The Smiling Ghost

A man is hired (for $1000) to be engaged to a beautiful heiress for a month. Unbeknowst to him, she is known as the "Kiss of Death" girl, and every one of her 3 previous suitors has been murdered by "the Smiling Ghost".

An excellent, eerie "old house" film with secret panels, a midnite opening of a family crypt, the great "scared reaction' antics of Willie Best, and (of COURSE!) the creepy-looking "smiling ghost" all make this a top-notch yarn.

DEFINITELY worth seeing!

Norm

I saw this film 58 years ago so don't expect any vivid detail but as I saw it with a group of my contemporaries i recall the atmosphere of the occasion with great clarity. It was a "B" feature(something that has disappeared from the cinema now)a filler before the main film and it was an example of a genre very dear to our hearts at the time-the comedy thriller.Very much in the mould of The Cat and the Canary(I refer to the Bob Hope version of course) it was chock full of one-liners,sliding panels and eccentric characters not the least of whom was the wonderful Willie Best.Even after all these years I can still remember his words when he catches sight of the eponymous apparition.Overtaking a galloping horse he wails "Move over horse.Make way for someone who can really run".It gave us all a lot of fun then and some recollected pleasure now for me anyway.

A surprisingly snappy little mystery comedy with Wayne Morris in his juvenile days sporting a patented brand of big guy innocence that he was very good with. Shortly afterward he went off to be a Navy flier and war hero, only to return to a Hollywood that had turned cold. Brenda Marshall plays a spunky, sassy reporter and is sexier than Alexis Smith which is no mean achievement. Willie Best shows why the prevailing racial attitudes kept a major talent from blossoming. He was truly a great comedian underneath the necessary character feature of a low I.Q. that all black actors of the day had to assume.Here, he's not quite so dumb and gets to use his formidable physical skills. I would urge to pull the curtain back a bit if you can and realize what a waste of talent it all was. No reason to go into the plot, its a farce with many funny lines and a very eccentric family which is a mainstay of many comedies of the 30s and 40s. Crisp, silly and warming.

Wayne Morris answers an ad and is inclined to accept a job offer that pays an easy $1000. He just wants to know—"$1000 to do what?" The prospective employer's answer: "To be engaged for one month to my granddaughter." –It sounds okay, but Morris isn't told up front that said granddaughter's fiancés tend to mysteriously succumb to a "smiling ghost curse."

A fun cast hams it up in this lively and none-too-serious old dark house comedy. Morris is earnest, slightly smart-alecky, a very likable hero. Two leading ladies give spirited performances: Alexis Smith is the rich girl whose fiancés don't last long, and Brenda Marshall the intrepid reporter who shows up to snoop around.

Willie Best, in a larger role than his usual bit part, is hilarious as Morris's reluctant assistant. Alan Hale is lots of fun as a gun- toting butler.

The plot is not exactly original but it moves at a nice quick pace. The actors seem to be enjoying themselves and the entertaining dialog they're delivering. ("Why," Smith snaps at Marshall as they discuss their beau Morris, "every look you give him you could pour on a waffle.")

The production values of this Warner Bros. B are a step above any number of otherwise similar Monogram pictures, but it really doesn't take itself any more seriously—which is why it works.

A worthwhile 70 minutes, especially for connoisseurs of the comedy-mystery B picture genre.

This is a light hearted, get away movie from the early 40s. Black and white "B" fare that lets your mind relax for awhile. A beautiful Heiress(Alexis Smith) has trouble getting married, because her husbands-to-be seem to never make it to the altar. A bumbling rube(Wayne Morris) is hired to be a decoy groom to bring the identity of the villain to light.

Also in the cast are Alan Hale, Brenda Marshall and Willie Best.