The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)

Luther Heggs aspires to being a reporter for his small town newspaper, the Rachel Courier Express. He gets his big break when the editor asks him to spend the night at the Simmons mansion ... See full summary »

Director:

Alan Rafkin

Writers:

James Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum,

Stars:

Don Knotts, Joan Staley, Liam Redmond

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Don Knotts	...	Luther Heggs
Joan Staley	...	Alma Parker
Liam Redmond	...	Kelsey
Dick Sargent	...	George Beckett
Skip Homeier	...	Ollie Weaver
Reta Shaw	...	Mrs. Halcyon Maxwell
Lurene Tuttle	...	Mrs. Natalie Miller
Philip Ober	...	Nicholas Simmons (as Phil Ober)
Harry Hickox	...	Police Chief Art Fuller
Charles Lane	...	Lawyer Whitlow
Jesslyn Fax	...	Mrs. Hutchinson
Nydia Westman	...	Mrs. Cobb
George Chandler	...	Judge Harley Nast
Robert Cornthwaite	...	Lawyer Springer
Jim Begg	...	Deputy Herkie (as James Begg)

Storyline

Luther Heggs aspires to being a reporter for his small town newspaper, the Rachel Courier Express. He gets his big break when the editor asks him to spend the night at the Simmons mansion that, 20 years before, was the site of a now famous murder-suicide. The case has aroused local interest not only because of the anniversary but due to the fact that the family heir, Nick Simmons, has returned to Rachel aiming to tear the mansion down. Luther's account of his wild, ghost-ridden night in the house leads Simmons to sue for libel, but with the aid of his friend Kelsey they determines what exactly happened that night long ago and the identity of the real killer.

---

Plot Keywords:

newspaper | reporter | courtroom | murder | hero | 

---

Taglines:

G-G-GUARANTEED! YOU'LL BE SCARED UNTIL YOU LAUGH YOURSELF SILLY! (original theatrical poster - all caps)

---

Genres:

Comedy | Family | Mystery | Romance

---

Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

7 giorni di fifa

Filming Locations:

Colonial Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the few American films shot in the Technicolor Corporation's Techniscope wide screen process. The wide screen effect was achieved by essentially splitting the usual film frame horizontally into two smaller frames with a greater width to height ratio. It was inexpensive, but yielded a grainy image, which probably explains why it was seldom used in Hollywood.

---

Goofs

When Don Knotts steps between the trees at the picnic in his honor, the tree just to his left is a eucalyptus tree. Eucalyptus grow just fine in California but would not grow in Kansas where the movie is set.

---

Quotes

Police Chief Art Fuller: I'm sorry Mrs. Maxwell, Nicolas Simmons gave me strict orders. No one's allowed on this property.
Halcyon Maxwell: Oh Mr. Fuller you don't seem to understand. We're followers, we're on the path of the occult.
Police Chief Art Fuller: I'm afraid you won't find anything like that around here.
Halcyon Maxwell: Oh well it's obvious you don't understand. Our society is dedicated to contacting the other world.
Police Chief Art Fuller: The communists?
Halcyon Maxwell: The spiritual world!

---

Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Magic Sword (1992)

User Reviews

The Best Don Knotts Movie There Is

Don Knotts became a household name and Academy Award Winner for his creation of the blustery, cocky and nervous Deputy Sheriff Bernard P. Fife. In one episode in particular of The Andy Griffith Show, Knotts was in top form as Fife went into a haunted house. His nervous shaking and twitching in that episode almost surely led to this movie being made. Playing a type-setter at a local newspaper, he gets his chance to be a reporter when his editor elects him to spend a night in the local reputedly haunted murder house. Scared silly by what he sees there, he writes his article and becomes the local celebrity and a hero to the local ladies paranormal society in one of the movie's funniest running gags. The article, however, gets him into trouble as the house's owner sues for fraud and libel. The house, though, looks like every stereotype of what a haunted house is supposed to look like as it sticks out like a sore thumb in the otherwise prim and proper neighborhood. The back story of the murders is a bit contrived, as is it's "solution." The "hauntings" aren't very scary, but then this was meant to be a family picture. Killing the ghost story almost completely leaves me to suspect that the creators don't believe in ghosts, or didn't want to go out on a branch to suggest they do. Otherwise, this is a very good and enjoyable family picture and among one of my favorites.