Hold That Ghost
Before this, my first viewing of Hold That Ghost, my experience with the comic team of Abbott and Costello began and ended with the classic “Who’s on First” routine. While I always loved the speed and cleverness of the sketch, I never sought out any other Abbott and Costello material. This was probably due to their reputations as slapstick comedians, and while I appreciate the immeasurable value of slapstick comedy in the history of vaudeville, as a means of connecting to and entertaining a wide audience regardless of language, it’s simply a form of comedy that has never struck my funny bone. Nevertheless, I was eager to venture into the work of Abbott and Costello for this month’s Film Club, and while I was presented on the whole with what I anticipated, there were a few surprises along that way that I never would have expected.
I was initially entertained by the format of the opening scene at the nightclub, which seemed to be laid out like a vaudeville bill, with music by the Andrews Sisters and Ted Lewis interspersed with slapstick sequences as Abbott’s Chuck and Costello’s Ferdie find themselves in one mishap after another. I suspect that if an audience member was unfamiliar with the layout of vaudeville, the inclusion of the musical numbers might seem out-of-nowhere, but for the audience at the time, this format would have been a nice nostalgic trip to the days of vaudeville, which saw its waning days about a decade earlier with the introduction of sound film.
Alas, my amusement at the format of the opening scene was quickly tarnished by my impatience at the wanting comic sequences throughout the film. I found the verbal comedy of the movie very uneven. The banter at the beginning of the film in which Ferdie is throwing “Tell it to the manager,” etc. to the customer felt as though they were trying to recreate “Who’s on First,” but without any of the wit or sense that made that routine a success. Everything felt like a stretch comically, like I had to suspend my disbelief that the things they were saying even could be funny. I didn’t even understand some of the comedy as I watched, such as the extended sequence where Ferdie is pulling the money out of the moose head. It took until the end of that scene for me to understand that he didn’t realize that it was money. Moments like these expect the audience to remove any semblance of common sense to be able to stoop to the level of the humor. While watching I found myself thinking about how one-dimensional, how incredibly unlayered, some of the humor was. As for Ferdie’s Amelia Bedelia-esque misunderstandings and drawn-out mugging as he becomes petrified over and over again, it was just too much, too often.
I began to enjoy the film a bit more as it became less of an “Abbott and Costello film” and more of an ensemble piece as the group gets holed up in the tavern, with the absolute revelation of the film being Joan Davis as retired radio star Camille Brewster. In a film that I am overall mixed on, Davis still manages to pull out one of my all-time favorite comic performances. Her delivery and facial expressions are nothing short of exceptional, and while for a good portion of the movie she essentially serves the same purpose as Costello’s scaredy-cat Ferdie, Davis outdoes him at every turn. Heck, she even made eating an apple look funny! And honestly, the only times I found Ferdie funny were in his comic moments with Camille, such as the dance sequence and their fainting back-and-forth. What was most surprising about Hold That Ghost was that in this film which stars a well-known comedic duo, the film gives space to female comic talent. I loved the detail that though she was a radio star famous for her scream in horror plays, she is rendered speechless and paralyzed in silence when she happens upon frightful things in her real life. I hate that they dropped that toward the end of the film. My one other criticism of the character (or, I suppose, of the other characters by comparison) is that Camille is so interesting and entertaining that the rest of the ensemble becomes rather forgettable. But her performance on its own is worth the watch.
While I was pleasantly surprised by the treatment of women in the film, Hold That Ghost, unfortunately, met my fears in terms of treatment of race. The first cringe-inducing moment occurred at the Ted Lewis performance of “Me and My Shadow” in the opening scene of the film, with African American Eddie Chester following behind him, imitating his movements as his “shadow.” In the next scene, Ferdie and Chuck are working at a gas station and oil gets squirted on both of their faces, to which Chuck comments that they’re “a couple of shadows.” While a fleeting line that is soon forgotten by the characters in the scene, the moment is difficult to forget as the film goes on, and serves as a reminder that while vaudeville and slapstick film surpassed the barriers of language, the history of both stage and film has been built on racist humor with black people being an especially common target. Racism is common in Hollywood films, especially those created in the first half of the 20th century, but it is especially upsetting in vaudevillian entertainment where there was purported to be “something for everyone,” as black audiences were both targeted and alienated by something as blatant as a minstrel performance or a simple line such as the one Abbott delivers. If we look at how history played out since the days of vaudeville, its legacy of societal harm is painfully apparent.
While Hold That Ghost introduced me to a great comic actress, I am unlikely to return to the film any time soon. Too much of the film grated on me, and the comedy fell flat for the most part. I’d much rather just rewatch “Who’s on First” to get my Abbott and Costello fix. – Bailey 👻᠓💰
Of all the films starring Bud Abbot and Lou Costello, Hold That Ghost (1941, dir. Arthur Lubin) is, and remains, by far my favorite film from this comedy duo. From the opening credits, with its cute, animated ghost, I always know that I am in for a laugh and a good time when I sit down to watch this film.
However, I could do without the ‘music’ numbers at the start and end of the movie as they do not really fit the tone of the rest of the film. The singing acts work better in the “service pictures,” particularly as entertainment for the troops. In my mind, there is no denying the iconic qualities of the Andrews Sisters singing “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” in Buck Privates (1941, dir. Arthur Lubin), but I think that forcing the connection between these acts, all in the attempt at re-creating a specific money-making formula, is really a disservice to both. I also wasn’t that thrilled with the Ted Lewis act, as the “Me and My Shadow” number felt completely dated and probably better left in the past as a component of a bygone vaudevillian era… Essentially the singing numbers in Hold That Ghost feel gratuitous and far too long within a film that is otherwise narrative driven and finds its greatest success in its comedic moments.
What really stood out to me with this rewatch, and where this film really shines, was the timelessness of many of the jokes, gags, and slapstick moments. The moving candle scene, Ferdie (Costello) and Camille’s (Joan Davis) ‘water dance,’ and the changing bedroom sets are some of the funniest bits in the movie. Yet, it was some of the subtler jokes that left me in stitches, particularly the way Costello delivers his lines and maintains his child-like demeanor throughout. I was particularly impressed with the “soup” exchange at the beginning of the film between Ferdie and the two restaurant patrons. The older man’s growing exasperation at his considerably younger date, and Ferdie’s glee at finding out that the older man isn’t her father, left me in more stitches than usual.
I also especially liked the scene in which Costello gets the better of Abbott while working at the gas station (which is actually pretty rare within their filmic works). I am, of course, referring to Chuck’s (Abbott) insistent utterance of “let me have it,” to which Ferdie (Costello) shoots oil right into his partner’s face, in a truly clownish moment. More often than not, it is Costello who usually takes the pie, oil, or water, etc. to the face, and not Abbott. It was kind of refreshing to see the tables turn, if just for a very brief moment, as a way of knocking Abbott off of his usual ‘straight man’ pedestal and making him the punchline of the joke.
If the comedy brilliance of this film weren’t enough, one of my all-time favorite elements is the way the ‘abandoned’ roadside tavern (with its secret hoard of ghosts/gangsters) becomes a central ‘character’ within the film. From the clanging shutters, creaking doors, and secret passageways to the unpotable water, you never really know what is lurking just around the corner, but the set adds such a delightful element to the film that relishes the anticipation of seeing what possibly could be coming next. The gags this set affords are quite diverse too, and I always chortle at the way Costello begins talking to inanimate object, particularly the statue at the base of the main staircase off the entrance. At first, he asks her (the statue) “are you the hat checker girl?” and then suddenly loses his hat to a disembodied arm that lashes out of the shadows and snatched his hat right off his head. Only to have Ferdie’s hat replaced some time later upon further conversation with the statue. These are such bizarre and unexpected moments, but they really begin to clue viewers into the fact that the tavern is not quite what it seems.
As long as you don’t take the movie seriously, Hold That Ghost is really quite enjoyable and diverting. For me it is the perfect combo of silliness and mild suspense that will keep audiences (from the very young to those of considerable wisdom) entertained time and time again. – Sarah 👀🦉🥛
What did you think of Hold That Ghost? What is your favorite Abbott & Costello comedy sketch? Share your thoughts in the comments below and check back shortly for our September Film Club Pick!
Copyright © 2021 Sarah Crane & Bailey Lizotte
