting on his surroundings ("You don't hardly get those no more," "I'll be a dirty bird") feigning apprehension when confronted by such potential antagonists as his wife "spooky ol' Alice" (played by several actresses) and dropping a zinger of a punch line when the audience least expected it. Voted "outstanding new personality" by a committee of TV critics in 1954, Gobel remained a ratings-grabber for five years, backed up by a topnotch writing staff including James Allardice, Hal Kanter, Jack Douglas and Bill Dana.During his first flush of fame, Gobel starred in two theatrical features, The Birds and the Bees (1956) and I Married a Woman (1958), neither of which captured his unique appeal. His NBC series having fallen victim to its competition Gunsmoke in 1959, Gobel switched to CBS, alternating with Jack Benny on Sunday evenings, but was unable to recapture his audience. He spent the next three decades as everybody's favorite guest star, regularly appearing as one of the panelists on The Hollywood Squares and showing up from time to time as Mayor Otis Harper Jr. on the TV sitcom Harper Valley PTA (1981-82). He also made cameo appearances in such films as Rabbit Test (1978) and The Fantastic World of DC Collins (1980). Undoubtedly the high-water mark of the latter stages of his career occurred on an early-1970s telecast of The Tonight Show, where, flanked by inveterate ad-libbers Bob Hope and Dean Martin, he brought down the house by muttering "Did you ever feel like the world was a tuxedo, and you were a pair of brown shoes?" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
A sequel to Martin Mull's spoof about the hardships of white life in middle America. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1985
This live action trip back to Wonderland finds Alice dodging the Jabberwocky and encountering a Wonderland crew including Humpty Dumpty, Tiger Lily, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The voice cast is staggering, including (to mention a few) father and son Lloyd Bridges and Beau Bridges, Phyllis Diller, and George Gobel, Ringo Starr, Jonathan Winters, Sally Struthers, Karl Malden, and many, many more. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1984
The made-for-TV Fantastic World of D.C. Collins is curiously not a pilot film, despite the presence of the principal character's name in the title. D. C. Collins (played by Gary Coleman) is the son of a U.S. diplomat. His own life is deadly dull, so D.C. escapes into fantasy. At various junctures, he imagines himself to be space traveller Dwight Cloudclimber and archaeologist Alabama Smith (these character names are a tip-off to the film's level of wit). Collins gets a chance to act out his fantasies when he becomes embroiled in a real-life adventure involving stolen documents. The eclectic supporting cast includes Jason Bateman, Michael Ansara, and George Gobel! Fantastic World of D.C. Collins premiered February 10, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
In this goofy comedy, a widow marries a wealthy geezer to provide for her sons. Her husband is a cripple and so it is easy for her to engineer his gruesome death and rank him with the rest of her accident-prone late husbands. Unfortunately, the black widow does not count on the intelligence of her vengeful stepdaughter, who starts her own little killing spree. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sheila Kennedy, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1984
Comedian David Brenner hosts this appreciative look at some of America's funniest standup comics and how their careers unfolded. Several of the comedians share how they create their material and collaborate with others. All of the featured comedians perform in front of live audiences on this video. Brenner speaks with some of them off-stage to capture their personal reflections on their careers. The profiled comedians include Henny Youngman, known to many for his "take my wife" joke; Carl Ballantine; Jackie Gayle; George Gobel, who appeared "slow" but often displayed a sly, quick wit; and Jackie Vernon and Shelley Berman. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
- 1983
In this comedy, a clumsy newspaper reporter visits her uncle's lab, accidently spills chemicals on herself, and finds herself invisible. She then uses her opaque state to get the scoop on a major art heist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This 1982 made-for-TV version of the Lewis Carroll classic Alice in Wonderland features an all-star cast. Such celebrities as Donald O'Connor, Maureen Stapleton and Eve Arden struggle to perform while buried under mounds of makeup and tons of eccentric costuming as Carroll's alternate-world loonies. Alice in Wonderland was first telecast Oct 3, 1983, on PBS' Great Performances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1980
An entertaining film about a farm family and their haunted shed! The door keeps slamming mysteriously and they think it is being done by the ghost of a murdered peddler. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1979
The elderly residents of a nursing home tire of being oppressed and stage a revolution in this made-for-television comedy. Following the ensuing riot they rush out and commandeer a passing train to go out for a few final adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harold Gould, Strother Martin, (more)
- 1978
The made-for-TV Guide for the Married Woman was conceived by screenwriter Frank Tarloff as an "answer" to his frolicsome 1968 theatrical feature Guide for the Married Man. If the sequel isn't quite as much fun as the original, it may be because what was deemed "risque" in 1968 was kid's stuff in 1978. In her TV-movie debut, Cybill Shepherd plays a bored housewife who yearns for romance and excitement. With the help of a steady stream of celebrity guest stars, Shepherd is able to fantasize about extramarital hijinks to her heart's content. The supporting cast includes such luminaries as Peter Marshall, Eve Arden, John Beradino, John Byner, Bill Dana, Bonnie Franklin, George Gobel, Tom Poston, Barbara Feldon and Chuck Woolery (the guest-star list of the original Guide for the Married Man included Art Carney, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, Carl Reiner, Terry-Thomas, Joey Bishop and Jayne Mansfield: guess which film had the bigger budget?) Guide for the Married Woman originally aired October 13, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
- PG
In this, Joan Rivers' first attempt at film direction, a young virgin male (Billy Crystal) is engaged to be married when he finds out he is pregnant! Using the film as a vehicle for her acerbic humor, director Rivers may as well be on stage, for interspersed throughout this questionable plot is an unending onslaught of sarcastic slams pointed at just about every sector of society. Ms. Rivers even makes a cameo appearance. Other big names in this film are Tom Poston (as a minister), Roddy McDowall (in several roles), and George Gobel as the U.S. President. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Crystal, Joan Prather, (more)
- 1977
When his brother is murdered and his niece is tried for the crime, a recluse finds himself in the public eye whether he wants to be or not. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1977
Terry Kiser is Benny and Tim Thomerson is Barney, two undercover cops operating in Vegas. So as not to attract attention to their sleuthing, Benny and Barney pose as nightclub entertainers. The case of the moment is the rescue of a kidnapped singer, which B and B pull off successfully within the allotted 76 minutes. Real-life Las Vegas "regulars" Rodney Dangerfield, Marty Allen, George Gobel and Bobby Troup pop up in cameo roles. Seemingly filmed during everyone's lunch hour, Benny and Barney: Las Vegas Undercover was the pilot for a never-sold TV adventure series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This campy little sci-fi oddity presents a particularly silly brand of monster: a zombie gangster, hilariously christened "Gegagoo" (short for "Geological, Gaseous Goon"... no, really!) by scientist George Gobel. When a formless, meteorite-borne alien entity crashes into a lake in which gangsters had recently hidden the body of an assassinated enemy, the corpse rises from the depths to wreak havoc with the locals -- particularly a group of dorky college kids who drop by the pond for an evening swim. This could have been campy, '50s-style fun in more competent hands; instead, we get bored silly with a lot of talking heads, unimaginative monster mayhem, turgid pacing, and pathetic attempts at humor. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1975
In this drama, a television reporter begins looking for the arsonist who has been forcing tiny salvage companies out of business by burning down their buildings. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1974
This animated story tells why Santa Claus won't visit Junctionville, and all because of an insulting letter that was printed in the newspaper. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1967
An entertaining presentation that looks at cultural tastes of America. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1966
George Gobel guest stars as Henry Terkel, the eccentric inventor cousin of Wrangler Jane (Melody Patterson). Terkel's arrival precedes that of the Army's Inspector General, who plans to check F Troop's pension fund--which O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) has just lost in a poker game with Dapper Dan Fulbright (Del Moore). O'Rourke's only hope in salvation rests with Terkel, who has created a device that will allow him to hold a winning hand every time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
I Married a Woman was tailored by top comedy writer Goodman Ace to the peculiar, low-key talents of TV comedian George Gobel. Lonesome Gobel plays an advertising man whose successful "Miss Luxemburg Beer Beauty Contest" campaign yields a most unusual bonus: the contest's buxom winner Diana Dors, who becomes Gobel's wife. More devoted to his job than his marriage, Gobel is soon in danger of losing Dors' affections. He wins his wife back through a series of unexpected plot twists, not least of which is the inspiration he draws from viewing a John Wayne picture (Wayne appears as himself, unbilled). Produced by Gobel's own Gomalco company, I Married a Woman was lensed in black-and-white, except for the Technicolor John Wayne sequences; the film was slated to be released by RKO Radio, but the death of that company redirected the film to the distribution facilities of Universal-International. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Gobel, Diana Dors, (more)
- 1956
This comedy is a remake of 1941's The Lady Eve, and tells the story of the vegetarian son of a prominent meat packer who is sailing back from an African safari when he meets and falls in love with a con-artist's lovely daughter. Posing as a military officer, the card-sharp and his boys have come to fleece a few wealthy passengers at poker. The daughter finds the milque-toast son irresistible and much to her father's dismay, they fall in love. Unfortunately their happiness is nearly destroyed when someone tells him the truth about her father. Fortunately, that is not the end of their affair. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Gobel, Mitzi Gaynor, (more)
