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Hold That Ghost More at IMDbPro »

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49 reviews in total

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11 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Host that Gold, 20 August 2006

Author: Gary170459 from Derby, UK

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.

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13 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Riotous farce, one of the duo's best, 21 May 2003

Author: frankfob from California

This combination of haunted house scares and A&C slapstick works terrifically, for several reasons--the supporting cast is first-rate, and Joan Davis proved to be the best comic foil Costello ever had, their scenes together sparkle and their chemistry is undeniable; the boys' timing, always a marvel, has seldom been better; and, as in their best film, "A&C Meet Frankenstein," the spooky elements are played exactly that way, and not for laughs, and it works as well as it did in that film. Also, it doesn't have the cheaper, rushed look that many of their later ones had, and director Arthur Lubin--responsible for some of the team's best pictures--keeps things running very smoothly. The boys showcase some of their classic routines, Joan Davis is a joy to watch, the Andrews Sisters' songs don't slow things down ("Aurora" is actually a bright, catchy little number); all combine to make this one of the best Abbott & Costello films. Don't miss it.

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10 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
A childhood favorite, 27 October 2003
Author: one4now4 from Ft. Worth, TX, USA

Even as a little kid, it always annoyed me when the other kids would always hate this when I showed this to them right from the start solely because it was a black-and-white movie. I liked it a lot more as a little kid, but this is still a fun movie in a lot of respects. The one thing that I don't like about it makes me squirm more than ever today: The Andrews Sisters! But, oh, well, that was some real happening music back then, and there are people young and old today that like that kind of stuff, so I'll leave it alone. As far as the movie goes, it's a fun horror spoof of those "old, dark house" movies. I saw "Ghost Breakers" later on (a film that seemed to be imitating this) and hated it, but this one's still the real deal. I've always had a place in my heart for the works of Abbott and Costello, and they're in great comic form here. In the film, they inherit the house of a dead gangster and find some interesting and freaky surprises inside when they end up spending the night there with a handful of other guests while trapped by rainy weather and flooded-out roads. What amazes me is that "Hold That Ghost" seems to never get reviews in the review books I pick up, as if there's something about it that makes people want to avoid it for review. Maybe it's because some would probably find some political incorrectness about it, but I don't really see a problem here. The movie was made in 1941, so give it some slack! "Hold That Ghost" is still funny and entertaining, and I would recommend it to many looking for a classic horror-comedy to just sit back and enjoy.

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9 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Beautifully Produced and Sustained Abbot &Costello Comedy Classic, 26 July 2005

Author: silverscreen888

This durable comedy is a favorite of Abbot and Costello fans for many reasons. it is their first non-service comedy, their first involving spooks, monsters or hauntings and their first with a strong supporting cast and "A" production values. The story-line involves Bud and Lou inheriting a haunted house from a gangster named Moose. Since the crook's loot is supposed to be hidden there--it comes complete with ghosts, a bad reputation and cryptic clues--their trip there to take possession of their property proves to be a very lively adventure.Before this portion of the narrative, there is quite a bit of fun in a nightclub, involving the Andrews Sisters, a curious "Me and My Shadow" Number with legendary Ted Lewis and a truly black partner, the Ted lewis orchestra and much more. The other passengers along for the fun ride to the new property include Richard Carlson, very good as a science specialist incredibly oblivious to the admiration and the extreme physical charms of Evelyn Ankers, hilarious Joan Davis as a perfect foil for the lead duo and the others, plus durable bad guy Marc Lawrence, hilarious Mischa Auer, Shemp Howard, Russell Hicks as the gangster's lawyer and William Davidson as Moose Matson the gangster. Look for familiar faces among the gangsters and in the nightclub scenes. The direction of this film by skilled Arthur Lubin and the screenplay by Robert Lees, Fred Rinaldo and John Grant keeps the gags coming and the pace moving. The remarkable aspect of the film is that its musical numbers and sight-gags do not impede the progress of the plot. I had never seen this film until last year; so its freshness and the luminous results of its production team were a major discovery for me. The cinematography was done by Elwood Bredell, art direction by Jack Otterson with the set decoration by the famous Russell A. Gausman, and are all outstanding achievements. The costumes by Vera West are fine and thanks to the nightclub scenes unusually varied. This B/W classic would undoubtedly have been an expensive color production later on; but in any case, the money is found, the mystery is solved, the ghosts are mostly explained, lovers are united and the laughs generated by this delightful entertainment remain in the mind--as I and other viewers of this very funny film have testified-for years to come. Not to be missed.

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
The boys back to their best, backed by a great cast!, 20 January 2005

Author: John (opsbooks) from Blue Mountains, Australia

I watched 'Hold that Ghost' immediately after 'In the Navy' and noticed improvements in all areas. The boys, given more freedom than before and backed by some wonderful character actors, make this comedy as fresh today as when it was filmed, more than 6 decades ago. Universal, the home of horror, seemed the natural place for ghostly antics, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a dull moment in the movie.

Joan Davis was a wonderful actress and seemed to have found her natural partner in Lou. The two had same great moments together with perhaps the 'Blue Danube' sequence being the funniest. Richard Carson, in a part unlike anything he would portray a decade later, was - despite my misgivings - totally convincing as a nerd - well before that word was invented!

Olsen and Johnson of 'Hellzapoppin' fame would pay tribute to the hilarious 'Oh Chuck!' skit in their own 'Ghost Catchers' a few years later which used a similar - VERY similar! - title sequence.

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Ghosts and Gangsters, 6 September 2002

Author: telegonus from brighton, ma

This is a very funny early Abbott and Costello comedy that mixes crooks and ghosts, as Bud and Lou inherit a "haunted" roadhouse from a gangster who may or may not have stashed away a fortune somewhere on the premises. Richard Carlson and Joan Davis are also on hand. The latter is quite funny, the former isn't. Overall, this is one of the better produced A & C efforts, with a real A picture feel to it. The lazy B-style gags hadn't set in yet, and Universal was clearly putting what was for them a lot of money into this one. As a result, Hold That Ghost is not only a good comedy whodunit but also nice to look at.

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Just saw the newly restored print on the big screen, 1 November 2003
Author: mesmeric from New Jersey, Earth

This is still just as good as the first time I saw it in the 1950's. Just saw it on the big screen at the Loews Jersey City, one of the last of the great movie palaces in the New York/New Jersey area. What a thrill! It was introduced by his daughter Chris Costello, who answered questions about her father and about Bud Abbott (both born in New Jersey, by the way). Fans of A&B should also visit the Lou Costello memorial on Cianci Street in Paterson right near the Great Falls.

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
A Truncated Version, 11 February 2006

Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

Way back when I was a lad in the Fifties and Sixties, I used to see what I thought was a complete film of Hold That Ghost. It began with Abbott and Costello as gas station attendants who get themselves innocently involved in a car chase with police, fleeing with fatally wounded gangster William B. Davidson. WPIX Channel 11 in New York cut out the whole beginning sequence of the film with Mischa Auer as a stuck up maitre'd who gets stuck with the boys as relief waiters. As Auer is briefly on in the final scenes his role made more sense to me.

I guess Universal decided the boys needed a break from the Armed Forces so they put them in an alleged haunted house on the trail of Davidson's hidden loot. The terms of the gangster's will are that anyone who is with him when he departs this world becomes his heir. Abbott and Costello inherit a roadside tavern which was a speakeasy back during Prohibition. And it's filled with ghosts from that violent era. Or are they really ghosts?

Lot's of good sight gags in this one. In addition Costello is aided and abetted in his comedy by Joan Davis who with Richard Carlson and Evelyn Ankers. Their waltz to the strains of Strauss's Blue Danube is pretty funny.

Hold That Ghost also has Ted Lewis and the Andrews Sisters in the tradition of Buck Privates and In the Navy as musical entertainment. Ted Lewis sings his theme song of When My Baby Smiles At Me and the Andrews Sisters do Aurora another song identified with them back in the day.

Hold That Ghost is not as funny as the two previous service comedy films but it's still pretty good and hopefully the viewer will get to see the whole thing and not have to wait to get the VHS version of it to do so.

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Ab-bb-ott! Was that a ghost?, 9 November 2003
Author: Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK

Arthur Lubin directs this scary comedy with Abbott and Costello inheriting a gangster's abandoned piece of property. A haunted house? Some guys have all the luck. Well paced funny script complete with stormy atmosphere. Hilarious and a little spooky. Joan Davis is a scene stealer. Others in support: Richard Carlson, Evelyn Ankers and Marc Lawrence. Classic Abbott and Costello.

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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Spooks Run Wild, 12 August 2006
Author: lugonian from Kissimmee, Florida

HOLD THAT GHOST (Universal, 1941), directed by Arthur Lubin, features the studio's ever popular comedy team of Abbott and Costello (in their third starring roles) in a true and tried formula of a haunted house theme. Breaking away from army duty as BUCK PRIVATES and Naval reserves from IN THE NAVY, HOLD THAT GHOST ranks one of their more successful features of the period, cleverly mixing comedy with suspense along with classic routines associated with Abbott and Costello, some that would be repeated again, notably for their other spectacularly comedy in 1948 where they meet "Frankenstein."

The story opens at the Chez Glamour as Chuck Murray (Bud Abbott) and Ferdinand "Ferdie" Jones (Lou Costello), gas station attendants, are seen earning extra money as relief waiters. Patronizing the nightclub is Sidney "Moose" Manston (William B. Davidson), a noted gangster and bootlegger, going over his last will and testament with Bannister, his lawyer (Russell Hicks). Charlie Smith (Marc Lawrence), one of Manston's former hoods, has been searching for Manston wanting to collect his cut from the Wellington payroll job. The only clue to the whereabouts of the stolen loot is that Moose kept the money "in his head." As for Chuck and Ferdie, they foul up their jobs, causing Gregory (Mischa Auer), the headwaiter, to have them fired. Meanwhile, back at the gas station (eight gallons for a dollar!),"Moose" Manston drives in for gas. While servicing the car, Ferdie encounters Manston's gun in the front seat that accidentally goes off, stirring the attention of a passing police car, leading to a car chase with Ferdie and Chuck forced to take the driver's seat as Manston shoots at the cops from the back seat. A bullet hits "Moose," but before he dies, takes out his last will and testament. At the reading of the will at Bannister's office, Ferdie and Chuck find that because they were with "Moose," at the time of his death, they inherit his entire fortune, which includes his country tavern. Suspecting the stolen money to be hidden somewhere in there, Charlie pretends to represent the boys, hiring Harry Hoskins (Milton Parsons) to pose as their driver to take them over to the tavern, which they do. On the way Bannister makes some extra money by taking some added riders, Professor Jackson (Richard Carlson), a researcher; Norma Lind (Evelyn Ankers); and Camille Brewster (Joan Davis), an actress whose scream opens up the "Tales of Terror" radio program. Arriving at the tavern during a stormy night, the passengers disembark, Charlie included. After entering, Hoskins drives off with their luggage (luckily the crew has taken a brown bag of food in with them). Stranded for the night, strange things begin to occur: Charlie Smith disappears during his search for the Manston money later to be found bound, gagged and dead in a closet; the arrival and mysterious disappearance of a couple of phony detectives, who, earlier came in out of the rain; a mysterious figure covered in a white sheet roaming through secret panels, and spooky noises leading some, namely Ferdie, to believe the house to be haunted.

Abbott and Costello are in fine form here, with Costello displaying his comedic talent during several of his frightening moments, with familiar stock underscoring heard many times in Universal thrillers through most the 1940s. Comedienne Joan Davis benefits to the story as Costello's counterpart with such notable scenes together including their burlesque dancing to "The Blue Danube Waltz," their observing the candles placed on the table which he sees moving but she doesn't; plus the figure of speeches Costello makes ("Gone with the wind") which causes Davis to ask, "What wind?". A pity that Costello and Davis never worked together again. They were so funny together. Other highlights include Costello's room changing into a gambling casino every time he places his coat on the movable hook. Richard Carlson, the intellectual professor of research, and Evelyn Ankers, the future scream queen of Universal horror of the 1940s, each play it straight to perfection as the secondary romantic couple.

Although it's unlikely for a "haunted house" themed comedy to find time for musical numbers, the tunes and night club sequences were actually added in after filming was completed. The soundtrack includes "When My Baby Smiles At Me" (sung by Ted Lewis) by Andrew B. Sterling and Harry Von Tilzer; "Me and My Shadow" (sung by Lewis); "Sleepy Serenade" (sung by The Andrews Sisters) by Mort Greene and Lou Singer; "The Blue Danube" (comically performed by Lou Costello and Joan Davis in Manston tavern); and "Aurora" (sung by The Andrews Sisters) by Harold Adamson, Maria Logo and Roberto Roberti. These tunes, particularly "Aurora" are enjoyable, and fortunately doesn't slow down the pace by any means.

Released in theaters at 86 minutes, television prints since the 1960s and beyond eliminated the opening twelve minute night club segment in order to fit in commercial breaks into a 90 minute time slot, thus normally starting with Bud and Lou at the filling station talking about how they got fired from their last job ("what job?"). It wasn't until the mid-1980s and distribution to video cassette (and DVD) when these lifted scenes were finally restored. Even without the early nightclub portion, the Andrews Sisters, Ted Lewis and Mischa Auer are seen before the finish.

A favorite amongst Abbott and Costello fans, HOLD THAT GHOST (what ghost?) which formerly played on the Comedy Channel during the late 1980s, did enjoy its brief run on American Movie Classics in 2001. (***)

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