Customer Reviews

Abbott & Costello: Hold That Ghost [VHS]

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Don't let the title fool you, this a laugh-a-minute film from start to finish. Director Arthur Lubin does a fine job directing this comedy classic. A & C play two gas station attendtants who inherit a run down roadhouse from a dying mobster. On their way to claim the inheritance they pick up a pair of passengers. A doctor, a Plain Jane, and a zany radio actress (JOAN DAVIS), whose only claim to fame is that she is the opening scream for the radio show "TALES OF TERROR." There are two GREAT highlights which stand out in this film: (1) Lou and Joan's sidesplitting dance number set to 'THE BLUE DANUBE' (one wonders how Abbott and the rest of the stars, who are very visible in the background, manage to keep straight faces while the comedic ballet is performed in front of them). (2) The MOST HILARIOUS sight gag ever filmed. Costello and Joan Davis are seated at a large table with two lighted candles, reading road maps to find the quickest route away from the house. Suddenly one of the candles starts to move back and forth across the table (of course ONLY LOU sees this). When Lou calls Bud, he comes running into the room only find things BACK TO NORMAL. As soon as Abbott leaves the room THE SECOND candle starts hover up and down in mid-air, causing Costello to once again go into his hilarious fits of frenzy.

This very fun and funny offering from Bud and Lou ranks as one of their best. A great cast and good story, along with two very nice numbers from the Andrew Sisters make Bud and Lou's third entry from 1941 a pure delight. When Bud and Lou lose their good jobs as waiters in a fancy nightclub, they go back to pumping gas and end up in the car of gangster Moose Malloy when he bites the dust. His will leaves everything to the last people with him at his death. Since that happeens to be Bud and Lou, and a lot of bad guys want their hands on a fortune he has hidden, hilarity isn't far behind.

Lovely Evelyn Ankers and the very funny Joan Davis join Bud and Lou as they head to the hotel tavern they have inherited. Richard Carlson is a bookish scientist joining them when their cab leaves them all stranded in a storm at the ramshackle tavern. There are gangsters running around secretly trying to find the stash and knocking off one another pretty fast; one of whom is constantly appearing as a ghost to Lou when no one else is around!

There are some terrific gags and funny one-liners which make this one rank high for fans of Bud and Lou. Joan Davis is especially good as a "screamer" from the movies who may be as big a coward as Lou. Their crazy dance together to the Blue Danube is a riot! The pretty Ankers and Richard Carlson have the straight parts as she tries to get Carlson to take off his glasses long enough to see she likes him.

Universal gave this one everything it had, including The Andrew Sisters, who get to sing "Sleepy Serenade" and the Brazilian "Aurora." This one is a lot of fun to watch, not a dull moment anywhere in sight. Fans of Bud and Lou have to have this one. It's the perfect Saturday morning movie to start your day off right. A true comedy classic.

I have the entire A & B collection and this one is by far my favorite. They are at their best throughout this movie. The sequence with Lou explaining he knew what "a figure of speech is" is truly hillarious! I also like the scene where Lou is going to taste the water and finally has to use his tie to bring the glass up to his mouth. This is a must buy movie for classic comedy movie lovers!

This is by no doubt the funniest of all movies ever made. I also liked this movie because of Richard Carlson's performance. I remember him from CREATURE OF THE BLACK LAGOON and he's really good in horror and comedy movies. My review's not going to what happens in the movie, like a summary, but I'm going to give you my impression of this movie.

First of all, when Costello slides down a railing, I laughed the hardest I ever did in my life. I just kept talking about that. And also, Costello's performance in the whole movie is funny. What Costello does with a gun is funny, his waiter job part is funny, and when he falls from the bed when the room transforms is so funny. Well, I don't want to say any more except that I think that all fans MUST see this one.

This is one of the best.You will enjoy every minute.The Mixture of Mystery Suspence Murder and The Highest humor youll get.The best part is with the moving candles.Youll love the changing room too.

The duo inherit a house after a gangster is murdered; once inside the abandoned roadside wreck, all sorts of creepy (and hilarious) things begin to happen. The rubber-legged Joan Davis (as a professional radio screamer!) does a slapstick ballet with Lou that's very funny. Sight gags run rampant and the jokes are many (Bud:"Ah,that ghost is just a rumor"....Lou:"I don't care if he's the landlord!" The Andrews Sisters are in good form singing "Sleepy Serenade" and "Aurora". This low comedy at it's belly laughing best!

Hold That Ghost is such an excellent movie. It mixes comedy with suspense & romance. Who can ever forget Ferdie & Camilles lively but clumsy dance in the haunted house! And let's not forget those Lemmon Sisters.. A good movie for all movie lovers to rent or own. Whether your old or young I guarantee you will love this movie & add it to your collection! Just another Abbott & Costello movie that shines throughout time..

Abbott and Costello at the height of hilarity. With Joan Davis on hand to buoy the merriment, the Andrews Sisters providing a touch of camp, and a better-than-average number of well-wrought thrills, this film remains one of the best examples of that rarely successful subgenre, the horror farce....A creepy, haunted house setting, the playground of a good many comics since the advent of the movies, provided the perfect setting for Abbott and Costello's second 1941 feature - HOLD THAT GHOST, which is, in my opinion, the team's greatest movie. The lines are clever and witty and the supporting cast is very good. The pair got plenty of competition in the laughs department from Joan Davis. Active in show biz since infancy, the klutzy comedienne's broad antics provider her with a welcome respite from the moonlight and roses schmaltz of playing second banana, for instance, to Sonja Henie in her films. Complimenting each other's uninhibited zaniness, Davis and Costello share some great moments. The couple perform a fractured rendition of the BLUE DANUBE WALTZ; Davis also contributes immensely to the amusement of the famed moving candle sequence. Evelyn Ankers is good to look at (in her first exposure to the genre in which she would be forever associated); her she's go a crush on the blandly versatile Richard Carlson - amusingly portraying a 1941 health nut.

All of you A&C Fans will just have to get this video. This video I would have to say the best of all time!!!! Buy it now!!! It is a story when Bud and Lou are stuck in a haunted house with 4 other people. Then at the end there is a big chase. Lou has a bag of money that these other guys are trying to get, then Lou flies down the stairs, It is Pricless. So this video I recommend this video to everybody. Hurry and buy before it is out of stock!!!

I love the Abbott and Costello movies but this is my personal favorite of thier movies. If you like haunted house comedies then this is the one for you. Actually the best part is that Joan Davis and Lou Costello are perfect together in this movie. Its timeless and great fun for the whole family. The rooms change,candles move,screams, and goofy dancing. Get it! You won't be sorry.