The Ghost & Mr. Chicken (1966)

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) is a Comedy/Family/Mystery/Romance starring Don Knotts as Luther Heggs. It's about a man named Luther who wants so badly to be a reporter. Everyone just makes fun of him until finally, his moment has arrived! His editor has assigned him to spend the night at the Simmons Mansion which was the location of a murder-suicide 20 years earlier. The acting, plot, and dialogue are creative, hilarious, and unbelievably entertaining.I very much enjoyed the performance of the main actor Don Knotts and his authentic portrayal of an awkward man who is not like everybody else but wants to be seen as a success. I fell in love with his character. The plot was riveting and the dialogue suspenseful and comical both at the same time. Most viewers will be able to relate to this in some way as well all feel that we are not good enough.I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of either the comedy or mystery genre. You would also enjoy The Ghost and The Chicken if you are interested in the supernatural. This is a movie that adults will enjoy watching on their own. Since this movie is G rated and does not contain violence and profanity that would make it unsuitable for children, this is a feature film that the entire family will enjoy. The actors, the plot, and the dialogue are certainly the highlights of The Ghost and The Chicken. Even though the main actor is a marvel and steals the show, the entire cast is entertaining and hilarious. It's one of the rare times that you will see such a perfect cast...

After attaining stardom playing Barney Fife on TV, comedy actor Don Knotts made the jump to feature film vehicles with movies such as this one. He plays Luther Heggs, a typesetter for his small town newspaper. What he really wants to be, naturally, is a reporter, and gets his big chance for a scoop when his bosses suggest that he spend the night in a supposedly haunted house.However, the unaware should know that he actually doesn't spend much of the movie in the house. The balance of the story has him trying to defend himself when the owner of the place, Nicholas Simmons (Philip Ober), sues him for libel. So he is obliged to prove that the supernatural phenomena that he saw in the house were not merely the product of his overworked imagination.Knotts is priceless in this harmless bit of goofy entertainment. It has a pleasant feel of small town Americana as well as an amusingly decorated Old Dark House. (Whoever was in charge of the cobweb machine clearly went nuts.) The material runs a little hot and cold, though. Whenever Knotts is called upon to do his thing, things get very funny. Whether he's over reacting to the slightest thing, or performing his version of "karate", or awkwardly wooing the lovely young Alma (appealing Joan Staley), he's a riot. All of that jittery energy that was his trademark is in full force. The action is further enhanced by an entertainingly silly music score by Vic Mizzy.Knotts is supported by an incredible array of top notch character players, most of whom play the straight man - or straight woman - to his antics. It's particularly delightful to see Charles Lane and Robert Cornthwaite as opposing attorneys. The only elements that got annoying quickly to this viewer were the kooky Psychic Occult Society ladies and that "attaboy" heckler (voiced by co-writer Everett Greenbaum)."The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" is not always terribly funny, but it's certainly got a great charm about it.Seven out of 10.

Luther Heggs (Don Knotts) is a bumbling fraidy cat. He is the laughing stock of the town after claiming to witness a death. Newspaper reporter Ollie Weaver leads the town in making fun of the wannabe reporter. Ollie is also dating the lovely Alma Parker who Luther is in love with. There is a mansion where 20 years before, a husband murdered his wife and committed suicide. For a story, the editor proposes that Luther spend the night in the Simmons mansion.It's a little fun to see Don Knotts stumble around and being scared living off of his TV success. It's Don Knotts being Don Knotts. It's not that funny but it has a light charm. It's very light and not that compelling. There are few big laughs. I would think Andy Griffith fans loved this movie when it came out but I never actually seen the show. My Don Knotts is Ralph Furley.

My family used to rent the VHS all the time! We could never find it for sale. Thank God for DVDs.This has to be Don Knotts' best film. There are lots of good jokes (including several running gags), and the classic Don Knotts formula-- Small town nothing becomes a hero, reluctantly. Oh, and the actress Joan Staley is a BABE.Moving on.This film also scared the crap out of me as a kid. Particularly the organ stuff. However, this was the good kind of scared the crap out of me that all children should experience. Like Snow White, the end of Return of the Jedi, etc.If you have any sense of humor, you will like this movie. Get it, watch it, enjoy.P.S. Atta boy, Luther!