The Ghost Breakers

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Starring: Bob Hope
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Type: DVD
Directed By: George Marshall
Studio: Universal Studios
Release Date: 2002-03-05
Gangsters chase a radio commentator to havana where he helps a woman with her haunted mansion. Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 04/15/2003 Starring: Bob Hope Paul Lukas Run time: 82 minutes Rating: Nr Director: George Marshall

Early Bob Hope vehicle with some great one-liner comebacks
I have copied some of Lawrance M. Bernabo's cogent review and edited it to my view:

The plot of this 85-minute black & white comedy has Bob Hope as Lawrence Lawrence (Larry), a radio star who has made his reputation as a muckraker. Fleeing from a murder in a hotel he mistakenly thinks he committed, he ends up in the trunk of Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard) who is on her way to Cuba, where she has inherited the haunted Black Island and its haunted Castillo Maldito. Once on the island, Mary runs into the charming Parada (Paul Lukas), her old friend Geoff Montgomery (Richard Carlson), and the surviving scheming Mederos twin (Anthony Quinn and Anthony Quinn). Meanwhile, at the castle awaiting Larry and Mary are the Mother Zombie (Virginia Brissac) and her giant zombie son (Noble Johnson). Larry and his trusted valet Alex (Willie Best) go ahead to the castle to make sure everything is safe for Mary, at which point wackiness ensues.

The biggest downside of this film is that it embraced black stereotypes throughout; however, you must consider that this was a product of 1940. It is useful as an illustration of what society's expectations and treatment of blacks was during that period. I bought this to show to my teen-age children who have no idea of what society was like in the 20th century much less before WWII; as well as, to show who Bob Hope was and his type of comedy.

My favorite one-liner/come-back of Hope's was in the scene where Mary, Larry and Geoff Montgomery are present and Larry asks Geoff what he knows about zombies.
Larry, "Maybe you know what a zombie is.
Geoff explains "When a person dies and is buried, it seems a certain voodoo priest who . . . who have the power to bring him back to life."
Mary, "How horrible."
Geoff, "It's worse than horrible because a zombie has no will of his own. You see them sometimes walking around blindly, with dead eyes, following orders, not knowing what they do, not caring."
Larry, "You mean like Democrats?"

This is a light comedy written, produced and acted by products of the early 20th century with their view of the world. If you are not so politically sensitive as to recoil from the lack of 21st century political correctness which evolved seven decades later, you can appreciate the talent and chemistry of Hope and Goddard.

The Ghost Breakers
Not long after the success The Cat & the Canary Bob Hope & Paulette Goddard were reunited to do The Ghost Breakers. There are a lot of similarities between the two films but The Ghost Breakers is even better. It's typical Bob Hope, ever the coward & wannabe ladies' man, full of one liners & puns. Paulette Goddard is beautiful & effervescent.

Lawrence Lawrence, mostly known as Larry (Bob Hope), is a radio personality who has a barely tenuous connection to underworld types. In the further pursuit of more dirty laundry to air Lawrence is accused of murder though he didn't do it. He's on the run & ends up in the room of Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard). This is all fortuitous for Lawrence because Mary is headed to Cuba to claim a castle (Castillo Maldito) she has inherited. Lawrence hides in one of her trunks, thus he's transported to Cuba also.

Tagging along is Lawrence's "man", Alex (Willie Best). Alex has nearly as many funny moments as Larry including some good zingers of his own. Anthony Quinn is in the cast playing twins; Ramon, who's the one murdered early in the film that Lawrence is accused of, & Francisco, who's alive & well in Havana.

The Ghost Breakers has some honest scary moments for its day, it's almost as scary as it is funny. There are zombies & ghosts, secret passages & a treasure. It's a very good, entertaining , old-fashioned movie.

Bonus features are numerous. They include "Entertaining the Troops" which is on at least one other Hope Disc, "Command Performance 1944" which is a filmed radio broadcast that has Hope, Betty Hutton, Judy Garland & Lana Turner. "Hollywood Victory Caravan" which is a WWII War Bond short film that has Hope, Hutton, Bing Crosby, William Demarest, Barbara Stanwyck & Humphrey Bogart. There's a Photo Gallery, trailer, production notes & a short listing of acting and/or directing credits.

You can't go wrong with this classic!
Okay, so call me cheesy--but Bob Hope's gags STILL crack me up! This movie is just '40s perfect. All the actors are superb and this movie just makes me ache for the 40s when life seemed so simple ... and so SCARY!!!! The haunted castle on a haunted aisle ... way good fun! Although the "zombie" guy was never really "explained" but who cares. This movie has laughs, scares, a charming main character and a gorgeous damsel in distress! How can you give it less than 5 stars???

Ghoastbreakers
A light comedy and classic Bob Hope. A nice peek into the past i.e. the 1940's.

"I am the family detainer", Alex
Lawrence Lawrence Lawrence (Bob Hope) a radio personality threat reveals the inner working of the local gangs seems to have stepped over the line. While attempting to extricate himself he apparently dispatches a stranger threat must be shooting at him. In his attempt to escape the situation he runs into a more deadly situation.

Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard) inherits a castle in Cuba. Someone wants to buy it other's warn her of strange things that may mean her ultimate demise. Lawrence Lawrence stumbles into Mary's predicament as he is ex-trunkated from her apartment and destined for Cuba.

To save Mary's life Lawrence goes to her castle first to confront a Zombie, bats (on strings, isn't HD and Blu-ray great on a 46" screen), a ghost and something a little more sinister.

Will Lawrence survive, will he learn the secret of the castle if any and will we see Paulette Goddard running around screaming in her swimsuit and torn robe?

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The film has held up well however the version I watched could stand some re-mastering. It is interesting to recognize a very young Anthony Quinn as the twins Ramon Mederes/Francisco Mederes. It also took some time to see behind the mustache of Geoff Montgomery to find Richard Carlson of all those Sci-Fi films as "It Came from Outer Space" (1953, and "Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1954).

It Came From Outer Space

Creature From the Black Lagoon