Director: Arthur Lubin

Writers: John Grant; Robert Lees; Fred Rinaldo

Keywords: Comedy, Ghost

Name	Occupation	Birth	Death	Known for
Bud Abbott	Actor	2-Oct-1895	24-Apr-1974	Half of Abbott and Costello
LaVerne Andrews	Singer	6-Jul-1911	8-May-1967	The Andrews Sisters
Maxene Andrews	Singer	3-Jan-1916	21-Oct-1995	The Andrews Sisters
Patty Andrews	Singer	16-Feb-1918	30-Jan-2013	The Andrews Sisters
Evelyn Ankers	Actor	17-Aug-1918	29-Aug-1985	Captive Wild Woman
Mischa Auer	Actor	17-Nov-1905	5-Mar-1967	My Man Godfrey
Richard Carlson	Actor	29-Apr-1912	24-Nov-1977	The Creature from the Black Lagoon
Lou Costello	Actor	6-Mar-1906	3-Mar-1959	Half of Abbott and Costello
Joan Davis	Actor	29-Jun-1907	22-May-1961	I Married Joan
Russell Hicks	Actor	4-Jun-1895	1-Jun-1957	American character actor
Shemp Howard	Actor	4-Mar-1895	22-Nov-1955	Stooge who replaced Curly
Marc Lawrence	Actor	17-Feb-1910	28-Nov-2005	Prolific character actor
Ted Lewis	Jazz Musician	6-Jun-1892	25-Aug-1971	Is Everybody Happy?

REVIEWS

Review by anonymous (posted on 14-May-2006)

One of the very best Abbot and Costello films, "Hold That Ghost" is a classic, especially since it is one of the few films that ever successfully combined a number of different genres. It is a ghost story, a comedy, a medley of popular songs, and a science fiction movie, all in one. The plot is well conceived and executed, opening with a night club scene starring Ted Lewis in his famed "Me and My Shadow" rountine, followed by a number by the Armstrong Sisters, who themsleves constituted one of the most popular singing groups of all time. The plot then moves seamlessly through various stages to a haunted tavern, where Abbot and Costello and some others are forced to spend the night. Not currently in use, the inn is infested with gangsters trying to find money hidden by a recently deceased crime boss, "Moose" Mattson. Within the establishment, there is a hidden barroom from the prohibition era, and some of the bedrooms of the house can be converted into gambling casinos by pulling on a clothes hook, all of this discovered (but not understood) quite by accident and under hilarious cirumstances by the protagonists. Although most of the "haunting," may have been engineered by the gangsters attempting to scare away the visitors, the viewer is left wondering whether there may not have been more to it than that, especially when lighted candles begin moving mysteriously. "Moose" Mattson had always told people that he hid his money in his head, but nobody understood what this meant. But then, when Lou Costello puts his hand into the mouth of a mounted Moose head on the wall of the Tavern, he discovers thousands of ten dollar bills. He and Bud Abbot then open their own night club with the proceeds and with profits from therapeutic water that had been found in groundwater of the premises. The festive conclusion, with Ted Lewis asking the crowd, "Is everybody happy?" and with the Armstrong Sisters singing "Aurora," is probably one of the happiest endings ever filmed in Hollywood. With the exception of "Who's on First," most other Abbot and Costello routines don't hold a candle to what can be seen in this film. Combined with the antics of comedienne Joan Davis, this film is an obvious heavy hitter. When it was aired a number of times successively on "Million Dollar Movie" during Christmas week circa 1960 by WOR TV in New York City, it enjoyed a considerable revival of enthusaism and recognition by old and new fans alike.

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