The Ghost Breakers

The old studio system had at least one advantage over the methods used for movies today. No matter how wacky the premise of the movie, they worked from a script. From the opening crash and thunder of the storm that is pummeling New York City to the closing credits, you can tell this story was carefully crafted from beginning to end. Paulette is a delight to watch as she brings her sparkling and happy personality to an environment which would scare the crap out of most people. Bob Hope always thinks he is bigger than he is, and we are terrified along with him as he jokes and pans his way through this classic and original haunted house film. His valet delivers a delightful performance which is now not considered to be politically correct, but in the context of comedy, which is the way it was meant to be, is right on target. A movie which knows where it is going, because of the well-written and well-directed script, will take you on a beautiful journey of light entertainment.

Like others, I first saw this as a kid and was so scared I didn't realize it was supposed to be a comedy. I watched it again last night and was still impressed by how effective the horror scenes are. Noble Johnson in his subtle but terrific zombie make-up is as chilling as anything in a "straight" horror film of the period. The sets are great and the cinematography wonderfully atmospheric. George Marshall was a very underrated director and his pictorial sense is frequently stunning (note the two shot of Paulette Goddard in her period costume and the painting of her ancestor on the wall). Goddard is strikingly pretty and charming, Bob Hope seems fresh and energetic (and very effective in some of his straight moments) and Willy Best gets to shed his "scared darky" persona and play a funny and reasonably straight role. Those who've commented on the humiliating racial stereotype Best seems to be playing here are understandably confused. THE GHOST BREAKERS is years ahead of its time in its treatment of Best's character. This is a guy who began his career under the stage name "Sleep'n'Eat", yet here he plays a rational and reasonably intelligent character named Alex, a comic sidekick but one that might easily have been played by Edward Everett Horton or any number of white actors. He's the one who figures out that Hope couldn't be a murderer because he was carrying the wrong caliber gun, and while he's as scared of a zombie as anybody would be he also pitches into the fight when the monster has to be subdued. If Best didn't consider this one of the best (sorry about that) roles of his career I'd be very surprised.

Many movie fans who were raised seeing Bob Hope strictly in the slightly depressing films he made during the 1960s and his periodic TV specials may be surprised to learn that in the 1940s he was one of the best "fast patter' comedians working on the radio and in films. Generally playing a coward who still managed to come up on top in circumstances over which he had no control, the comic starred in a number of successful films.

I admittedly have a preference for "old dark house" mysteries, and I spent years trying to catch up on this one. The only version of the script which had been readily available through the 1970s was the Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis remake, SCARED STIFF, which used the basic premise but altered some of the gags and inserted musical numbers.

The action opens in New York City where Lawrence "Larry" Lawrence (Hope) is preparing for a radio broadcast as the city is hit by a storm-created blackout. Larry broadcasts gossip which includes, with tacit approval from the mob, news on some of the local crime kingpins. Unfortunately, his latest broadcast annoys Frenchy Duval (Paul Fix), and Larry is invited over for a few straight facts.

In the meantime, one of Larry's listeners is conferring with a lawyer who informs her she's inherited an island off the Cuban Coast. Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard) is thrilled at the news and makes plans to sail at once, in spite of the island's grim reputation as a hotspot for ghosts and worse. Fending off an offer from an unnamed third party to buy the island, she starts packing.

Larry arrives at Duval's hotel, which happens to also be the one where the heiress is staying. Suspecting he's in for more trouble than he can handle (i.e., any at all), Larry borrows a gun from his servant Alex (Willie Best). When a mysterious stranger is shot at the hotel, Lawrence panics --- assuming he killed the man -- and ends up in Mary's room. The police arrive and she offers him refuge.

Picking her trunk as his hiding place, Larry winds up aboard her cruise ship. Spotting a death threat that had been delivered to her stateroom, he decides that he and Alex will stay and protect her.

En route to Cuba, they encounter Geoff Montgomery (Richard Carlson, starting his move away from playing college-aged characters), with whom Mary's tokenly acquainted. He offers to play guide once they arrive in Havana.

Mary vanishes from a nightclub, heading out to heck out the island by night. Larry and a reluctant Alex hire a rowboat and also make for the isle. Arriving, they briefly examine the hut of a local woman with a "zombie son" (Noble Johnson in a fairly creepy, deadpan performance) and proceed on to the bay haunted castle.

It quickly becomes obvious that there's someone else on the island. Alex and Larry have a run-in with a real ghost and the zombie son. Mary arrives and, her clothing torn, puts on a dress once owned by an ancestor for which she's a deal not so dead ringer. This confuses the zombie long enough for them to lock him away.

Investigating the cellars, Larry and Mary find her lawyer in one of the coffins. He'd been attacked by the mysterious individual who had wanted to purchase the island. He dies before he can reveal the killer -- only giving a cryptic clue. This turns out to be a hint at a fabulous treasure hidden underneath the castle.

The killer makes himself known, but is dispatched before he can eliminate the witnesses.

A fun little outing, and a decent example of one of the fairly early sound "old house" mysteries. These films were popular in the silent era, generally pitting one or more characters against an unknown killer in a rambling, storm-tossed mansion. Hope and Goddard had also starred in a sound remake of one of the better known of these creakers, THE CAT AND THE CANARY.

GHOST BREAKERS is well worth renting.

The basic plot: Bob Hope gets mixed up in a plot to get Paulette Goddards fortune.

The praise: Its a funny movie, with Bob Hope doing plenty of good gags and wisecracks . It also has a diverting , intriguing plot, suspense, and an eerie, funny old house part towards the end . The old house one is a fine set, and you won't have a clue who done it till the end. Paulette Goddard looks fetching, and the film is dated only by black stereotyping. The zombie scene works both seriously and as a spoof. Enjoy!

Bob Hope made some wonderful, fun movies in the '40s, and "The Ghost Breakers" costarring Paulette Goddard, Paul Lukas, Willie Best, and Richard Carlson is a prime example. Anthony Quinn has two small double roles in an early appearance for him.

Hope is a radio gossip who talks about the mob and sometimes upsets them; Goddard is a woman who has just inherited a castle in Cuba. The two intersect at a hotel after a shooting which Hope thinks he committed. He ends up in her trunk and therefore, in Cuba with her, along with Lukas, Best, and Carlson, an old friend of Goddard's. The castle is supposedly haunted, and some mighty strange things occur while Hope and Best investigate.

This is a great haunted house mystery with Hope letting the zingers fly at a rapid pace. There was something about the younger Hope that is terribly appealing. He brings a boyishness and an energy to these '40s roles that was lost later on. Goddard is beautiful and lively, Lukas excellent as the mysterious Parada. Though there is some political incorrectness, Willie Best and Hope spar as equals. The film keeps a strong atmosphere, with the scenes of thunder and lightning in the beginning especially effective. And that haunted castle - yikes. Call a ghost breaker!