It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.
This week’s musical:
Hold That Ghost (1941) – Musical #859
Studio:
Universal Pictures
Director:
Arthur Lubin
Starring:
Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Richard Carlson, Joan Davis, Evelyn Ankers, Mischa Auer, Marc Lawrence, Shemp Howard, Russell Hicks, William B. Davidson, Paul Fix (uncredited), Thurston Hall (uncredited),
Themselves: Ted Lewis, The Andrew Sisters
Plot:
Down-on-their-luck gas station attendants Chuck Murray (Abbott) and Ferdinand Jones (Costello) get mixed up in a shootout with gangster Moose Matteson (Davidson). When Moose is killed, his will says that his money and estate, which includes an old tavern, goes to whoever is with him when he dies. With Murray and Jones inheriting his estate, all of Moose’s gang is after them so they can get the money. Chuck and Ferdinand take a small bus with a group of people Dr. Jackson (Carlson), Norma Lind (Davis) and Camille Brewster (Ankers). When the weather gets bad, they are dropped off at Moose’s tavern, which is a spooky and deserted. Throughout their stay, the group find the house may be haunted.
Trivia:
• Working title was “Oh, Charlie”
• This was originally set to be the second feature film of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, but with the success of BUCK PRIVATES (1941), IN THE NAVY was released prior to this, according to the American Film Institute (AFI).
• Abbott and Costello’s third film.
• The film was re-released in 1958
• Bud Abbott and Lou Costello reprised their roles in a 30-minute version on Louella Parsons’s radio show, “Hollywood Premiere”
• The final film co-starring Abbott and Costello with the Andrew Sisters.
Highlights:
• The transition from the light outline to Ted Lewis singing
• The dance number with Lou Costello and Joan Davis
Notable Songs:
• “When My Baby Smiles at Me” performed by Ted Lewis
• “Me and My Shadow” performed by Ted Lewis
• “Sleepy Serenade” performed by the Andrew Sisters
• “Aurora” performed by the Andrew Sisters
My review:
A little music, lots of laughs and set in a spooky setting is just about my speed when it comes to for a horror movie.
In their third film pairing, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello leave the military and are set in an “old dark house” setting. The change of setting even opened the comedic duo up to new gags that stayed in their routine.
In the film, Chuck Murray (Abbott) and Ferdinand Jones (Costello) are down-on-their-luck gas station attendants who get mixed up in a shootout with gangster Moose Matteson (Davidson). When Moose is killed, his will says that his money and estate, which includes an old tavern, goes to whoever is with him when he dies. With Murray and Jones inheriting his estate, all of Moose’s gang is after them so they can get the money. Chuck and Ferdinand take a small bus with a group of people Dr. Jackson (Carlson), Norma Lind (Davis) and Camille Brewster (Ankers). When the weather gets bad, they are dropped off at Moose’s tavern, which is a spooky and deserted. Throughout their stay, the group find the house may be haunted.
Though the film received lukewarm reviews from critics, the film drew what the Hollywood Reporter called, “100% capacity audiences.”
I’ll admit that, similar to 1941 audiences, I found this film to be a great time. This is a fun good, old dark house mystery comedy. It’s a great mix of comedy, horror and crime with a bit of music sprinkled in. It’s true this is more of a comedy than a musical, but music does play a prominent role. Clarinet player and bandleader Ted Lewis opens the film with a song. The Andrew Sisters also appear in their third and final pairing with Abbott and Costello in this film, performing songs at the start and end of the film. These numbers were tacked on in post-production to help elevate the film, according to Abbott and Costello’s biographers.
“LaVerne, Patty, and I made three movies with Abbott and Costello, and because of Lou, they were easily the most fun of the seventeen films the Andrews Sisters made,” Maxine Andrews was quoted as saying. “He was a delight, and one of the hardest workers imaginable. Lou wanted to succeed more than anyone I think I’ve ever known, and not just in comedy. He always wanted to move beyond comedy into serious acting roles, but his fate was to remain a comedy actor—albeit a good one.”
HOLD THAT GHOST (1942) is quite funny. I laughed out loud when Costello said, “I called, ‘Oh, Chuck’ 42 times!” and then “I’ll get out of here so fast, the suction will bring you along with me.”
A few jokes did go on a bit too long, such as the rotating bedroom/gambling room and the moving candles. However, this film also was important to adding a staple to Abbott and Costello’s comedic routine.
HOLD THAT GHOST (1941) was the introduction of Lou Costello’s scared routine, which wasn’t previously part of their act. Costello’s scared-stiff, stuttering and panting would later be incorporated into their act.
While Abbott and Costello are the stars of this film, the rest of the cast is great too. Underrated Joan Davis is funny and gets to perform a comedic dance with Costello. And I particularly love nerdy Richard Carlson. Evelyn Ankers was pleasant but felt more like window dressing.
Overall, HOLD THAT GHOST is a great time and perfectly sets up the other horror comedy Abbott and Costello films in the future.
Other places you can follow Comet Over Hollywood:
- Letterboxd
- X at @HollywoodComet
- BlueSky
- Or e-mail us at cometoverhollywood@gmail.com
