Ghost Wanted (1940)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Chuck Jones

Writer:

Dave Monahan (story)

Release Date:

10 August 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Animation | Short | Comedy

Plot:

An inexperienced little ghost tries out for a house-haunting job, but winds up getting terrorized by the fat ghost interviewing him for the position.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Telegram | Fireworks | Merrie Melodies | Invisibility

Cast

Tex Avery

...

Laughing Ghost (voice) (uncredited)

Runtime:

7 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Leon Schlesinger Studios

Movie Connections:

References Dracula (1931)

The Spirit of Casper

This early Chuck Jones cartoon shows the usual sarcastic edge of Termite Terrace cartoons in this era, between the self-aware humor of Carl Stallings' music and the voice work -- provided by fellow director Tex Avery. However it also clearly shows what in this period is Jones' weakness -- his lead character is a child of sorts, like Sniffles --but there is little in the way of appeal to adults except for the academic one of seeing the early works of one of the great cartoon directors of all time.

Jones would return to his juvenile characters later in his career, bolstered by better scriptwriters and a surer command of the essential psychology of people -- his rarely seen 'Ralphie Phillips' cartoons like FROM A TO ZZZZ can be considered glosses on this work .... but their value will arise out of their understanding, rather than an overwhelming sense of cuteness.