The Ghost That Walks Alone (1944) User Reviews

Whooppdie doo, it's the original Scooby Doo!

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 28 July 2017]

OK, so there's no Scooby, but there's definitely a Shaggy in the form of Arthur Lake, aka Dagwood Bumstead. He's on his honeymoon with fellow radio actress Lynne Roberts at his family's hotel where he insists he's found a corpse. The staff and guests (outside their obnoxious radio star costars) are a creepy bellhop (Matt Willis) and a grouchy old lady (Ida Moore) who suddenly turns into a girlish flirt when the sun goes down. Roberts is jealous of sexy radio actress Janis Carter who ends up in several precarious predicaments with the befuddled Lake. More unbelievable twists take place, twisting this until the audience is as dizzy watching it as Lake is experiencing it.

After six years of Blondie films, Lake got a new character to play, but outside of a different name and career, Lake is basically playing the same character. This is comedic nonsense with some very amusing moments, particularly with Ida Moore, unfortunately unbilled who is first seen being cute insulting everybody then gets Lake to push her on a swing then skips back to the motel. Later, she gets him alone for a buggy ride. It's moderately fun for childlike cartoonish farce, worth a checkout, but I don't think this holds up past one viewing, outside maybe re-watching Ms. Moore's scenes. Everything this classic character actress does is worth watching over and over. The lack of chemistry between Lake and Roberts is very evident, and they really share very little time on screen either, making me think that the director noticed it too.

Not great...not horrible.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 22 November 2019]

"The Ghost That Walks Alone" is a movie that tries very, very hard to be goofy. Sometimes it succeeds...other times it's just loud and a bit annoying. Overall, it's a film that is, at best, a time-passer.

The story begins during a radio show. The sound effects guy, Eddie (Arthur Lake), is a bit of a knucklehead. However, the boss...well he's just terrible and he treats Eddie abominably. Later, after Eddie marries, he finds the dead boss in the inn...and he tries to solve the crime. But the police soon arrive and arrest Eddie...and he insists that he's not only innocent but a balmy old lady can tell them who the killer is.

The film is not subtle in any way. Lake seems at times like he thinks he's in a Blondie film...and far less from him and a few of the other characters in the film would have made it so much better. Forced...but watchable.

What with the title?

[bensonmum2 · 3/10 · 14 May 2020]

My short and sweet plot summary: Newlywed Eddie Grant (Arthur Lake) gets mixed up in murder and a missing body while on his honeymoon. Much (supposed) hilarity ensues.

The Ghost That Walks Alone is billed as a comedy/mystery. I have problems with both parts of that description. For the comedy part, if you're a fan of Arthur Lake's Dagwood Bumstead, you might enjoy his antics in The Ghost That Walks Alone. If, like me, you find his brand of comedy insufferable, you're most likely not going to enjoy the film. I'm sorry, but I just can't stomach the man. He's so annoying. As for the mystery elements, well, there really isn't much of a mystery. The film's idiotic would-be sleuths spend more time trying to hide the body than solving the crime. Instead, the murderer just sort of reveals himself in the finale and confesses to everything. No real detective work needed. That's probably a good thing because I'm not sure any character in the film displays the intelligence or common sense you'd find in an average second-grader. The whole thing is a disastrous mess.

One last thing - what's with the title? Not only is there no ghost in The Ghost That Walks Alone, there's not even mention of a ghost or anything remotely supernatural. Talk about a misleading title.

3/10

As THE PHANTOM Comic Strip Tells Us, It's 'The Ghost WHO Walks'

[boblipton · 3/10 · 8 October 2019]

Arthur Lake has just gotten married to Lynne Roberts. They are on their way to honeymoon at Lake's sister's mountain lodge, but the radio show they both work for -- he as the sound effects man, she as a performer -- insist on coming along so they can rehearse. Rehearsals are interrupted when the producer is murdered and turns up in the frustrated honeymooners' bed. Lake is accused of the murder because the writers thought it funnier that way.

It's a mystery with a random murderer, and a comedy, of course, by the standards of those who think Mr. Lake is funny enough to carry a comedy; I'm not one of those people. Lake plays the same comedy character he had played since silent movies, the same one you can see in the Blondie series. Director Lew Landers, a B specialist, allows his performers to run pretty much riot, but alas, there's little that's funny here unless you're into the the shtick of the performers. At barely more than an hour, it seems much longer.

Familiar cast does its best

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 17 November 2019]

Arthur Lake takes a hiatus from the Blondie series and stars with Beverly Roberts as a newlywed couple who honeymoon in a lodge owned by Lake's sister. Lake is a sound effects man for a radio program. and the whole program personnel follow him to the lodge and want Lake to help with rehearsals.

That's rude enough but when producer Jack Lee turns up dead Lake is the chief suspect.

The film is badly written and edited. But what it does have is a good cast of familiar character players who just can't quite push it over the line. Still this might be worth a look for their sakes.

Awful!

[Norm-30 · 1/10 · 8 June 1999]

A murder occurs in a hotel. I dunno where they got the title, but there is NO "ghost" or supernatural happenings of ANY kind! Also, Arthur Lake plays his usual "Dagwood" (dumbell) character, and it's torture watching him.

Should've been a "lost" film!

No Ghost To Be Found

[DKosty123 · 3/10 · 12 October 2019]

It is an interesting premise, a terrible radio show leading to a wedding mis-match, and then a honeymoon at an obscure Inn that is at the end of the season. The Inn features a creepy guy and a strange woman. Then the cast of the radio show barge in on the honeymoon because the awful radio shows needs more rehersals. Everyone has a terrible time, even worse than during the radio show. Meanwhile a dead body is found, put in a box, which promptly disappears.

This was obviously done on a tight budget as a 60 minute B film. While the experienced radio folks bring off the radio sequences, the rest of the coasts energy can not bring this novel based script to life. This one proves a book can be made into a bad film. If you think of it as a Scooby Doo pilot, it is a bad one as Abbott & Costello's "Hold That Ghost" is a much better film.

I kept looking at Lake throughout this film thinking he seemed like a character I had seen, but it's been years since I have watched a Dagwood movie. Since he does play the same character, I think the writer should have stepped out and made a Dagwood Sandwich and not wasted the casts energy. You Tube does have this out there, and if your a fan of Lake or one of the actresses in the film, check it out. Otherwise, even though ghosts are Halloween themed, this is no halloween film either.