Hold That Ghost (1941)

Director:

Arthur Lubin

Writers:

Robert Lees (screenplay) &
Frederic I. Rinaldo (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

8 August 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Music | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

9 ALL-TIME SONG HITS (re-release print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Two bumbling service station attendants are left as the sole beneficiaries in a gangster's will. Their...

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Haunted House | Inn | Gunfire | Fired From The Job

Cast

Bud Abbott	...	Chuck Murray
Lou Costello	...	Ferdinand Jones
Richard Carlson	...	Doctor Jackson
Joan Davis	...	Camille Brewster
Mischa Auer	...	Gregory
Evelyn Ankers	...	Norma Lind
Marc Lawrence	...	Charlie Smith
Shemp Howard	...	Soda Jerk
Russell Hicks	...	Bannister
William B. Davidson	...	Moose Matson (as William Davidson)
Ted Lewis	...	Ted Lewis - Singer / Orchestra Leader (as Ted Lewis and His Orchestra)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Spencer Charters	...	Storekeeper (scenes deleted)
Jeanne Blanche	...	Pretty Girl (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks	...	Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Madge Crane	...	Mrs. Giltedge (uncredited)
Edgar Dearing	...	Irondome - Fake Detective (uncredited)
Thurston Hall	...	Alderman Birch (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Police Car Driver (uncredited)
Harry Hayden	...	Jenkins - Druggist (uncredited)
Hans Herbert	...	Mobster (uncredited)
Kay Kay and Katya	...	Speciality Act (uncredited)
Joseph La Cava	...	Little Fink (uncredited)
Nestor Paiva	...	Glum - Gangster (uncredited)
Milton Parsons	...	Harry Hoskins - Tour Bus Driver (uncredited)
Edward Pawley	...	High Collar - Gangster (uncredited)
Frank Penny	...	Snake Eyes (uncredited)
Frank Richards	...	Gunman (uncredited)
Ronald R. Rondell	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
William Ruhl	...	Gas Station Customer (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Chorus Boy (uncredited)
Janet Shaw	...	Alderman's Girl (uncredited)
Don Terry	...	Strangler (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Harry - Gangster (uncredited)

Directed by
Arthur Lubin

Writing credits
Robert Lees		(screenplay) &
Frederic I. Rinaldo		(screenplay) (as Fred Rinaldo) &
John Grant		(screenplay)
Robert Lees		(original story) &
Frederic I. Rinaldo		(original story) (as Fred Rinaldo)

Produced by
Burt Kelly	....	associate producer
Glenn Tryon	....	associate producer
Alex Gottlieb	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Hans J. Salter		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Elwood Bredell

Film Editing by
Philip Cahn

Art Direction by
Jack Otterson

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman		(as R.A. Gausman)

Costume Design by
Vera West		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gil Valle	....	assistant director (as Gilbert J. Valle)
John Rawlins	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Harold H. MacArthur	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Bernard B. Brown	....	sound supervisor
William R. Fox	....	sound technician (as William Fox)

Stunts
Pat Costello	....	stunt double: Lou Costello (uncredited)

Music Department
Nick Castle	....	stager: musical numbers
Hans J. Salter	....	musical director (as H.J. Salter)
Ralph Freed	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Charles Henderson	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Charles Previn	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Milton Rosen	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Frank Skinner	....	composer: title music (uncredited)

Other crew
Joan Hathaway	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1941) (USA) (theatrical)
• Universal Films (1941) (Panama) (theatrical)
• Universal Films (1941) (Costa Rica) (theatrical)
• Universal Films (1941) (Guatemala) (theatrical)
• Universal Films (1941) (Honduras) (theatrical)
• Universal Films (1941) (El Salvador) (theatrical)
• Universal Films (1941) (Ecuador) (theatrical)
• Universal Films (1941) (Nicaragua) (theatrical)
• La Universal (Cis Distribuidora de Peliculas) (1941) (Cuba) (theatrical)
• Jaime Puig Arosemena (1941) (Colombia) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures Corporation of Porta Rico (1941) (Puerto Rico) (theatrical)
• Eagle-Lion Films (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #7215) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The Andrews Sisters were brought in after filming wrapped and the final nightclub footage was edited in after the film's completion.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Ferdie leaves his bedroom to go out into the hall to see who was knocking at his door, the door slams behind him. He turns around, tries the handle and pushes the door, yells, "It's locked!" and runs across the hall to Chuck's room. However, when he initially pushed on the door it clearly opened several inches; he pulled it shut, turned the handle one more time and it again opened an inch or two. It was then he yelled "It's locked!" and ran off.

Quotes:

Chuck:Remember that stuff that took the enamel off your teeth?
Ferdie:Sure, once I had 6 bottles of that stuff, I didn't stagger.
Chuck:Didn't stagger?
Ferdie:I couldn't move.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man: Duckman and Cornfed in 'Haunted Society Plumbers' (#4.14)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

The Blue Danube Waltz

Host that Gold

Another nice early film from A&C, with a good supporting cast and the usual thickly laid on Universal atmosphere included. I've seen it maybe 10 times now over the decades with no loss of pleasure.

It has Ted Lewis and the Andrews Sisters as pleasant musical bookends to what has previously been described as a Ghosts & Gangsters tale. Add comedy and murder and that's what this is all about, the lid is firmly kept on the romance between Carlson and Ankers - and may I add, she seldom looked lovelier than in here. Favourite routines: Ferdie's bedrooms changing into gaming rooms behind his back, to Chuck's harsh disbelief; The candles moving to the spluttered "Oh Chuck! What Kept You"; the figure of speech gag finished by the gangsters arrival. Abbott got in more face slapping Costello than in other films, and although it's something that never really appealed to me it's not too bad. Joan Davis has some good lines too but wasn't fully exploited. Not in A&C's Top 5, but still a nice b&w inconsequential entertaining spooky old house comedy.

All told, good stuff for A&C fans like me - masochists who already know that they don't like 'em should really try to save themselves the 81 minutes running time + their IMDb commenting time and do the rest of us a favour.