The Ghost Train (1941)

If this film is anything it is an Arthur Askey showpiece. 90% of this film belongs to Askey and his style of comedy. That is not necessarily a bad thing but he really distracts from the reason most of us are watching the film to being with - A Ghost Train. At the time this was filmed the audiences may have gone to watch this for Askey's comedy but I think today most of us are watching this for a comedy-horror/thriller and not so much for Askey.It's a mildly entertaining film from the start but really the only part to watch roughly the last 25 minutes - then you'll actually get to The Ghost Train part of the show. As stated earlier, the rest of the film is the comedy of Askey.4/10

I really wanted to like this film. I really did. It sounded like it had so much potential. A ghost story, a comedy. Another "Ghost Breakers" or "Cat and the Canary", or "Hold that Ghost", I thought. No such luck.I started to loose focus after about 20 minutes but I stuck with it for 45 before I finally called it a night. I thought maybe I just wasn't in the right mood and since I had recorded it on my DVR I decided I'd try again in a few days. The second time around I didn't even make it to 45 minutes.The problem, at least for me, was Arthur Askey. I found myself repeating the words, "God, what an obnoxious ham". I tried to see past him, but he's in every scene, and every scene he's in .. he ruins. I realize that other reviewers seem to think he's great. I guess it's a perfect example of "different strokes".I can't help but wonder what fun this movie could have been with Bob Hope or Abbott & Costello.

With help from a capable supporting cast, comic Askey carries this show very well.For some reason, it is listed on u tube under "Horror" and "scary", probably as a joke, because this is vaudeville comedy with a "haunted background".A group of characters are isolated at a train station where a "ghost train" is coming.We're never given any real "lead" characters. In fact, the most interesting thing about this film is the equality involved.1941 saw fewer prima donas, or at least room for everyone in many b movies. Here, Askey plays a comic named Gander, who is a cross between Groucho Marx and Erkel.He is very entertaining, too. I certainly wasn't around in those days, and he made me laugh, because vaudeville is usually about 15% up to date political commentary and 85% slapstick physical comedy.And most good comedy is at least 75% slapstick, and won't depend on the squawk of the year. Thus, it won't be "dated".Askey is certainly more amusing than 80% of the comedians we see in movies today. He isn't afraid to degrade himself for a laugh, and that's the key. Today's alleged comics are bred form local programs for the most part, and are really rich kids who would never debase themselves in any way.The story line here is weak, but that's okay, because it's just a farce. The real story here is "amusing the audience", and this the cast achieves.

Ghost Train, The (1941) ** (out of 4) British comedy/horror film has comedians Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch among a group of people who misses their train at an old station. The group have to spend the night there when they learn of a mysterious ghost train, which apparently appears at night with the souls of people who were killed on it forty-years earlier. This is a rather strange film that once again follows that "old dark house" theme and tries to mix the horror and comedy elements. These types of films always depend on whether or not the comedians make you laugh and the team here didn't do that for me. For the most part Askey takes the lead with Murdoch only throwing in a few lines and it got to the point where it was really hard to tell that they were actually working as a team. Askey's brand of humor just wasn't for me, although I did find myself laughing at a few jokes but overall he just struck me as annoying. What does work however are the horror elements, which are pretty thick and contain some wonderfully dark atmosphere. The film reminded me a lot of the Val Lewton produced horror films that would follow within the next few years. The horror elements are all right on the mark but for the most part the film goes for all laughs. This certainly isn't a bad movie and I'm sure many will enjoy it but it didn't quite do the trick for me. Future director Val Guest is credited with the dialogue.