Customer Reviews

You'll Find Out

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

 

 

It doesn't matter that this isn't a great movie...or that the DVD isn't an official release. It's the only movie ever to feature those three stars, even if they are trumped by Kay Kyser and the others. With this unofficial release, all the Karloff-Lugosi films are now on DVD.

Despite this being "unofficial," the quality of the DVD is surprisingly good. The picture has good contrast; there's no noise; no splices; the sound quality is fine. And there are chapters with frame stills marking each one. I bought this only because I had to have it for my library, and I was delighted with the quality.

Of course, Amazon lists only one copy available, and I bought it. But who knows? Perhaps someday Turner will put out the laserdisc version on DVD (which I'll also buy!), including Robert Osborne's intro and other goodies. (There are no bonus features on this release.)

By the way, the score for this film was by Johnny Mercer and Jimmy van Heusen, and there are some very good songs, especially "You Got Me This Way" and "I'd Know You Anywhere." Both went on to be hits.

In all, a silly movie but with very good qualities.

This Kay Kyser (note spelling of K-Y-S-E-R)film is fun and well done, mixing swing w/ a horror spoof, costarring Karloff, Lugosi, Lorre. What's bad and sad is this PARTICULAR vhs offered by MOVIES UNLIMITED is a bootleg!! Check out the video box- it misspells the star's name (it's K-Y-S-E-R, NOT K-A-I-S-E-R) twice on the cover art, and Turner video would NEVER make such a dumb mistake, Turner being the owner of all the RKO and MGM catalog.DON'T TAKE A CHANCE ON THIS FILM FROM MOVIES UNLIMITED. It WAS released by Turner in the early 90s. Go for a copy from Turner to be safe.

This is one of my favorite movies. A clean, fun, light musical mystery set in a spooky mansion with thunder booming and lightning flashing, a bridge blown up to isolate Kay Kyser's band and the party guests, ghosts from the past stirring up mischief... Nothing today can compare to this 1940s movie.

OK...mix three horror legends, Karloff, Lugosi, and Lorre (in the only time all three would be teamed together), and then toss in 40's band leader Kay Kyser and you get...one really goofy movie. I just saw this one on Turner Classic over the Halloween weekend.

It's a rather cheesy and goofy comedy horror romp, similiar to Bob Hope fare of the 1940's, mixed though with Kysers swinging band to make it tolerable.

Kind of an old dark house thriller with swing music a thunderstorm, secret passageways, comedy, mystery, attempts at murder, a butler (who, oddly enough, is never a suspect), creepy characters, etc.

Karloff plays a family friend who is secretly plotting to steal the family fortune. To this end he has allied himself with a bogus medium, Bela Lugosi as Price Saliano, and a fradulent paranormal investigator, Peter Lorre as Professor Fenniger. Together they try to pull a fast one on the Belacrest family. Peter Lorre steals the show with his quiet understated manner. All three are excellent, however, and makes you wish there were more of the three together.


Legendary status for the teaming of these three great horror stars.

I love these three horror movie stars so I watched this movie just to see them.

It is kind of silly but not a bad movie.

This film is probably the best collaboration we will ever see of the 'Big Three' (Karloff, Lugosi and Lorre). Two of these three icons of suspense films made a comedy/suspenser at Columbia, titled "The Boogie-Man Will Get You."
It, too, is a very enjoyable watch, however I think that the production values of this RKO film (and the fab 'spooky-house' story-line, too) are better. Which one you prefer is a matter of personal taste.

Regardless of the fact that this isn't a 'Turner' release, the DVD is far better viewing than the VHS I own (which has become worn, over the years). I hate to take issue with anyone regarding the rights to this film, so I phoned the publisher about it. I found out that they were, indeed, licensed by the copyright owner to publish this DVD.

Watched this movie on TV as a kid along w/ my mother and then my son as a kid watched it w/ her. Now it's on DVD. Mystery/love story w/ 3 actors you can never forget. The DVD picture is a little bit dark, the VHS has a better contrast but with the Big Band, old time radio what more could you want.

I'd heard about Kay Kyser from my parents, but until I saw this movie on AMC several years ago, I don't ever remember seeing him or hearing his band. This is a fun movie. It has all the sub-plots of the early day who-done-its. Having Boris, Bela and Peter Lorre doesn't hurt, either. I recorded this movie on Beta way back when, but now the Beta machine is dead and I can't find this movie on DVD. When I first saw the movie, I told an older guy I worked with and he knew all the songs in the movie. He sang all the lyrics and knew about Harry Babbitt and Ginny Simms, et al. I'd recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys campy humor with a little bit of classic horror. You don't need explosions, killings or graphic sex to enjoy a movie (believe it or not!) As soon as this comes out on DVD (I hope it does) it's a purchase I will make.

Billed as a Karloff-Lugosi-Lorre film, though they don't appear until well into the first third of the film, it's entertaining in many ways.

The film starts out with a radio audience and the antics of one Kay Kyser, a comedian dressed in a graduate costume as he thrills the audience to his Kollege of Knowledge or something. He's a radio show host and has a question & answer-type show, similar to Groucho Marx's quiz show. The jokes are really, really bad! Your 12 year old might laugh at them.

"What did the short chair say to the tall chair?"
"Hi, chair!"

Ouch!

After being senselessly beaten like this, we meet our pretty girl with a gun in her purse who apparently feels she is being targeted by some unknown assassins. But the assassins are inept, as the several attempts have each failed.

The bad guys take advantage by casing her 21st birthday party. The only entrance to the old mansion of her aunt's has been blown up (blamed on lightning, yeah, sure...) and so a séance is held.

Kay Kyser is the goofball radio guy whose band plays lots of music throughout this film and there is plenty of singing going on. It's hard to tell whether this mystery film wants to be a horror film or a musical. A musical horror film?

Bela Lugosi plays the charlatan who is sucking the aunt for lots of money as she connects with the spirits of the dead. Boris Karloff plays it straight as the aunt's attorney who has a feeling for the money the aunt has. And Peter Lorre plays the professor who is supposed to debunk these kinds of spiritual séances.

You find out earlier in the film that these three are in it together to kill the girl. The why and the how I will leave you to find out when you watch it.

The characters are strictly stereotyped and not fully developed. Karloff plays it well and serious. Bela's accent is fun and amazing. And Lorre gives a great Oriental expression complete with strange false teeth, reminiscent of his Mr. Wong films.

Bottom Line:

Entertaining to a degree. I was not that impressed with many of the songs, despite Johnny Mercer's involvement in the music numbers. The jokes were awful and the slapstick silly. The whole "dark and stormy night" and secret passageways is played to the limit.

For the diehard Karloff, Lorre and Lugosi fan!

This is not an official release. Turner entertainment owns this movie, but after an initial vhs and laser disc release in the late 80s, discontinued it, and it's not been rereleased in any form since. And this is NOT the Turner release. The star's name (Kyser, not Kaiser)is misspelled on the box. Better get with it Amazon, before you get in trouble.