A-Haunting We Will Go

Because of this Laurel and Hardy film's poor reputation, I decided to watch this with Scott MacGillivray's commentary first before seeing it without. With the commentary, I appreciated many of the visual gags like various accidents from Stan's umbrella or the entire rope trick with Stan rising and falling with it depending on Ollie's playing or not of the clarinet. Of note is that Sheila Ryan appears in her second L & H movie a year after her first with the boys, Great Guns. Also, a couple of men who bilk Stan and Ollie on the train, Richard Lane and Robert Emmett Keane, would subsequently appear with them on The Bullfighters (Lane), The Dancing Masters (Keane), and Jitterbugs (Keane). Anyone interested in African-American comics of the '40s will probably want to check this one out to see both Mantan Moreland and Wille Best as waiters on a train though Mantan makes more of an impression here when he laughs at the boys' obviously fake money they thought was real because of the machine they saw Lane and Keane make different dollar bills from that they bought. As a fan of It's a Wonderful Life, it was certainly a treat for me to see Frank Faylen (Ernie the taxi driver) try to throw L & H off the train. While Stan and Ollie do provide plenty of laughs especially in a scene concerning two telephone booths from Dante the Magician that provide some nice double exposure of them, the gangster scenes, with one of them being Elisa Cook, Jr. of The Maltese Falcon, are mostly too serious to suit a Laurel and Hardy flick. That lion segment with them was funny though. Compared to the boys' Hal Roach output, this Fox entry doesn't come close quality-wise but A-Haunting We Will Go shouldn't be considered bottom-of-the barrel either. P.S. One of the children that was admiring Dante on the train was Terry Moore, who later became the leading lady on Mighty Joe Young.

Laurel and Hardy had been stars for years with Hal Roach Studios. However, by the 1940s, they were considerably older and their contract had expired. Their decision to try out other studios (RKO, MGM and FOX) resulted in a string of, at best, lackluster films. Sure, they made better money, but none of these films comes close to classic status.

As for A-HAUNTING WE WILL GO, it was one of these 1940s films, but at least it wasn't bad--just, unfortunately, made by a studio that had no appreciation for the team at all. The biggest problem about this film is that Stan and Ollie play roles that could have been filled by practically anyone. The usual banter and style you'd expect in a Laurel and Hardy film is strangely absent--something that plagued all their post-Roach productions.

The plot for A-HAUNTING WE WILL GO was quite unexpected. With a title like this, I would have expected a movie about a haunted house or ghosts but these were strangely absent from the film. Instead, it's about Stan and Ollie stumbling into a gang of criminals as well as bumbling into becoming assistants to a magician.

Fortunately, despite being a very odd and unfamiliar style, the script wasn't bad at all--but unfortunately it wasn't all that funny either. While there were a few mildly funny moments, they were all centered around camera tricks and had nothing to do with the boys themselves. It was if funny things were thrown at them instead of allowing them to just be themselves and express their own gentle form of humor. Still, not a bad film--but far from classic Laurel and Hardy. Worth a look for fans of the team and not particularly offensive or daring.

Few names in comedy are as iconic as those of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Though not all their works were equal, by and large they stood alongside contemporaries like Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and The Three Stooges with a steady stream of gags, physical comedy, situational humor, witty repartee, and not least the terrific dynamics between the stars. It speaks well to this 1942 title that it starts strong with a good few laughs, and at its best 'A-haunting we will go' is right on par with the duo's best films. It's not necessarily entirely perfect compared to others among their oeuvre, but it's hard to go wrong with Laurel and Hardy, and this ample demonstration of why they continue to be held in such esteem.

The shenanigans are reliably delightful at all times, and the nature of the plot in this instance allows for some flavors that are unique from those the legends' other pictures. One problem that this feature does distinctly have is that it's a tad imbalanced, for there is a lot of story packed into these sixty-six minutes as two hobos get mixed up with gangsters, and then a touring illusionist. Wherever that narrative receives focus the pacing is dragged down a bit, and the entertainment in turn, all the way through to the very end. On a like note, there's no disputing that "Dante the Magician" is a great showman and a fine addition to the roster for this flick; nevertheless, devoting a bit of the short runtime to his own antics further diminishes the screen time for Stan and Ollie. One consequence of our stars being shoved into a corner is that 'A-haunting we will go' feels less and less like a Laurel and Hardy flick, and more ordinary, alongside other 40s fare.

In fairness, these issues are less prominent in the back end as all the facets converge, and with that especially in mind - overall the movie is so fun, with the latter half making up for earlier issues, that we begin to forget about any troubles we recognized in the first place. All those stunts and effects that are employed are fantastic across the board, with some being even more complicated than what we've seen elsewhere with these two. Aspects like the sets, costume design, and hair and makeup are lovely, too, as they help flesh out the whole. Writers Lou Breslow and Stanley Rauh whipped up a swell tale to propel the silliness, and all the scene writing and bits are terrifically sharp and smart. Alfred L. Werker's direction ties all the moving parts together well, with some buzzing energy - though his task is certainly made easier with a splendid ensemble who do much of the heavy lifting themselves. Laurel and Hardy carry much of the title, by all means, but the big supporting cast easily rises to the occasion, with Dante and George Lynn easily standing out, among others.

All told I'd stop short of calling this a total must-see; in the very least, there are other films from the pair that I'd suggest more highly, including 'Saps at sea' and 'Swiss miss.' Even at that, whatever subjective faults one might reasonably assess against this ultimately turn out to seem pretty minor relative to how fabulously enjoyable it is otherwise. Whether you're a fan of the stars or really just looking for a good time you'll unmistakably find it here, and for the level at which the icons mostly operated, the minutiae don't particularly matter. 'A-haunting we will go' is another classic comedy from Laurel and Hardy, and I'm pleased to give it my hearty recommendation!

10 Stars.

I have to tell you something. Laurel and Hardy's later films WERE good comedies. Lots of critics have given them a thumbs down. These films made millions of dollars for Fox (notice how critics don't mention that!) and had a following. They have survived the test of time and, in fact, were the first to be released to television.

A HAUNTING WE WILL GO was the team's second film for Fox, designed to keep up with the antics of Abbott and Costello (who had released HOLD THAT GHOST!). They had a bigger budget and a solid cast of character actors, including world famous Dante, the Magician in this episode. There's some debate this may have been a re-worked script, originally planned for CHARLIE CHAN. The series was cancelled by Fox earlier in the year, and producers put all their attention to Laurel and Hardy. It makes sense.

Here you have a coffin, a missing corpse and a bunch of sly crooks. Sounds like something Charlie Chan would have gotten himself into. Additionally, some genuinely classic scenes have the boys assisting Dante, the magician with his act. Alfred Werker directed these bits beautifully, and with a few special effects. The setting is also very elaborate, boasting a large cast of extras in the audience.

After watching this comedy for decades, and for some reason, always on a Sunday afternoon, it's still a treat, particularly the whodunit to WHO ending. Lois Laurel, Stan's daughter, claimed these films were fun, and, in fact, Oliver Hardy was said to have enjoyed making them. His favorite was JITTERBUGS, released soon after this production.

Goofy dialogue and one-liners tossed in, written by Lou Breslow, who also wrote the original story. The phony money machine bit with bug-eyed waiter Mantan Moreland is a gem.

Look for the (censured) backward statue. Ollie's double-take is hilarious. Note the cartoon characters at the start of the film credits, which showed the art department really loved their work. Yes, there are many publicity photos of the boys in costume, still in circulation to this day. Some of the photos have been restored in color and they look great.

In box sets of three films each, released by Cinema Classics, 2006.

This is one of laurel and hardy's most underappreciated films. The scene where Stan climbs a rope in a magic trick is one of the funniest things i have ever seen. There are some great lines too - "Let's go to Florida. I'm dying for an orange". Priceless.