I've been watching (or re-watching) many of Laurel and Hardy's films, and having just seen "The Live Ghost" for the first time, I can say with certainty that it's one of their better efforts I think. Perhaps not top shelf, but better than most.
Plot In a Nutshell: Two friends (Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy) help a ship's captain kidnap unwilling sailors to fill out his crew, then find themselves onboard that same ship...and it's rumored to be haunted!
Why I rated it an '8': Well, to sum up succinctly, it was funny! When Stan is trying to subdue Charlie Hall so that he can be kidnapped, but winds up clanging everyone on the head with a frying pan, it felt like he was channeling the best of Harpo Marx. Good stuff. When the boys think they've killed a bunkmate...as morbid as that sounds...well, how they handle it....that's funny too. But my favorite scene was Ollie's reaction when he realizes the guy next to him in his bunk is not Stan but....a ghost? That was so good I had to rewind and watch it again lol.
"The Live Ghost" contains "some exceptionally good individual sequences" and has "some good, lively slapstick" as well, according to William Everson, who penned a filmography of L&H's work. I agree with most of his assessments, and this one, too. "The Live Ghost" is a keeper!
8/10. The ending does contain a recycled joke that had been previously used in "Going Bye-Bye!," which was a little disappointing. But otherwise this was a pretty good one from the boys!
Plot In a Nutshell: Two friends (Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy) help a ship's captain kidnap unwilling sailors to fill out his crew, then find themselves onboard that same ship...and it's rumored to be haunted!
Why I rated it an '8': Well, to sum up succinctly, it was funny! When Stan is trying to subdue Charlie Hall so that he can be kidnapped, but winds up clanging everyone on the head with a frying pan, it felt like he was channeling the best of Harpo Marx. Good stuff. When the boys think they've killed a bunkmate...as morbid as that sounds...well, how they handle it....that's funny too. But my favorite scene was Ollie's reaction when he realizes the guy next to him in his bunk is not Stan but....a ghost? That was so good I had to rewind and watch it again lol.
"The Live Ghost" contains "some exceptionally good individual sequences" and has "some good, lively slapstick" as well, according to William Everson, who penned a filmography of L&H's work. I agree with most of his assessments, and this one, too. "The Live Ghost" is a keeper!
8/10. The ending does contain a recycled joke that had been previously used in "Going Bye-Bye!," which was a little disappointing. But otherwise this was a pretty good one from the boys!