The Stalking Moon
  • The Stalking Moon
  • Cracked Leather Armchair
  • The Small Screen
  • About Me
    • Cool things About Japan
    • Travel Recollections
    • Contact me

Hold That Ghost (1941)

10/7/2013

10 Comments

 
Picture

The third out of four films Bud Abbott and Lou Costello made for Universal in 1941, Hold That Ghost is the duo's first foray into spooky territory, and finds the former vaudevillians in fine fettle, pretty much at the height of their physical and comedic powers. Alas, it also features that bane of the 30s and 40s comedy film - unnecessary musical numbers. The 86 minute film wastes nearly 10 minutes of that screentime by bookending performances by annoying "talk-singing" bandleader Ted Lewis and the Andrews Sisters. The sisters are terrific, but seem shoehorned in, mainly because they previously featured in A & C's first film, Buck Privates, and that was such a smash that the studio apparently figured it was best to keep to the same formula. Luckily the songs are pretty painless and it isn't long before the movie proper kicks into gear.


Picture
Per usual in these early Abbott and Costello movies, the plot is mostly just a bit of nonsense upon which to hang several of the boys' finely-honed routines, patented schtick and slapstick business. The movie opens with Chuck Murray (Abbott) and Ferdinand "Ferdy" Jones (Costello) trying to make a go of it as fill-in waiters at a posh restaurant and nightclub. Needless to say, things don't go so well, as Ferdy makes one cock-up after another, under the baleful eye of a snooty maitre-d' (Mischa Auer). An example of the quick, witty dialogue woven throughout the movie occurs in this early exchange between Ferdy and his first customers: an attractive young gold digger and her grouchy sugar daddy:

Ferdy:         Good evening, folks. Want to start off with                           some soup?"

Old man:    
                          I don't like soup.

Ferdy:   
                                Gimme a reason.

Old man:


Ferdy:

Old man:

Ferdy:

Old Man:

Ferdy:

Old Man:

Ferdy:

Young woman (cooing in a little girl voice):

Old man:

Young woman:

Ferdy:

Old man:

Ferdy:


Old man:


Ferdy:

I don't have to give you a reason, other than I don't want any soup.


Well, maybe the young lady'd like to have some soup.


She doesn't like soup either.

It's good soup.

I don't care how good it is, we don't want any soup!

Somebody's gotta eat the soup!

Well, feed it to the chef.

The chef's all souped up now.

Daddy, I think I will have some soup.



You'll do nothing of the kind.


Oh, daddy!

After all, don't talk back to your father.

I'm not her father!

Well, why don't you let the young lady have some soup, then? Why don't you let her?

All right, give her some soup, give me some soup...give us both some soup!

I'm sorry, but we ran outta soup.


Picture
Picture

Fired from their waiter jobs, Chuck and Ferdy resume work as service station attendants, and soon wind up in the same car as gangster Moose Matson (William B. Davidson) during a high-speed chase and shootout with the police. Matson is shot and killed, and to their surprise the boys learn that, through a peculiarity in Matson's will, they've become sole inheritors of his estate, a deserted, run-down old tavern. This doesn't sit well with many of Matson's gangland cronies, who know he's got a fat wad of ill-gotten cash secreted somewhere on the premises. Matson's crooked lawyer (Russell Hicks) and rival mobster Charlie Smith (Mark Lawrence) plan to "take care" of Chuck and Ferdy by stranding them at the old tavern, but get a monkey wrench thrown in their scheme when a few extra passengers tag along. These include the lovely Norma (Evelyn Ankers), the bookish yet studly Doctor Jackson (Richard Carlson, later the he-manly hero of The Creature from the Black Lagoon, amongst others) and a lanky radio show "screamer" named Camille (Joan Davis).


Picture
The whole party are forced to hole up in the creepy old building during the rainswept night. No sooner does the shady Charlie start searching for Matson's hidden loot than a big pair of hands sneaks out of a hole in the wall and strangles him. This is just the first in a whole slew of seemingly supernatural shenanigans  that ensue, nearly all of them witnessed solely by the increasingly put-upon and hysterical Ferdy. It's left to the group to get to the bottom of the mysterious goings-on, before they all end up stiffs like Charlie...

Abbott and Costello were a well-oiled comedy machine by this point in their careers, Bud the snarling straight man and Lou the child-like goofball. The best of their stuff is, in my opinion, still pretty darn funny today. Besides some nice verbal back-and-forth, we also get lots of pratfalls and other great physical comedy from Lou, whose rotund appearance belies an impressive speed and agility. Some aspects of the pair's style has worn less well, however - I for one get tired of the endless rough manhandling and slapping around Bud dishes out to Lou, at which the latter barely utters a peep in protest. Watching Lou's first-class pummeling of a bunch of gangsters later in the film made me wish he'd serve Bud back in similar fashion, but he's mostly content to remain a wussy old pussycat around his bossy pal. That said, watching Lou freak out seeing a candle move of its own accord, or finding a ghostly figure in bed beside him, and his resulting reaction (huffing, whistling, stammering, then eventually resorting to panicky shrieks of "Chuck! Chuck!") gets me laughing every time.
Picture
Joan Davis and Costello's wacky dance is one of the high points in the film.
Picture
Evelyn Ankers, who appeared in many classic Universal horrors.
Picture
Picture

The plot is a pretty flimsy affair, with more than its fair share of holes and dead-end subplots, and director Arthur Lubin (of Francis the Talking Mule, Rhubarb and Mr. Ed fame), while deft at handling comedy, is less so at the creep factor, and doesn't manage to drum up quite the same level of eerie atmosphere that made similar "old dark house" comedies like The Cat and the Canary or The Ghost Breakers so memorable, but the film pretty much flies by (other than those interminable, aforementioned musical numbers) with all sorts of action and laughs along the way. The supporting cast is great, with fine work not only from Ankers and Carlson as the "straight" romantic couple, but Joan Davis pretty well going toe-to-toe with Costello and holding her own (their very funny dance routine together is a comic highlight). The movie also features the wonderful Mischa Auer, plus an amusing cameo by Curly replacement Stooge, Shemp Howard, as a soda jerk.

The next time Abbott and Costello ventured into the horror realm would be in 1948's beloved, hilarious Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein. Hold That Ghost isn't in the same league, but it's just the ticket if you're looking for something light, breezy and with a whiff of a haunted house vibe, to get you in the Halloween spirit.

Picture
Picture
Shemp Howard, in a brief cameo
Picture

DVD Note: The above screen caps were taken from Universal's The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 1, the 2 disc, 8 film set released in 2004. This earlier version is minus the commentary track on Hold That Ghost which appears on the later Complete Universal Pictures Collection, the most comprehensive and affordable way to go for the A & C completist.
10 Comments
Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) link
10/7/2013 05:11:57 pm

Wonderful review Jeff - it brought it all back to me - this was the film by the team that I first remember really liking and probably, along with MEET FRANKENSTEIN, remains my favourite. Arthur Lubin was a better director than the usual hacks at Universal and really helps make this a superior entry in the A&C canon. Have to see this again - now, if only you and I hagreed about the word 'affordable' when ti came to that complete set (customs charges for import to the UK can be pretty hair raising ...)

Reply
Jeff
10/9/2013 02:00:47 pm

Thanks a lot, Sergio! This is certainly in the upper tier of A & C movies for me, no doubt, and your point about Arthur Lubin is well taken. Re: your last comment...well, you got me there, I didn't factor in British import taxes, which sound pretty grim. There seems to be virtually no import duties here in Japan, at least on small orders...though to be fair I buy most of my stuff in the States and carry it back with me on the plane, or have family members ship it to me in care packages and the like, rather than have it shipped straight from Amazon.

Thanks again for the comments, mate!

Reply
Kevin Deany
10/9/2013 05:53:04 am

Great review, Jeff, of one of my favorite A&C films. I know I am way in the minority on this, but I, gasp, actually like the musical numbers in the comedy films from this era, even those in the Marx Bros. movies.

The songs are usually pretty good and make a nice break from the comedy. There's often the top bands and vocalists of the day performing these duties...it's like time travel for me, from the comfort of my own chair.

I realize this is not a widely-held opinion, but I've learned to really enjoy these numbers the older I've gotten.

Anyway, I might pull this one off the shelf for Halloween viewing. If my capacity for musical numbers has grown over the years, my tolerance for gore has fallen substantially. No, "Hold that Ghost" may just do the trick. With a helping of "The Ghost Breakers" on the side.

Reply
Jeff
10/12/2013 12:14:37 am

Thank you for the great comments, Kevin! I know what you mean re: the "window into the past" aspect of these song and dance routines so often cluttering up classic Hollywood comedies. Usually I don't mind them so much (and in the case of Chico fingering the piano keys or Harpo strumming the strings, I enjoy them), but for some reason, they really got my goat (especially that Ted Lewis character) this time.

While I don't mind the occasional gory monster or slasher flick from time to time, like you I have found my tastes in horror turning more to the subtle, more traditional side as the years go by.

Reply
Constance Metzinger link
10/10/2013 07:37:29 am

Great review on one of my favorite films. I have to agree with you and say that the "horror" factor isn't as good as The Ghost Breakers but A & C's comedy routines more than make up for that. What's this about a commentary? Now THAT I have to check out! Thanks for the heads up.

Reply
Jeff
10/12/2013 12:19:17 am

Thanks for the comment, Constance! Yeah, HOLD THAT GHOST isn't as fun on the fright scale as THE GHOST BREAKERS, but when it comes to the funny, it's probably a wash between them.

Apparently HOLD THAT GHOST, on the A & C Complete Universal Collection, has a commentary with "Film historian Jeff Miller." It seems to be one of 5 commentaries in the set.

Reply
Colin link
10/14/2013 07:05:05 am

Top stuff Jeff. Count me in as another fan of this movie. As a kid I caught a lot of A&C on TV and loved almost all of them. Even now, I still get a lot of pleasure from the better A&C vehicles, and I'd rate this as one of them. I quite agree that Lou's routine with Joan Davis is pure gold - just thinking about it makes me smile.

Reply
Jeff
10/15/2013 07:41:45 am

Thanks, Colin! These A & C comedies are generally quite fun, especially the early ones. Like you, I caught a lot of them on afternoon TV growing up, and have always retained my affection for them. Now ...MEET FRANKENSTEIN is a yearly Halloween watch for me - it never fails to amuse.

Reply
R.A. Kerr link
10/18/2013 11:22:31 am

Can't believe I haven't seen this one - what gives!

I agree with a previous commenter who says he likes music in these old comedies. I'm not a huge musical fan, but I like music in these films... although the Ted Lewis character you describe here may be a bit much.

Is it true that Abbott was always given a higher salary than Costello?

Reply
Jeff
10/18/2013 11:04:49 pm

Hey there, Ruth - great to hear from you! Yeah, you should check this one out, it's one of A & C's better vehicles, for sure. Excellent question re: who got a higher salary...from what little I've read, they both received the same pay or close to it on most of their films (up to half a million bucks a year or more at their peak). It does sound like Costello was by far the more aggressive one in real life, with Abbott the easy-going partner - pretty much the exact opposite to their movie personas.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Videophilia!

    Opinionated ramblings about new and old  movies (mostly old, as that's the way I like 'em!)

    Picture

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Blogs of Note

    Stuart Galbraith IV's World Cinema Paradise

    Movie Morlocks (TCM's Classic Movie Blog)

    50 Westerns from the 50s

    Riding the High Country

    Sweet Freedom

    Tipping My Fedora

    Thrilling Days of Yesteryear

    Silver Screenings


    Laura's Miscellaneous Musings

    Classic TV and Film Cafe

    Just a Cineast

    She Blogged By Night


    Chess, Comics, Crosswords, Books, Music, Cinema

    Out of the Past -
    A Classic Film Blog


    Pretty Sinister Books

    They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To

    In So Many Words...

    Greenbriar Picture Shows

    Flix Chatter

    My Love of Old Hollywood

    Tales of the Easily Distracted

    Another Old Movie Blog

    Lasso the Movies

    Kevin's Movie Corner

    Films From Beyond the Time Barrier

    Carole & Co.

    Rupert Pupkin Speaks

    Caftan Woman

    Vienna's Classic Hollywood

    The Lady Eve's Reel Life

    ClassicBecky's Brain Food

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Hey! 
    Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed below, to be informed of new postings!

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    10 Best
    1960s Sci-Fi
    1970s Sci-Fi
    20 Million Miles To Earth
    50 Years Of James Bond
    70s Crime Films
    7 Faces Of Dr. Lao
    Abbott And Costello
    Abbott & Costello
    A Boy And His Dog
    Air Force
    Alan Ladd
    Alien
    A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)
    Attack Of The Crab Monsters
    Bad Guys
    Basil Rathbone
    Beneath The 12-Mile Reef
    Bernard Herrmann
    Bite The Bullet
    Black Belt Jones
    Blade 2
    Blogathons
    Boris Karloff
    Brides Of Dracula
    British Empire In Film Blogathon
    Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter
    Carole Lombard
    Caroline Munro
    Cary Grant
    Cecil B. DeMille
    Charade
    Charles Bronson
    Charles Coburn
    Charlton Heston
    Christopher Lee
    Circus World
    Claudette Colbert
    Clint Eastwood
    Clint Walker
    Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
    Colossus: The Forbin Project
    Dark Of The Sun
    Dark Shadows
    Deadlier Than The Male
    Desk Set
    Dirty Harry
    Disaster Movies
    Dog Soldiers
    Donovan's Reef
    Dorothy Malone
    Douglas Sirk
    Dr. No
    Elmore Leonard
    Ernest Borgnine
    Fantastic Voyage
    Fast And Furious
    Fast And Loose
    Fast Company
    Four Frightened People
    From Russia With Love
    Garden Of Evil
    Gargoyles
    Gary Cooper
    George-montgomery
    Giant Of Marathon
    Gladiator
    Gordon Scott
    Gregory Peck
    Halloween
    Hammer Horror
    Hardboiled93338e779d
    Hard Times
    Has Anybody Seen My Gal
    Haywire
    Heat
    Henry Fonda
    Hold That Ghost
    Hombre
    Horror
    Horror Express
    Hot Potato
    House Of Wax
    Howard Hawks
    How The West Was Won
    I Love A Mystery
    Il Postino
    Isle Of The Dead
    It! The Terror From Beyond Space
    I Walked With A Zombie
    James Bond
    James Coburn
    James Stewart
    Jaws
    Jim Brown
    Jim Kelly
    John Carpenter
    John Cassavetes
    John Ford
    John Garfield
    John Wayne
    Katherine Hepburn
    Key Largo
    Kirk Douglas
    Lee Marvin
    Legend Of The Lost
    Lives Of A Bengal Lancer
    Love Before Breakfast
    Marilyn Monroe
    Memorable Movie Dads
    Mickey Spillane
    Mirage
    Monster On The Campus
    Musicals
    My Man Godfrey
    Mysterious Island
    My Top 25 Films
    Night Of The Grizzly
    Once Upon A Time In The West
    Only The Valiant
    Open Range
    Pandorum
    Paranoiac
    Paul Newman
    Peter Cushing
    Phase IV
    Phenomena
    Poltergeist
    Rampage
    Randolph Scott
    Raquel Welch
    Raw Meat
    Ray Harryhausen
    Ride Lonesome
    River Of No Return
    Robert Aldrich
    Robert Mitchum
    Robert Wagner
    Rock Hudson
    Rod Taylor
    Roy Scheider
    Sean Connery
    Shotgun
    Silent Running
    Sleepy Hollow
    Sophia Loren
    Soylent Green
    Spencer Tracy
    Starman
    Sterling Hayden
    Steve Mcqueen
    Steve Reeves
    Stewart Granger
    Tarzan The Magnificent
    The Abominable Dr. Phibes
    The Andromeda Strain
    The Awakening
    The Badlanders
    The Big Country
    The Birds
    The Black Scorpion
    The Black Swan
    The Blob
    The Body Snatcher
    The Cat And The Canary
    The Crawling Eye
    The Creature From The Black Lagoon
    The Dark Knight Rises
    The Devil Rides Out
    The Expendables 2
    The Face Of Fu Manchu
    The Falcon
    The Fearless Vampire Killers
    The Fog
    The Getaway
    The Ghost Breakers
    The Girl Hunters
    The Gorgon
    The Great Escape
    The Hole
    The Invisible Man
    The Last Of The Mohicans
    The Last Sunset
    The Late Show
    The Laughing Policeman
    The Leopard Man
    The Lone Gun
    The Long Goodbye
    The Man With The Golden Gun
    The Mark Of Zorro
    The Matrix
    The Mechanic
    The Monster That Challenged The World
    The Night Strangler
    The Omega Man
    The Outfit
    The Princess Comes Across
    The Shining
    The Shootist
    The Thing
    The Thing From Another World
    The Tingler
    The Uninvited
    The Wild Bunch
    The Wild North
    Thomas Mitchell
    Thunder Bay
    Tom Conway
    Tony Randall
    Trollhunter
    Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil
    Two-Minute Warning
    Tyrone Power
    Underrated Detective/Mystery Movies
    Val Lewton
    Vincent Price
    Walter Matthau
    Went The Day Well?
    Westerns
    Westworld
    William Powell
    William Wyler
    Ww2
    Yvonne De Carlo

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    September 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • The Stalking Moon
  • Cracked Leather Armchair
  • The Small Screen
  • About Me
    • Cool things About Japan
    • Travel Recollections
    • Contact me