Hold That Ghost

Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Richard Carlson, Joan Davis, William B. Davidson, Mischa Auer, Marc Lawrence, Shemp Howard, The Andrews Sisters, Evelyn Ankers
Directed by: Arthur Lubin
Rating: Passed
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Musical
1941

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two bumbling friends (Bud Abbott, Lou Costello) wind up the sole heirs to a gangster's will, which lands them a creepy, supposedly haunted house. They end up there with a group of others and soon discover a spooky presence, which does not want them to stay.

Review:

Tim: Hold That Ghost is the third starring vehicle for Bud Abbott and Lou Costello (their fourth film together) and it might be my favorite (although it still has a couple of big flaws). If we ignore their supporting work in One Night in the Tropics, the first two Abbott and Costello movies were both service comedies- they were in the army in Buck Privates and in the navy in...well, In the Navy. That's fine, but they desperately needed to branch out. That happens with Hold That Ghost.

While the movie is book-ended by some scenes that seem a little disconnected with the bulk of the film, most of the movie takes place in a supposedly haunted house. I really liked the change of pace from service comedies to a horror comedy. One of the great things about Abbott & Costello is that their brand of comedy works in any kind of film. After two similar films, it was time to branch out and the quality of the movie increases as a result. This was like a breath of fresh air for the budding movie series. The movie does a very good job of utilizing the creepiness of the haunted house and the ghostly presence to create situations that elicit laughs.

I really appreciated a few things about this movie. It took 3 films, but I finally felt like Abbott & Costello were in the lead roles. The movie revolves around them and the love story is a subplot. The previous films had other characters advance the story and Abbott & Costello felt like the subplots. Director Arthur Lubin (who directed the last two A&C movies as well) and most importantly, the writers, finally got this one right. That goes a long way towards making this my favorite of the first three true A&C movies. The other thing I really enjoyed about this movie is that the humor was more weaved into the actual storyline. In the past three films, it felt like the main storyline paused for an admittedly funny Abbott & Costello bit that was only loosely connected to anything else going on. In this film, there really didn't feel like a ton of disconnected bits- there were still some classic A&C moments, but they served the larger story. That was wonderful to see.

While the movie had a number of laughs, two sequences really stood out to me. The funniest of the film has to be when Abbott wants Costello to go to sleep, but Costello's room keeps changing into a casino when he isn't looking. Of course, this greatly freaks him out, so he runs to Abbott and by the time his friend comes in, the room has changed back. This is a great scene because it didn't require as elaborate planning as some of their previous bits, but still managed to be incredibly funny. Once you get how the scene is set up (which is almost immediately), you can just sit back and laugh at the antics. Costello really makes this scene work and it was the highlight of the film for me. I also really enjoyed the moving candle sequence. You can so obviously see the wires attached, so that does damper the scene a bit. However, Costello's reactions are priceless and I admit I was smiling and laughing throughout that sequence. The movie has many more laughs, but these were the two standouts.

As far as our leads, I thought Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were great together. They always have so much chemistry, but it felt like they were more relaxed and comfortable with being movie stars at this point in their career. It was so refreshing not to see them play grunts in the military. It was also nice to see Abbott continue to downplay the overbearing side of his character. He's still bossy and mean to his friend, but he also displayed genuine concern at various moments. I like Abbott in these movies, but he has to constantly guard against being unlikeable. Costello, on the other hand, is the true star in my estimation. His physical comedy is nearly impossible not to enjoy. He takes spills and falls for laughs, he makes surprisingly funny sounds and faces, and really does whatever he can for a laugh. His high energy is really what I love about these films. Both men did a very good job in this film. The supporting cast were all good, perhaps the best supporting cast A&C have had yet.

While this is my favorite of the first three A&C movies, I still have some complaints. I understand that audiences expect to see The Andrews Sisters, but it felt like they were forced into this film. The song numbers weren't very good, no matter who was singing (and the song about the shadow was unbelievably racist) and really were not necessary. The Andrews Sisters added nothing to the film and actually detracted from it because their presence wasn't needed. The flow of the film is this- Abbott & Costello work as waiters in a fancy club. The Andrews Sisters sing. A&C get fired and work in a gas station. They meet a gangster and end up as heirs to his will. They travel to the haunted house, go through those antics. Then, they return to the club scene. There was really no need for the club to bookend the film. Those scenes were easily the least funny and effective of the film. The movie would have been better if it started with them as gas station attendants and spent more time there and then moved immediately to the haunted house. The way the film is set up now, flow and quality are sacrificed to wedge The Andrews Sisters into the story. My other complaint might be more minor, but it still hurt the film. There's moments throughout the film that just don't make logical sense. When the group reaches the old house, one of the members goes into the basement and doesn't come up. When the rest of the group is ready for dinner, Costello goes to find the man and can't. The group just kind of shrugs their shoulders and try to eat their soup. You're telling me you are in a spooky house, one of your group mysteriously vanishes and no one seems too concerned? Another awful moment is when the detectives randomly show up with no explanation. They yell at the group to leave the house and then just as randomly depart. The group looks at each other, shrugs, and says it's time to go to sleep. What? That's awful writing. Who could go to sleep in a house with two mysterious men who claim to be detectives prowling around? And even worse, they disappear, too, and no one seems to mind. It's those kind of flaws that prevented me from enjoying this movie as much as I should have.

So yes, while I do have some complaints about Hold That Ghost, for the most part, I'm very pleased. Each of the first three Abbott & Costello movies have been an improvement over the last, with this just slightly being the best one yet. Our comedy duo is increasingly comfortable in their roles and they're branching out in exciting ways. I can't wait to see where they go next.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: One Night in the Tropics, Buck Privates, In the Navy