Friday, March 17, 2017

THE SMILING GHOST / Warner Bros. - 1941

Today we go back to 1941 to check out this little horror comedy, It goes like this... Elinor Bentley Fairchild's previous three grooms-to-be have either died or been maimed and her aunt hires Lucky Downing to become engaged to her for a month to break the curse! But then, Lucky becomes the target of what appears to be a ghost of one of the former fiances.

It stars Wayne (THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X) Morris, Brenda (THE SEA HAWK) Marshall, Alexis (THE DOUGHGIRLS) Smith, Alan (TUGBOAT ANNIE SAILS AGAIN) Hale and Willie (THE GHOST BREAKERS) Best.

So, three of Elinor's fiancees have fallen to the wayside, the Smiling Ghost is responsible, and, that there newspaper backs me up big time!

Lucky Downing joins the fun at Elinor's house for a month to break the curse, everything seems okay but all the characters at the house are a little crazy to start with.

Lucky brings his servant Clarence along to keep him company while he readies to get hitched at the end of a month. Willie Best was also a talented musician/song writer, but, a drug arrest ended his film career, he worked in television for a while before retiring to obscurity.

Lucky and reporter Lil Barstow go to the hospital to talk to Elinor's only living fiancee who now occupies an iron lung!

Back at the ranch, the Smiling Ghost is creeping around in the basement, just looking for trouble! I'm not sure that's a smile on his face.

I like this foggy scene as our heroes search for clues to the mystery.

At the wedding, Lucky is getting a little nervous about tying the knot with Elinor... Then, the lights go out and all Hell breaks loose!

The Ghost stalks Lucky and has him trapped in the basement where he plans on doing him in!

A fight ensues and Lucky gets in a lucky punch on the menace who falls back, knocking a boat down and knocking him out cold.

They pull the mask off the Ghost and discover that it's Elinor's former fiancee, the one in the freakin' iron lung! A nice creepy twist to the mystery.

Lucky dons the mask and asks the reporter, Lil, to marry him with his back turned to Elinor!!

For some reason, Lucky starts running through the house with the mask on, stirring up a lot of trouble with Elinor's family. Norton, (Alan Hale) finds the mask on the floor and gets his hand in a mouse trap while trying to grab it.

Then, Lucky finds a shrunken head in his closet and thinks it's Clarence! But, it ain't and there's a big happy ending! Be back tomorrow when we'll have something special for y'all...

No comments:

Monster Music

Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??