The Smiling Ghost

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.

Among all the Hollywood studios of the '30s and '40s, Warner Bros. excelled at churning out slick, swift, polished 'B' comedy-thrillers (see the 4 Nancy Drew treats for further evidence). "The Smiling Ghost" is a perfect example of this genre. This nifty, nutty 1941 charmer packs more entertainment value into 71 minutes than most of today's films do in 2-hours-plus. The ever-gorgeous Alexis Smith plays a wealthy heiress whose fiances have always met with ghastly fates before the nuptuals. In a plot to unravel the killer's identity, poor Wayne Morris is duped into impersonating her new betrothed. All the standard ingredients are hauled out and refreshened--a gloomy dark mansion, secret passageways, sliding panels, and, as the title promises, the genuinely eerie apparition of a "smiling ghost." Done to a turn by an engaging cast, one wonders why the handsome, appealing and wryly comic Wayne Morris never achieved full-fledged stardom, and why did it take another 30 years for the dazzling Alexis Smith to be duly celebrated (on Broadway in 1971's "Follies")?

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

This is one of those films you dont hear alot about...but that said this is one GREAT! little film...Wayne Morris absolutely shines as the comic hero "Lucky Downing" and Willie Best give his usual excellent performance as Luckys Valet Clarence...It,s all about an heiress whos lost a few beau,s to shall we say "misfortune" Lucky answers an ad in the paper by the young ladys Grandmother.. Soon he and Clarence are enveloped in a mystery set in an old spooky mansion..with a cast of family characters who are all kooky or sinister in some fashion....Not a film that takes itself seriously, this is one of those comedy-horror gems that you can really enjoy on a dark night or a rainy day....definitely give this an 8******** on a 10 scale..try it you wont be dissapointed.

If you are looking for a pleasant diversion that will make you laugh and be royally entertained with an old fashioned "B" mystery, this film is for you. Alexis Smith plays a gal who has been engaged to three different men, all of whom have met their demise before the wedding. The family hires Wayne Morris as a decoy fiancee in an attempt to get the murderer out in the open. The only problem is that Morris does not know that he's being used as bait. However, when he does find out his true status he decides to help trap the killer anyway. This movie is great fun with such devices as a secret panel, some funny acting relatives, and Willie Best playing his usual knee knocking, scared character. Yes, some will be offended by his characterization but, deal with it. That's the way things were done in those days. We would certainly and rightfully object if such antics were filmed today but, remember, this movie is from the early 1940s. The real identity of the killer is pretty obvious but, so what? It's a fun movie and well worth a little more than 70 minutes of your' time.