The Ghost and the Guest (1943)

It's possible that a better studio could have done something more with The Ghost And The Guest, but I think had this been done by someone with the comedic touch of Hal Roach the results might have been better.James Dunn and Florence Rice are a pair of newlyweds heading for their honeymoon dream house to spend the night. What they got was the hideout of an old gangster recently deceased courtesy of the state. Not only that, the late owner's corpse arrives by delivery for burial on the grounds of the estate.And then after that all kinds of friends and relatives and henchmen of the deceased arrive and the law and the body then disappears. You don't even have to wait an hour for it to be explained to you.This was a PRC release and that usually meant they vied with Monogram for cheapness of production. This one was a PRC product through and through. This film was the farewell performance of Florence Rice who found life and love outside the cinema on her third try and left the screen. She started with MGM, but now was reduced to PRC films. I guess she figured she wasn't leaving much. As for Dunn he was two years away from a comeback of sorts with A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.This also featured a really sickening performance from Sam McDaniel as Dunn's old family retainer.Still someone like Hal Roach could have made this work.

James Dunn, Florence Rice, Sam McDaniel - a solid cast of pros; Morey Amsterdam as one of the writers and the ever popular old dark house setting - all of this is a pretty good formula for success, but in this case, it somewhat misses the mark. James Dunn is always so likable on the screen and this film is no exception and Florence Rice is one of those "coulda been a star" if she had gotten a couple of breaks (and, of course, a couple of less bland roles). Sam McDaniel is once again a servant but at least in this movie he gets all the best lines. While there are some funny or witty lines, there are just not enough. And the whole bit with the retired hangman is just not funny. While as memorable as most t.v. episodes airing today, it's not that good an example of the old dark house comedy/mystery genre.

Midway through this picture, there's a scene where the two leads (James Dunn and Florence Rice) find themselves momentarily alone in their room. It's their honeymoon, and they've had nary a second to themselves the whole movie, until now. But—before they even have a chance to breathe, people start pouring into their room, one at a time and in groups, until virtually all of the characters in the movie are right there in the same bedroom. –It ought to be funny, in a kind of Marx-Brothers-state-room sort of way….but somehow, it's just kind of flat. This whole picture is that way: full of scenes and gags that seems like they ought to be funny, but just aren't. The plot: Dunn and Rice inherit a house and decide to move right in, sight unseen. They bring along Sam McDaniel, who is apparently Dunn's valet and chauffeur. Mysterious doings are soon afoot; it seems the house was somehow connected with a recently executed convict and there may be some money around the place. Various characters turn up at the house to investigate, make trouble, or just hang around —a retired hangman, a police chief who writes detective thrillers, a dumb blonde and a sinister brunette, a couple of gangsters….the usual assortment.McDaniel, as chauffeur Harmony Jones, is the stereotypical frightened servant but somehow comes across as less dopey than any of the other characters; his wisecracks are occasionally clever. (He also advises Dunn on how to deal with married life: "Now take my wife, for instance. This morning I bawled her out for being so extravagant." What happened? Pause. "I'm giving up cigars.")Dunn and Rice as the newlyweds bicker and flirt and do their best to generate some energy but are largely defeated by dialog and plot that are woefully short on surprises. Certainly not the madcap laugh riot that it apparently aims to be, this picture is nevertheless mildly amusing and generally harmless enough. Call it a B picture that never rises above its budget.

James Dunn had been a personable leading man for Fox in the early 30s but by the 40s alcohol had taken a grip and he was almost unemployable. He still managed to make movies (his big comeback was as the heart- breaking Johnny Nolan in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn") and he always remained likable. This was the last film for his leading lady, Florence Rice. After this film she moved on to radio and television. She was always the romantic interest - her roles were never meaty but she was pretty and wholesome and was often teamed with Robert Young.Webster (James Dunn) and Jackie Frye (Florence Rice) are newly weds (although they don't act like it) and decide to spend their honeymoon at an old country farmhouse, which is to be their home. Webster is not too keen but Jackie has enthusiasm for both. They are accompanied by their chauffeur Harmony (Sam McDaniells) who thinks that milk comes from the milkman. The farm is giving Webster the heebie jeebies - there is a man tying a noose to a tree, bullet holes in the doors, a coffin is delivered and a group of strangers turn up. One has a nervous habit of crossing and uncrossing his fingers - add to the mix a policeman who writes detective stories for a pulp magazine and you have an interesting group of characters. Nothing is done to develop them, the group turn out to be a notorious gang of jewel thieves. Webster masquerades as Bobo Hutch from Pittsburg, to infiltrate the gang - but in the next scene that is forgotten about. The most entertaining part is the man who comes to the door at the end to tell the harassed pair they are at the wrong house!!!!