The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

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DVD Reviews of The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

DVD Review: "Calm? Do 'murder' and 'calm' go together? Calm and murder?"
Summary: 4 Stars

Helmed by veteran television director Alan Rafkin, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken stars Don Knotts as Luther Heggs, a typesetter at a small town newspaper with dreams of someday becoming a reporter. While driving home one dark and stormy night, Luther, passing the old Simmons place, a local haunted house where a particularly brutal murder-suicide occurred some twenty years past, happens upon a murder victim, to which he gets all flustered in typical Knotts fashion as he sees his big chance to get a scoop and hopefully achieve his dreams of becoming a real newspaper man. After taking a number of photos, he rushes off to the police station to report the crime, only to learn that the man wasn't murdered, and Luther finds himself in the uncomfortable position of having to deal with being a laughingstock, particularly by a his coworker Ollie, who is a reporter and works at the same paper as Luther. Ollie is also involved with Alma, a local woman who Luther has pines for, but finds himself unable to tell her.

Anyway, as the eve of the 20th anniversary of the murder-suicide at the Simmons house approaches, Luther's newspaper, owned and operated by George Beckett (Dick Sargent), decides to try and capitalize on the event by having someone spend the night in the old Simmons place, and document any strange or unusual happenings. We also learn that old man Simmons, who supposedly killed his wife and took his own life many years back, has a nephew, Nick Simmons, who is in town and trying to clear the bank lien on the house so he can demolish it, for whatever reasons. Well, Luther does spend the night, or, at least part of the night, that is until strange things do start happening, odd noises, secret passages, maniacal laughter, mysterious organ music, portraits running with blood, etc., and Luther is driven from the house. His spectacular story is printed, and interest is renewed in the Simmons house, causing Nick Simmons problems in gaining clear access to do with the house as he pleases, and results in him bringing a libel lawsuit against Luther and the newspaper. During the trial, it's decided that the only way to clear things up is to actually go to the Simmons house and try to re-enact the events as Luther related them, and determine once and for all the truth. At the house, the procession finds the spirits that haunted Luther previously unresponsive, and things certainly look bad for Luther. Is the house truly haunted? What was the nature of the crime committed so many years ago?

Knotts is great, performing his 'nervous man' routine, and a number of Andy Griffith Show regulars make brief appearances in the film including Hal Smith as Calver Weems (he was Otis, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show), and Hope Summers as Suzanne Blush (she played Clara Edwards on The Andy Griffith Show). One of my favorite scenes is when the town is having a celebratory picnic for Luther after his article detailing his night spent within the Simmons house (exaggerated quite a bit by his editor to make Luther seem braver than he actually was) and Luther has to get up in front of everyone and deliver a speech. Suffering from a severe case of stage fright, and losing his notes to a convenient gust of wind, Luther tries to wing it, with hilarious results. Here's a snippet 'I have been called brave. What is brave? Let me clarify this. Of course we all know this is short for brave-r-y. That goes without even being said. But is also a symbol of another thing....' There is also a couple of running gags throughout the film, one being someone off-screen yelling out 'Atta boy, Luther!' at certain points in the film. What makes Knott's performances so great in this film and other roles of a similar nature? I guess it's his willingness for self-deprecation, presenting himself as a buffoon, allowing the audience to derive much laughter at his meek, nebbish characters. All of his Universal pictures follow a similar format, showing a bumbling but likeable character with lofty aspirations, thrust into a situation allowing for a great downfall, and then redemption in the end, as the underdog ends up in a much better position than when the film started.

Universal presents here a really good-looking wide screen print. Special features include a theatrical trailer, and recommendations that list Knott's four other Universal films, including The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968), The Love God? (1969), and How to Frame a Figg (1971). Atta boy, Luther? I say Atta boy, Don, for giving us much to laugh about, and entertaining so thoroughly.

Cookieman108

Description of The Ghost and Mr. Chicken