The Ghost Breakersis a 1940 Americanhorror comedy filmdirected byGeorge Marshalland stars Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, and Richard Carlson. The film was adapted byWalter DeLeonfrom the playThe Ghost BreakerbyPaul DickeyandCharles W. Goddard.
Along withAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Hope and Goddard's ownThe Cat and the Canary, it is cited as a prime example of the classicHollywoodhorror-comedy
Contents
- 1 Plot
- 2 Cast
- 3 Various versions
- 4 Reception
- 5 See also
- 6 External links
Plot[]
In aManhattanradio studio, a broadcast is being made by crime reporter Lawrence Lawrence (Bob Hope)—"Larry" to his friends, as well as his enemies, who are many in number among the localunderworld.
Listening in on the broadcast is pretty brunette Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard), whose high-rise hotel room goes dark as a violent thunderstorm causes a city-wideblackout. In the near darkness, a knock comes at her door. It is Mr. Parada (Paul Lukas), a suave, vaguely sinister Cuban solicitor. He delivers the deed to her inherited plantation and mansion, "Castillo Maldito," on a small island off the coast of Cuba. Despite Parada's discouragement, she impulsively decides to travel to Cuba by ship to inspect her new property.
During Parada's visit, Mary receives a telephone call from Mr. Mederos (Anthony Quinn), an even more sinister gent who warns Mary not to sell the newly inherited property to Parada. Mary agrees to meet Mederos later.
Meanwhile, after Larry Lawrence has finished broadcasting the evening'sexposéof a localcrime boss, he receives a telephone call from the crime boss, Frenchy Duval (Paul Fix). Frenchy invites Larry to his hotel to discuss the broadcast so he can "give it" to him straight.
Coincidentally, Frenchy is living in the same hotel where Mary Carter lives. Mederos arrives on the same hotel floor as Larry. However, Mederos is looking for Parada. Mederos confronts Parada and Parada shoots and kills him. Larry hears the shot and fires his gun at random. In a mix-up in the still-darkened building, Larry sees the body and believes he's killed one of Duval's henchmen. In the confusion he finds himself in the rooms of Mary Carter, who is already busy packing for her journey. Believing that he is being pursued by Duval's men, Larry hides in Mary's large open trunk. Unaware of Larry's presence, Mary locks the trunk and arranges for its transport to the harbor.
Later at the dock, Larry'svaletAlex (Willie Best) searches among the luggage bound for loading and finds Larry among them. Although not in time to prevent the trunk's transfer to the ship's hold, Alex manages to get on board, hoping to extricate his employer before the ship sails.
Once in her stateroom, Mary is surprised to unpack Larry along with the rest of her belongings. Larry and Alex decide to remain on board, partly to act asbodyguardsto the plucky beauty, but also to keep out of reach of Frenchy Duval and the police.
As Larry and Mary strike up a flirtation, they run into an acquaintance of Mary's, Geoff Montgomery (Richard Carlson), a young professorial type who regales them with tales of the local superstitions of their destination, particularlyvoodoo, ghosts and zombies.
Upon reaching port inHavana, Mary, Larry, Alex go to the island. En route they find a shack occupied by an old woman (Virginia Brissac) and hercatatonicson (Noble Johnson), whom they believe is a zombie. The imposing plantation manor proves to be a spooky edifice indeed. They begin to explore the long-abandoned, cobweb-ridden mansion, and discover a large portrait of a woman who is nearly an exact likeness of Mary most certainly an ancestor.
Soon they are terrorized by the appearance of a ghost, and the reappearance of the zombie. Are these real, or are they a ruse to frighten Mary away from her inheritance?
Cast[]
- Bob Hopeas Larry Lawrence
- Paulette Goddardas Mary Carter
- Richard Carlsonas Geoff Montgomery
- Paul Lukasas Parada
- Willie Bestas Alex
- Pedro De Cordobaas Havez
- Virginia Brissacas Mother Zombie
- Noble Johnsonas Zombie
- Anthony Quinnas Ramon Mederos / Francisco Mederos
- Tom Duganas Raspy Kelly
- Paul Fixas Frenchy Duval
- Lloyd Corriganas Martin
Various versions[]
The Dickey and Goddard playThe Ghost Breakerwas filmed twice previously by Paramount, firstin 1914byCecil B. DeMille, with starsH. B. WarnerandRita Stanwood. It wasfilmed again in 1922by directorAlfred E. Green, starringWallace ReidandLila Lee.[2]Both thesesilent filmversions are now considered to belost films.
George Marshall, director of the 1940 version, remadeThe Ghost BreakersasScared Stiff(1953), featuringMartin and Lewis(Dean MartinandJerry Lewis). The remake featured cameos not only from Hope, but also fromBing Crosby. A year beforeScared Stiff, Martin and Lewis appeared in the Crosby/Hope filmRoad to Bali.
(Marshall also directed the not-dissimilarMurder, He Says(1945), in whichFred MacMurraycompares the situation to "that Bob Hope movieThe Ghost Breakers.")
The film was adapted for radio onScreen Directors Playhouseon April 4, 1949. Bob Hope re-created his film role, andShirley Mitchellstarred as Mary. Hope appeared again on the program for an hour-long version on June 14, 1951.
Reception[]
Reviews from critics were positive.Bosley CrowtherofThe New York Timeswrote, "It looks as though Paramount has really discovered something: it has found the fabled formula for making an audience shriek with laughter and fright at one and (as the barkers say) the simultaneous time."Varietydeclared it "solid comedy entertainment that will generate plenty of laughs and roll up some hefty b.o. figures along the way."Harrison's Reportscalled it, "One of the finest ghost stories that have been produced for some time." "Corking comedy has laughs and thrills aplenty,"Film Dailyreported.John MosherofThe New Yorkerwrote, "The amalgam of farce and horror is very successful."
Writing inThe Zombie Movie Encyclopedia,Peter Dendlesaid, "This is considered to be among Bob Hope's finest pictures, and the direction is smooth and the lines delivered flawlessly, but black actor Willie Best's jokes about fried chicken are no longer funny, and smarmy Hope isn't funny to begin with."[10]Glenn Kay, who wroteZombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide, called it "entertaining and hugely successful", though he said some scenes are uncomfortable due to their political incorrectness.
TheGhostbustersseries of film, though not a product of Dickey or Goddard, continue on in the same spirit as their 'Ghost Breaker' predecessors.
See also[]
- List of American films of 1940
External links[]
The Ghost Breakers (1940) at the Internet Movie Database- The Ghost Breakers (1940) at Wikipedia
- The Ghost Breakers (1940) at AllMovie
