Lucky Ghost

Mantan Moreland and F.E. Miller promote a pair of dice into a good car and cash, and thence into a casino. The old,owners are about to do something dire, but the ghosts in the cemetery out back don't like that.

True enough, some very stereotyped situation, but you've got two fine performers in the lead. Moreland was one of the leading cross-over Black comedians of the era, and if his comedy became old fashioned in the post-war era, his comedy timing is on display here. As for Miller, he started one of the first Black legitimate theater companies in the Country during the Mauve Decade, and was one of the writers and performers of the landmark Black Broadway show, 1921's SHUFFLE ALONG, with songs by Eunice Blake and Noble Sissle.

This cheap movie was intended for the all-black theaters, one of many "race films" of the era. It's directed by William Beaudine, a director who could handle anything from sentiment, Mary Pickford, on down to the Bowery Boys. This one is nearer the bottom of that list than the top, but the leads are fine comic actors.

someday Mantan will receive his just due. his comedy could never be duplicated. his films as Birmingham Brown opposite Charlie Chan are classics and should be hailed as so.His other features are well above comedy of today. That chubby little man made my sides ache with his antics."Feet don't fail me now"

Lucky Ghost (1942)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Washington (Mantan Moreland) and Jefferson (F.E. Miller) are two hobos who run into some very good luck when they play dice with a couple rich guys and walk away with a lot of cash. Soon afterwards the men role the dice and walk away with a nightclub but before long some ghosts show up for a piece of the action.

LUCKY GHOST is an all black cast film that will certainly not make the PC crowd very happy as it contains quite a few stereotypes but race films like this one should certainly be studied as they're an important part of our movie history. This film here, like most race films, suffers from an obvious low budget but "Z" movie maverick William Beudine does a nice job at keeping things moving at a nice pace.

The film actually turned out pretty good and especially since the two lead performances were so good. This is especially true for Mmoreland who had appeared in countless "B" movies throughout his career. More times than not he was playing small supporting roles but this here allowed him to play the lead and he does a good job with it and certainly helps carry the film. His comic timing is right on the mark and helps carry the hour running time.

Another thing that this film benefits from is the final fifteen-minutes where the spooks show up. This isn't your typical "old dark house" style of film. Instead of bad guys dressing up as ghosts, this film actually gives us real ghosts and a real skeleton to do the haunting. I really liked the fact that this film tried to do something a tad bit different and it makes for a fun ending.

LUCKY GHOST certainly isn't a masterpiece but it's a fun little "B" movie that is worth watching for its race history as well as its connection to the horror genre.

Today, this would be an easy film to criticize. After all, the budget and production values were very low for black-produced movies of the 1930s and 40s. And, on top of that, the main characters in this film, Mantan Moreland and F.E. Miller, are rather negative black stereotypes. But, if you look at this in context, it's actually a pretty good film. First, at that time black audiences were generally not even allowed in theaters due to segregation. And, since the Hollywood products featured only white leads, some black entrepreneurs decided to make films with all-black casts--but the funding never even came close to the major studios and was even often lower than the so-called poverty row studios like Monogram and even PRC. So, what can you expect--Shakespeare?! Second, while folks today might blanch and the sort of people portrayed by Moreland and Miller, it was only intended to be seen by blacks--and whites would not have seen these types of characters. So, you incredibly politically correct types out there, do NOT judge this film too quickly or too harshly--it represents one of the better films of its type.

Moreland and Miller are hobos and spend the initial portion of the film trying to find food. However, they happen upon some rich black guys and 'play a friendly game of dice'--after which the pair leave with the car, clothes AND chauffeur. Suddenly, Moreland and Miller look rich and sophisticated--and they are looking for excitement. Now this is pretty weird, but they find a sanitarium that is really a gambling joint--complete with sexy ladies and booze. Although the place is a clip-joint, Moreland has amazing luck--and eventually owns the place as he breaks the bank! How does this happen? Yup--it turns out the place is haunted and the spirits are out to teach everyone a lesson! As you can tell from the description of the film, it is NOT a sophisticated film. And, as I said before, politically correct folks will probably have heart attacks when they see black people gambling, trying to steal chickens and talking like characters from an episode of TV's "Amos 'n Andy"--but it is fun. My suggestion is watch it--learn about a seldom talked about piece of black history as well as enjoy the silly plot, as Moreland was a funny guy and the script writers actually did a pretty good job.

On an objective scale I'd have to rate Lady Luck on the low side of films. But this Dixie International Studio didn't even have the financing that a white poverty row outfit had back in the day. Dixie International makes PRC look like MGM.

Lady Luck has Mantan Moreland and F.E. Miller as a pair of down on their luck hobos. But Mantan's talent with dice puts them in the chips as they get cash, a car, and even a chauffeur. That's quite a parley and the guys are off to an asylum that doubles as an illegal gambling club.

But the spirits of past residents are restless and even those dice aren't lucky against the folks from beyond.

The comedy is no better or worse than Amos And Andy or in more modern times what you would see Redd Foxx do on Sanford And Son. Mantan Moreland was a very good comedian with a good line of patter and expressions that would rival Lou Costello.

Lady Luck is funny, but a sign of times forgotten. Black film makers get slightly bigger budgets in these times.