A Girl a Guy and a Gob

A Girl a Guy and a Gob (1941) starring George Murphy, Lucille Ball, Edmond O’Brien

A Girl a Guy and a Gob is a comedy romantic triangle. Hijinks ensue when a pert stenography is pursued by both her stuffy boss and a foot-loose sailor.

Product Description

The guy is Edmond O’Brien, playing Steve, a shy shipping magnate. The girl is Lucille Ball, playing Dot, a down-to-earth, bright-as-a-penny executive assistant. The gob (sailor slang for swabbie) is George Murphy, playing Coffee Cup, a light-on-his-feet soon-to-be-former Navy man who plays all the angles with heart to spare. Together, they make three sides of a triangle that sparks more laughs and affection than tension and division.

When Steve and Dot have a meet-cute (she accidentally steals his opera box seats and drops her purse on his head), her sense and sensibility, along with her You Can’t Take It with You-style clan prove the tonic that Steve needs to escape his shell. When Dot’s fiancé, Coffee Cup, arrives on leave from the Navy, he proves more comrade than complication, and a delight of confusions ensues as each tries to do right by the other. The hand of silent-comedy king Harold Lloyd is felt throughout this fine, fizzy film.

Cast of characters

• George Murphy (For Me and My Gal) … Coffee Cup. Dot’s devil-may-care sailor boyfriend. He’s willing to finally not reenlist so he can marry Dot. But, he’s not giving up any of his old habits …
• Lucille Ball (The Long, Long Trailer, DuBarry Was A Lady) … Dot Duncan. Dot’s fiancée, who hits Stephen at the opera in a fight over the seats! The next day, she finds out that he’s her new boss! Who fires her! But, after she explains, rehires her. And they start to fall in love.
• Edmond O’Brien (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Love God?) … Stephen Herrick. The wealthy shipping tycoon, part of the romantic triangle.
• Henry Travers (It’s a Wonderful Life, The Invisible Man) … Abel Martin. Stephen’s business partner.
• Franklin Pangborn (Reveille with Beverly, The Bank Dick) … Pet Shop Owner
• George Cleveland (Mother Wore Tights, Angel on My Shoulder) … Pop Duncan
• Kathleen Howard (It’s A Gift) … Jawme Duncan
• Marguerite Chapman (The Amazing Transparent Man) … Cecilia Grange. Stephen’s fiancée. A well-to-do, snobbish young lady.
• Lloyd Corrigan (Son of Paleface) … Pigeon Duncan. Dot’s brother, who found Stephen’s lost tickets and caused the chaos at the opera.
• Mady Correll (Monsieur Verdoux) … Cora
• Frank McGlynn Sr. (Little Miss Marker) … Panky
• Doodles Weaver (Thank Your Lucky Stars) … Eddie
• Frank Sully (Two Girls and a Sailor, Blondie’s Reward) … Salty
• Nella Walker (Sabrina) … Mrs. Grange. Cecilia’s very pushy mother.
• Richard Lane (Take Me Out to the Ball Game) … Recruiting Officer
• Irving Bacon (Blondie in Society) … Mr. Albert Merney
• Rube Demarest … Ivory
• Charles Smith (The Shop Around the Corner) … Messenger