Hold That Ghost (1941) :
Brief Review -
Is everybody happy? Yes! An early ghost comedy by Abbott and Costello that haunts you right. Arthur Lubin takes Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's duo for an early ghost-comedy, which is also a gangster-comedy. The film cracks up an easy-looking formula with one of the most difficult gags ever performed in the comedy genre. The film has a setting that supports its theme by chance but not by mistake. After inheriting a fortune from a gangster, two dim-witted service station attendants find themselves stranded in a haunted house. They are joined by an experiment-freak doctor, a screaming radio jockey, and a beautiful girl with no background. The caretaker-cum-driver is murdered, and the group starts looking for the reasons behind it. The peculiar horror things create confusion as well as a hilarious show out there inside the house. Bud Abbott plays a smart fella again, but this time he gets fewer gags and more pass-over scenes. His passing scenes to Costello assist Costello in producing gags that are both funny and enjoyable. "I am not going in there. Ok, I'd like to see you make me," Costello says. As Abbott slaps him, Costello replies, "Ok, you made me." This banter is the biggest USP of the film. One of the girls, Joan Davis (Camille), adds some of her laughs-physical and verbal alike. Her intro scene gives you the idea in the beginning that the film is not just about Abbott and Costello, but it's also about her show. The way she says, "I had a great part in it. Five screams, you know," oh man, that's indeed funny. Richard Carlson as a study freak doctor and Evelyn Ankers as a go-to girl have a quick romance in sweet and short roles. The villains offer nothing new. Robert Lees, Fred Rinaldo and John Grant's writing deserve equal credit as Arthur Lubin's direction for making this one a perfect weekend family entertainer. An unmissable house goof-up for Abbott and Costello fans.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Is everybody happy? Yes! An early ghost comedy by Abbott and Costello that haunts you right. Arthur Lubin takes Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's duo for an early ghost-comedy, which is also a gangster-comedy. The film cracks up an easy-looking formula with one of the most difficult gags ever performed in the comedy genre. The film has a setting that supports its theme by chance but not by mistake. After inheriting a fortune from a gangster, two dim-witted service station attendants find themselves stranded in a haunted house. They are joined by an experiment-freak doctor, a screaming radio jockey, and a beautiful girl with no background. The caretaker-cum-driver is murdered, and the group starts looking for the reasons behind it. The peculiar horror things create confusion as well as a hilarious show out there inside the house. Bud Abbott plays a smart fella again, but this time he gets fewer gags and more pass-over scenes. His passing scenes to Costello assist Costello in producing gags that are both funny and enjoyable. "I am not going in there. Ok, I'd like to see you make me," Costello says. As Abbott slaps him, Costello replies, "Ok, you made me." This banter is the biggest USP of the film. One of the girls, Joan Davis (Camille), adds some of her laughs-physical and verbal alike. Her intro scene gives you the idea in the beginning that the film is not just about Abbott and Costello, but it's also about her show. The way she says, "I had a great part in it. Five screams, you know," oh man, that's indeed funny. Richard Carlson as a study freak doctor and Evelyn Ankers as a go-to girl have a quick romance in sweet and short roles. The villains offer nothing new. Robert Lees, Fred Rinaldo and John Grant's writing deserve equal credit as Arthur Lubin's direction for making this one a perfect weekend family entertainer. An unmissable house goof-up for Abbott and Costello fans.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.