Reviews

While there are few movies that I wholeheartedly endorse, this is definitely one of them. It has been a favorite since I was a child and it still is. It was a patriotic film in World War II to get our minds off of the horrors in Europe. Charles Laughton gives a superb performance as a 300+ year old ghost. It is very out of character for such a great dramatic actor, but slides into his comedic role effortlessly and flawlessly. The comedy duo of Charles Laughton and Robert Young in this film will never rank as high as Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy or even Hope and Crosby, but I see it as a brilliant discovery of comedy "chemistry". Had Hollywood developed this comedy team, I think we would see some Oscars from their efforts. This movie has a great plot, good character development, and fresh, clean comedy. This is a must for Margaret O'Brian fans. This is clearly her second best film (her best was "Meet Me in St. Louis"). If you are looking for space ships and aliens, you won't find any here. It's just great family entertainment.

Most of the movies from the 30's I have seen have a "stage" look. This one is no different. The acting is not bad when compared to other period movies. It should be noted that "Talkies" had not been out that long when this movie was released. We tend to compare movies "back then" with "modern day" movies. There was notable plot and character development in early movies mainly because the special effects weren't very good if there were any at all. The acting was a theatrical type acting rather than cinematic. This was because of the connections to vaudeville that most actors and actresses had at the time. This is like the difference between a live Broadway Play and a Hollywood movie. As a "modern movie", this is a poor excuse of a movie. There is no graphic violence, no adult language, no space ships or aliens. If you want a movie that tells a story and will keep you wrapped up in a specific plot, you won't be disappointed.