Ghosts on the Loose (1943)

The East Side Kids try to fix up a house for newlyweds, but find the place next door "haunted" by mysterious men.

Director:

William Beaudine

Writer:

Kenneth Higgins (original screenplay)

Stars:

Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leo Gorcey	...	Mugs
Huntz Hall	...	Glimpy
Bobby Jordan	...	Danny
Bela Lugosi	...	Emil
Ava Gardner	...	Betty
Rick Vallin	...	Jack
Ernest Morrison	...	Scruno (as Sammy Morrison)
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Benny (as Billy Benedict)
Stanley Clements	...	Stash
Bobby Stone	...	Dave
Minerva Urecal	...	Hilda
Wheeler Oakman	...	Tony
Peter Seal	...	Bruno
Frank Moran	...	Monk
Jack Mulhall	...	Lieutenant

Storyline

Glimpy's surprisingly beautiful sister is getting married to Jack, a young engineer, and moving to a 'bargain' suburban house neither has ever seen. During the honeymoon, the East Side Kids decide to fix up the house for the newlyweds...but mistakenly pick the 'haunted' house next door, which is occupied by some mysterious live men, dodging in and out of secret panels and clearly up to no good...

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Plot Keywords:

east side kids | haunted house | honeymoon | manhattan new york city | trapdoor | 

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Taglines:

You'll yell with glee when these happy-go-lucky hooligans invade the shivery domain of the Man of a Thousand Horrors! It's Chill-arious!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 July 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

The East Side Kids Meet Bela Lugosi

Box Office

Budget:

$85,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monogram Pictures, Banner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min 67 min (DVD) 65 min (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

If you listen carefully, you can hear Bela Lugosi sneeze a four letter word ("shit"). Director William Beaudine left it in.

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Quotes

Scruno: [whispering] Mister, you dropped your flowers,
[normal tone]
Scruno: I guess he didn't hear me.

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Connections

Followed by Mr. Muggs Rides Again (1945)

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Soundtracks

"The Wedding March"
(1843) (uncredited)
from "A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.61"
Written by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
Played on an organ by Bill Bates after the wedding

User Reviews

The First Film To Contain A Real Bad Expletive Word.

The Director, William Beaudine, also known as, "One-Take Beaudine, believed in filming one take of one scene. Get it right the first time. Bela Lugosi, as a gag, said a bad four-letter word in the first take of one specific scene. Bela Lugosi standing still as a portrait, while sneeezing expelled the expletive. Director William Beaudine kept the take in the film. This may be the first time a very bad expletive word had ever been heard and used in a film, with the exception of Gone With The Wind (1939), in which Clark Gable said in his memorable last line, used the word "damn", Bela Lugosi used the word "shit" uncalled for and not in the script. Ghosts On The Loose was released in 1943.