I cringe when I read all these comments gushing over little MARGARET O'BRIEN, as if she was a thespian of great talent when she was six or seven years old. Personally, I never got her charm as a child actress, but I am willing to say that she is at her most tolerable in THE CANTERVILLE GHOST. But still, her acting always seemed stilted and self-conscious, like a little girl who knew she was good at reciting lines and making them sound reasonably convincing.
However, nothing she can do to distract me is really worth commenting on because the film belongs almost exclusively to a mostly delightful script (except for the last sequence) that gives CHARLES LAUGHTON the chance to play--with his usual gusto--the role of a cowardly ghost who has been haunting a castle in England for over 300 years and must keep on doing so until a distant relative can redeem him by a single act of bravery.
ROBERT YOUNG is that relative and he's genuinely attractive and amusing in a role that is less bland than usual for Young. He does show a nice bit of chemistry with his little co-star. A bunch of American soldiers, in 1943, are well cast with RAGS RAGLAND doing most of the funny business while other soldiers like WILLIAM GARGAN and FRANK FAYLEN do their best to give the cast some class. All of the scenes involving the antics of these servicemen--including a fun party scene featuring the jitterbug dance of two soldiers--are pleasant to watch.
For light entertainment with an unusual slant, this is one of the better vehicles MGM found for Margaret O'Brien and her particular brand of child actress. As stated above, I found her more tolerable than usual in this one.
However, nothing she can do to distract me is really worth commenting on because the film belongs almost exclusively to a mostly delightful script (except for the last sequence) that gives CHARLES LAUGHTON the chance to play--with his usual gusto--the role of a cowardly ghost who has been haunting a castle in England for over 300 years and must keep on doing so until a distant relative can redeem him by a single act of bravery.
ROBERT YOUNG is that relative and he's genuinely attractive and amusing in a role that is less bland than usual for Young. He does show a nice bit of chemistry with his little co-star. A bunch of American soldiers, in 1943, are well cast with RAGS RAGLAND doing most of the funny business while other soldiers like WILLIAM GARGAN and FRANK FAYLEN do their best to give the cast some class. All of the scenes involving the antics of these servicemen--including a fun party scene featuring the jitterbug dance of two soldiers--are pleasant to watch.
For light entertainment with an unusual slant, this is one of the better vehicles MGM found for Margaret O'Brien and her particular brand of child actress. As stated above, I found her more tolerable than usual in this one.