Last night we watched a British/American comedy called "Three Live Ghosts"(1936). Considering it was released by MGM at the height of that studio's glory, and directed by the great H. Bruce Humberstone (whose name by itself is worthy of a star on Hollywood Boulevard), you do have to wonder who green lighted this flick. MGM was the headquarters for the glossiest productions of all time, yet this one looks like it was made just up the street from Poverty Row. And while that's not a bad thing in itself, because we love PRC movies, the other and more important consideration is it's oddness. The key word here is Eccentric with a Capital E. The movie has a quirky Brrrittisshness that goes beyond what we usually consider Veddy Brrrittish, and I think it would've played better in Merry Old than here in America, and that may in fact be the case. I wonder if it was a made specifically for a UK release?
As it opens, three servicemen returning from a World War One POW camp are at the depot requesting their discharge papers. "Sorry", says the clerk, "ain't got any for ya. According to my logbook, yer all dead." The incredulous soldiers ask him to recheck it and he does, going through the KIA list individually with each man. Then he says, "yessir, it's like I told ya. Yer all dead. Sorry but I can't discharge ya."
The three leave, laughing that they "must be ghosts now" (hence the title), but they're minus the money that would've come with a discharge, and so - being broke - "Jimmie" (Charles McNaughton), one of the two Englishmen of the trio, suggests they go and stay with his stepmum "Mrs. Gubbins" (Beryl Mercer). Now the eccentricity begins, as Mercer chews scenery with a vengeance. No doubt she's talented, and maybe I was tired (I stayed up til 4am the night before, watching The Queen's funeral live), but a little bit of Beryl Mercer went long way. Her stepmum character is Cockney; she likes her gin and talks a blue streak. She's confused but certain about every little thing, in that Cockney dumb-but-cocksure way, and because she's always looking for more income, she has a picture from the newspaper of an American soldier, fighting for England, who has a criminal record in the USA. He's "William Jones" (Richard Arlen), and he's also one of the three ghosts. There's a one thousand pound reward out for him, and Mrs. Gubbins is hoping to claim it. When her stepson Jimmy returns to ask if he and his two friends can stay with her, she accepts, but then finds out that the American is William Jones.
Now the quirky Brittishness goes into hyperdrive, as the third member of the group is a shell-shocked vet named "Spoofy" (Claude Allister). Spoofy ain't playing with even half a full deck. He's a Long-Gone-John who grins through staring eyes. He's got a thing for stealing anything that isn't nailed down and can't wait to do that and commit other illegalities. He's like a catatonic crime robot. The other two guys have been trying to manage Spoofy, but every time they take their eyes off him, he goes crazy. Once they become distracted by Mrs. Gubbins in her effort to collect the reward for William Jones, they don't notice that Spoofy has left the house. Now he's broken into a mansion, where he exchanges his baggy clothes for the tailored suit of the dandified gent who lives there, then proceeds to kidnap that man's child, whom he takes for a walk in his stroller. Spoofy strolls the local park with the infant, as if he hasn't a care in the world. Then he goes back and steals all the jewelry in the house and brings it back to Mrs. Gubbins' place, along with with the baby in the stroller.
The cops show up, looking for the jewelry, and while they're there, Mrs. Gubbins tries to turn in William Jones to collect the reward. But the coppers tell her "we have no jurisdiction over that. He's wanted in America, not England." Then Beryl Mercer goes off. It's worth noting that Richard Arlen, who was a big star after appearing in "Wings" (the first Best Picture), gets steamrolled here. Though he's top-billed, he gets run over and flattened by the performance of Mercer, who won't let up with the Cockney yammering, alternating bellicosity with soused charm. He looks like he decided to give up and collect his paycheck, lol. Shellshocked nutjob Spoofy grows on you, though, and Jimmy the stepson is good in a roguish way. He stands up to his stepmum Mrs. Gubbins in support of his two war buddies.
But I mean, geez louise, enough already. I'm still gonna give "Three Live Ghosts" Two Thumbs Up, but they're Ordinary Thumbs this time, not Two Bigs (a rare lower level rating, when's the last time that happened?) While I still recommend the movie to you, because at the end of the day I did like it, I do so with the caveat mentioned several times above. It appears to have been made for British audiences. I don't know how well it would've played in America, or if it played here. Usually, for an American-British movie, they toned down the over-the-top ethnic quirks, but in this movie they let it flow like Gilbey's Gin. We're talkin' Veddy, Veddy, Triple Veddy Brrrittisssh, or more specifically Veddy Cockney. (last minute edit: I see now on IMDB that Three Live Ghosts was initially a play that ran on Broadway for 250 performances. That sort of explains everything, especially the unrestrained performances. If only H. Bruce could've reined them in, just a smitch, it might've been a more tolerable movie. Watch it anyway, the picture is very good. ) ////
The previous night we had something a little different: an almost all-black cast in the spooky comedy "Lucky Ghost"(1942), starring the legendary Mantan Moreland. We know Mantan from his "who me?" bulging-eyes persona and his recurring role as "Birmingham Brown" in the Charlie Chan films. Here, he's paired with another comedic actor named Flournoy Miller, and together they're a riot as a couple of guys who've been "thrown out of town and told to keep walkin'" by a judge, whose edict they've taken literally. As the movie opens, we see them walking down Devonshire Street. Mantan is hungry: "we been walkin' for four days, when we gonna eat?" He's also got a hole in his shoe. "You ain't got no sole!" Miller tells him. That kind of banter goes on for several minutes, with Miller (the brains) lording it over Mantan (the dummy), until they sit down to take a rest.
While they're resting (and still jawing), a car rolls up out of gas and parks a little way down the road. This is no ordinary ride, it's a chauffeur-driven saloon car, with two high rollers in the back seat (remember, it's an all black cast). Mantan and Flournoy, seeing the car and the way the passengers are dressed, know they must be loaded, so Mantan pulls out his trick dice, and - while the chauffeur is away getting gas - he lures the rich men into a craps game. Of course, he and Miller clean them out, and the next shot we see is of the rich guys in their skivvies, walking down the road, broke, and Mantan and Miller wearing their clothes, and riding away in their car, with their chauffeur behind the steering wheel.
He takes them to a nightclub, oblivious that there's been a change of passengers. The rich men were originally destined for this club, but Mantan and Miller go instead. It's a shady joint, subject to police raids, and it's run by a very large, imposing man named "Blake" (Maceo B. Sheffield), and hosted by a bubbly nitwit named "The Hostess" (Florence O'Brien). Now it's time for the hijnx to begin, as The Hostess takes a shine to Mantan, and Mantan tries, with his loaded dice, to clean out the bankroll of the house. Blake doesn't appreciate Mantan taking his money, let alone cutting in on his gal, so he makes every attempt to clobber him but they all go wrong. Most of the next 30 minutes is schtick, and very funny. Then, at around the 40 minute mark, a Caucasian drunk guy gets 86ed from the premises by the linebacker-sized doorman "James" (Jess Lee Brooks). James kicks the guy in the butt and he lands across the street in a cemetery, knocking his head on a tombstone. When he wakes up, he's in blackface, thinks he's dead and maybe he is. One thing is for certain: there are ghosts in the cemetery - a whole family of 'em - and they don't approve of what Blake has done with the building across the street - his illicit nightclub - which used to be their house.
This ghost family are straight-laced Baptists. Uncle Ezekiel is the patriarch, but he's henpecked by his wife, a stern ghost who hates gambling, jazz music, and anything sinful. She demands that Uncle Zeke go over across the street and shut that nightclub down. The rest of the family ghosts agree, so Zeke wafts his way over there. James the doorman sees the club door open and close, but no one appears to walk through it. Inside, a skeleton plays piano and Uncle Ezekiel's ghostly voice is heard, telling Blake the owner to get out. But by this time, he doesn't even own the place any longer. Mantan Moreland has cleaned him out with his loaded dice. Now everyone is fleeing the club, at the orders of Zeke's ghost. All heck is breaking loose as Mantan and Miller try to hold on to the small fortune they've won, in addition the the club, but remember: the ghosts don't like gambling! Two Big Thumbs Up for "Lucky Ghost". I found it very funny, but it may not be for the politically correct. But that's not you, so don't worry. Watch and enjoy, the picture is razor sharp. ////
That's all for tonight. My blogging music is the first Egg album, late night is Wagner "Tristan und Isolde". I hope your week is off to a good start and I send you Tons of Love as always.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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