Gildersleeve's Bad Day (1943)

A big trial is going on. Jurors are being summoned. Douglas Fowley is the defendent. Frank Jenks and Alan Carney are his buddies who are trying to bribe the jurors, and they pick out Gildy to be their pigeon. They send him a note that gets stuffed into his suit when it goes to the cleaners. At the trial Gildy tries to get involved from the jury box and has to be called down for objecting. The case goes to the jury. Everyone votes "guilty" except Gildy. Marjorie is helping to decorate for the dance, when the cleaners delivery boy brings her the letter, which he has read. Birdie learns that Gildy is the holdout, and they assume he has sold out. Marjorie reserves the remaining rooms in the hotel so the jury cannot get them. Then she tells Judge Hooker that they can eat at Gildy's house and sleep there. The delivery boy uses the letter as blackmail to get Marjorie to go to the dance with him. Leroy tries to smuggle the note to Gildy at supper, but the bailiff gets is instead, but swallows it when Leroy yells at an imaginary mouse. Since they can't sleep, Gildy convenes the jury at his house, and persuades the jury that there is a reasonable doubt. Hooker is amazed, and things there is something fishy going on.

Fowley insists that they pay Gildy the $1000 they promised him, so they will have to pull another job to get the money. They rob the judge's house, and send the moneyh to Gildy in an envelope. He thinks it is for the canteen fund and takes it to the judge. The kids show the note to Aunt Emma, who is staying with them. She confronts Gildy with it. He decides to try to get the money out of Hooker's new safe, not knowing that the gang is planning on robbing it again. The gang slips out while Hooker is calling the police. They sick a bloodhound on Gildy. He hides in the house of one of the jurors - a newlywed whose wife is already mad because the trial was strung out because of Gildy. He escapes and gets home. In the meantime the gang has captured a policeman and steal his car, then kidnap Gildy. They are going to make it look like he committed suicide. Gildy manages to switch on the radio to let the police know where he is and what is going on. He wrecks the car and escapes.



Carney