One Live Ghost (1936)

Henry Morton just wants to go fishing. Little things thwart him: Maxine the maid makes noise, Sonny, a lad in the household, makes a mess, and Henry's wife wants the car for shopping. A ... See full summary »

Director:

Leslie Goodwins

Writers:

Leslie Goodwins (story), Monte Collins (story)

Stars:

Leon Errol, Lucille Ball, Vivien Oakland

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Leon Errol	...	Henry Morton / Philpot (valet) / Ghost of Henry Morton
Lucille Ball	...	Maxine
Vivien Oakland	...	Ethel Morton
Robert Graves	...	Bert
Delmar Watson	...	Sonny

Storyline

Henry Morton just wants to go fishing. Little things thwart him: Maxine the maid makes noise, Sonny, a lad in the household, makes a mess, and Henry's wife wants the car for shopping. A newly arrived friend, Bert, suggests that Henry fake his own death, don a disguise and appear as Bert's English valet, and skulk about. They'll mourn and the truth can later be revealed. Sonny hears the entire plan and alerts Henry's wife and the rest of the household. Only Maxine is in the dark. Henry's wife gives the valet an attic room, throws herself in his arms, complains about her late husband, and sends Henry into a tizzy. He and Bert set up a séance to try to fix their ruse.

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Plot Keywords:

fishing | attic | friend | disguise | maid | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Short

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 November 1936 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

21 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although produced shortly after the 1935 RKO Radio Pictures name change, this short displays the old Radio Pictures credit. The fine print credits attribute it as an RKO Radio Picture with the 1936 copyright.

User Reviews

Fair

One Live Ghost (1936)

** (out of 4)

Lucille Ball fans might want to check this short out if they must see everything the legend has done in her career. The film centers on a husband (Leon Errol) who feels that his wife, children and even his maid (Ball) don't respect his wishes of going fishing. To prove a point, he fakes his death and later comes back to the house dressed as a butler so that he can spy on them. The idea of this guy faking his death and then coming back into the house just isn't believable enough to work and with that said the movie offered up very few laughs in the second half. The first half of the film gets a few chuckles as Errol keeps trying to go fishing and he has a few good exchanges with Ball. All of that changes in the second half as things go south in terms of laughs. I'm sure fans of Ball will want to check this out but others can stay clear.