The Live Ghost Written and filmed October-November, 1934. Released by MGM, December, 1934. Produced by Hal Roach. Directed by Charles Rogers. Two reels.

Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Walter Long, Arthur Haousman, Mae Busch, Charlie Hall.   

STORY: A gruff sea captain enlists vagrants L&H to help him shanghai a crew for his next voyage. They succeed in doing so, but are shanghaied themselves aboard what is rumored to be a "ghost ship." When a drunken crewmember splatters himself with whitewash, The Boys are convinced they've seen a ghost and do their best to dispose of the body.

Commentary

JL:   Memorable for one bit -- the eggs in the mouth stuff at the beginning. Not a particularly inspired one, for me. The first half is kinda fun and inoffensive, but by the time they get to the ghost business, it's just pure annoyance.  Gets my vote as having Stan's weakest performance of any Roach film.  He cries and whines so much in the final reel that I sometimes want to pull out a gun and do an Elvis on my TV set. There's enough here, especially in the first half, that it rises above their very worst shorts, but it's one that I usually avoid if I can help it.

Copyright © 2012 John Larrabee, John V. Brennan

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