The Ghost Breakers

Plot synopsis:
In a Manhattan radio studio, a broadcast is being made by crime reporter Lawrence Lawrence (Bob Hope)—"Larry" to his friends, as well as his enemies, who are many in number among the local underworld.
Listening in on the broadcast is pretty brunette Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard), whose high-rise hotel room goes dark as a violent thunderstorm causes a city-wide blackout. In the near darkness, a knock comes at her door. It is Mr. Parada (Paul Lukas), a suave, vaguely sinister Cuban solicitor. He delivers the deed to her inherited plantation and mansion, "Castillo Maldito," on a small island off the coast of Cuba. Despite Parada's discouragement, she impulsively decides to travel to Cuba by ship to inspect her new property.
During Parada's visit, Mary receives a telephone call from Mr. Mederos (Anthony Quinn), an even more sinister gent who warns Mary not to sell the newly inherited property to Parada. Mary agrees to meet Mederos later.
Meanwhile, after Larry Lawrence has finished broadcasting the evening's exposé of a local crime boss, he receives a telephone call from the crime boss, Frenchy Duval (Paul Fix). Frenchy invites Larry to his hotel to discuss the broadcast so he can "give it" to him straight.
Coincidentally, Frenchy is living in the same hotel where Mary Carter lives. Mederos arrives on the same hotel floor as Larry. However, Mederos is looking for Parada. Mederos confronts Parada and Parada shoots and kills him. Larry hears the shot and fires his gun at random. In a mix-up in the still-darkened building, Larry sees the body and believes he's killed one of Duval's henchmen. In the confusion he finds himself in the rooms of Mary Carter, who is already busy packing for her journey. Believing that he is being pursued by Duval's men, Larry hides in Mary's large open trunk. Unaware of Larry's presence, Mary locks the trunk and arranges for its transport to the harbor.
Later at the dock, Larry's valet Alex (Willie Best) searches among the luggage bound for loading and finds Larry among them. Although not in time to prevent the trunk's transfer to the ship's hold, Alex manages to get on board, hoping to extricate his employer before the ship sails.
Once in her stateroom, Mary is surprised to unpack Larry along with the rest of her belongings. Larry and Alex decide to remain on board, partly to act as bodyguards to the plucky beauty, but also to keep out of reach of Frenchy Duval and the police.
As Larry and Mary strike up a flirtation, they run into an acquaintance of Mary's, Geoff Montgomery (Richard Carlson), a young professorial type who regales them with tales of the local superstitions of their destination, particularly voodoo, ghosts and zombies.
Upon reaching port in Havana, Mary, Larry, Alex go to the island. En route they find a shack occupied by an old woman (Virginia Brissac) and her catatonic son (Noble Johnson), whom they believe is a zombie. The imposing plantation manor proves to be a spooky edifice indeed. They begin to explore the long-abandoned, cobweb-ridden mansion, and discover a large portrait of a woman who is nearly an exact likeness of Mary—most certainly an ancestor.
Soon they are terrorized by the appearance of a ghost, and the reappearance of the zombie. Are these real, or are they a ruse to frighten Mary away from her inheritance?

Tags: murder

Review:
Goddard is strikingly pretty and charming, Bob Hope seems fresh and energetic (and very effective in some of his straight moments) and Willy Best gets to shed his "scared darky" persona and play a funny and reasonably straight role.
Another able funny man Willie Best, who never got his due because of the racial stereotyping rampant in Hollywood at the time, makes a better sparring partner for Bob than anyone else including Bing Crosby, although Crosby and Hope were also a winning combination with plenty of chemistry between them.
In "The Ghost Breakers" Bob Hope and Willie Best are together through much of the picture.
Hope tells Best that if he sees two ghosts running down the stairs, "Let the first one by because that one will be me." Best retorts, "If you see another one pass you,let him go because that one will be me." And the fun continues at a scatter gun pace.An added attraction is the wonderful and beautiful Paulette Goddard.
The atmosphere of acceptance of the supernatural (in the zombie element of the movie)is reminiscent of "I Walked With a Zombie", which might sound like ridiculously high praise for a Bob Hope comedy, but it's probably best if you see the film and check it out.
Many movie fans who were raised seeing Bob Hope strictly  in the slightly depressing films he made during the 1960s and his periodic TV specials  may be surprised to learn that in the 1940s he was one of the best "fast patter' comedians working on the radio and in films.
Generally playing a coward who still managed to come up on top in circumstances over which he had no control, the comic starred in a number of successful films.I admittedly have a preference for "old dark house" mysteries, and I spent years trying to catch up on this one.
The only version of the script which had been readily available through the 1970s was the Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis remake, SCARED STIFF, which used the basic premise but altered some of the gags and inserted musical numbers.The action opens in New York City where Lawrence "Larry" Lawrence (Hope) is preparing for a radio broadcast as the city is hit by a storm-created blackout.
Hope and Goddard had also starred in a sound remake of one of the better known of these creakers, THE CAT AND THE CANARY.GHOST BREAKERS is well worth renting..
Add the colorful (no pun intended) Willie Best as Hope's sidekick, a creative script, George Marshall's direction, two Anthony Quinns and you have movie magic.
In fact, there are times when it is easy to forget that this is a Bob Hope comedy and not a straight horror movie (you can easily imagine, that Val Lewton, say, was out in the original audience, taking notes).Hope is helped by the cast.
The basic plot: Bob Hope gets mixed up in a plot to get Paulette Goddards fortune.The praise: Its a funny movie, with Bob Hope doing plenty of good gags and wisecracks .
It was interesting to see Anthony Quinn in this early role in his career.All in all, a movie that a lot other folks would agree is one of Hope's funniest films..
Bob Hope made some wonderful, fun movies in the '40s, and "The Ghost Breakers" costarring Paulette Goddard, Paul Lukas, Willie Best, and Richard Carlson is a prime example.
Anthony Quinn has two small double roles in an early appearance for him.Hope is a radio gossip who talks about the mob and sometimes upsets them; Goddard is a woman who has just inherited a castle in Cuba.
Zombies and Ghosts and Murder, Oh My. When Bob Hope first signed with Paramount what they had in mind for him were some B picture comedies playing the bottom half of double bills.
When Quinn gets murdered Hope thinks he did it and Goddard and he are soon involved in every which way possible.On my VHS copy is the trailer for The Ghost Breakers in which it's advertised that this new Bob Hope film will feature his 'boy' Syracuse played by Willie Best.
Without a scorecard it is difficult to separate the players, but one of the most important is Hope's aide, ably played by master straightman Willie Best without a trace of racial stereotyping; he is loyal, at least as brave as his boss and a great asset to the movie.
Willie Best is outstanding as Hope's sidekick and straight man; Anthony Quinn is promising, young and sullen as twin gangsters; Richard Carlson does a bright job of playing off-type as a duplicitous villain; and Paul Lukas is extremely powerful as Senor Perada, a wonderfully villainous red herring.
The Ghost Breakers is a sort of sequel to Paramount's 1939 hit The Cat and the Canary, also starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard.
Befriending her, it's not before long that Larry is on his way to Cuba as well, but Mary is under threat from shifty characters and to make mattes worse, their destination castle is rumoured to be haunted and tales of zombies seem to carry some weight.Hope and Goddard really do have a rich chemistry here and the results are excellent to say the least.
Bob Hope always thinks he is bigger than he is, and we are terrified along with him as he jokes and pans his way through this classic and original haunted house film.
I've just watched The Ghost Breakers for the first time and rather enjoyed it and was creepy in parts.A woman has just inherited a castle on a small island which turns out to be haunted.
This happens in New York.The Ghost Breakers reunites Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard from The Cat and the Canary and are joined by Richard Carlson (Creature From the Black Lagoon), Paul Lukas (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) and an early role for Anthony Quinn.
Paulette Goddard plays Mary Carter the beautiful heiress to a castle in Cuba who goes there to check it out against all the stern warnings, and with dashing radio dj Lawrence L.
Amidst all the smart ass one liners from Hope and Best there's even a couple of genuinely spooky scenes, especially the zombie on his bed turning his head to look (dead) at them and the transparent ghost getting out of the casket at midnight to take a stroll around to their decided consternation.
As for the "castle" itself - where apparently no one had lived for twenty years even though someone had died there only two months before – the sets are simple and simply perfect in their spookiness.Serious people will probably have a problem overlooking the white master/black servant relationship depicted, but compared to many other Hollywood films from the era Best is almost treated as an equal and Hope really reduced only once to a rude imperiousness to Best.
It's always a joy to watch and listen to a guy at the top of his game; I think this is one of Hope's best films and as a comedy-horror (olde style) also probably the best of its kind..
The Ghost Breakers is a black and white movie from 1940 Starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard.Bob Hope plays a New York City radio newscaster, named Larry Lawrence that specializes in political gossip.
When he inadvertently offends a local gangster, his attempt to get back into the gangster's good graces results in him being accused of a murder he didn't commit.Enter Paulette Goddard as Mary Carter a damsel in distress who has just inherited a haunted castle in Cuba.
Undoubtedly one of the best comedy/horror movies of the 1940s--perhaps of all time--and almost on a par with the great "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948), the 1940 reremake of "The Ghost Breakers" manages the tricky balance between yukyuks and chills with considerable deftness.
In this one, Bob Hope plays a radio personality named Lawrence Lawrence Lawrence (his parents had no imagination, he tells us), who escapes the Mob and the cops by hiding in Paulette Goddard's steamer trunk Paulette's just inherited a creepy haunted mansion off the coast of Cuba, and before you know it, the two are up to their jutting eyeballs in bats, ghosts, murder attempts and zombies.
Mr. Quinn:stated his salary was about $5,000 dollars,he said after all he played twins.This movie to me is a great film,the sets are by far the best,So real is the painting of Paulette.
Bob Hope plays the radio broadcaster Larry Lawrence, who gets into haunted castle with his butler Alex (Willie Best) and with Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard), whose family owns the castle.
Anthony Quinn has a double role in the movie.He plays Ramon and Francisco Mederos.Larry and the gang are pretty scared in thecastle with all kind of zombies and ghosts.And who wouldn't be.
The Ghost Breakers is a nice horror comedy.Bob Hope does a great job as always and Goddard and Best are the best.
Amid thunderclaps and flashes of lightning Bob Hope turns to Willie Best and quips, "Basil Rathbone must be giving a party!" And it goes on that way thoughout a fast-paced comedy mixing thrills, chills and horror in a fun way, as did an earlier Hope film, 'The Cat and the Canary' (which, by the way, has never been released to video for copyright reasons).
Anthony Quinn turns up in a double role, as does Richard Carlson--but it's Hope and his fast-paced comic timing that makes the movie so watchable.
However, she accidentally gets a couple of chaperones when broadcaster Bob Hope (Lawrence Lawrence Lawrence) and his valet Willie Best (Alex) make a get-a-way from a murder scene.
A Great Haunted House Comedy with Bob Hope as Larry L.
This early Bob Hope vehicle features the lovely Paulette Goddard at the peak of her beauty and under-appreciated Black comedian Willie Best in probably the finest work he ever did in film.Haunted house comedies are a unique genre, because it is so difficult to successfully blend the spooky and potentially dangerous aspects of the supernatural with the humorous possibilities usually lurking under the surface in such situations.
Hope and Goddard pulled off an enjoyable haunted house romp in the earlier "Cat and the Canary" (1939) but "Ghost Breakers" tops it.For fans of such films, I heartily recommend that you seek out a rather obscure movie directed by George Marshall ( the same director who gave us "Ghost Breakers") titled "Murder, He Says" (1945).
In general, I have found that I liked Hope's earlier films far more than the ones he did in the 50s onward--they just seem fresher and more compelling.Bob and Willie Best come to the rescue of poor little old Paulette Goddard.
However, compared to many of the other characters played by Best in previous films (when he was billed as "Sleep 'n' Eat" instead of "Willie Best"), his portrayal is pretty responsible and avoids most of the usual "black man in a haunted house" clichés..
'The Ghost Breakers' is one such film, in excelling in both comedy and horror, and one of the finest examples there is.It was remade thirteen years later as 1953's 'Scared Stiff' with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.
As far as Bob Hope films go, 'The Ghost Breakers' is also one of his best ('The Cat and the Canary' is another example of Hope at his best).
It is a perfect marriage of romance, humour and scares, delivering to never less than very good standards on all three.Visually, 'The Ghost Breakers' looks great and one of Hope's better looking films.
Richard Carlson excels magnificently against type and Anthony Quinn likewise in more than one role.Overall, truly wonderful comedy-horror, a fine example of Bob Hope at his best.
Patchy Bob Hope "zombie comedy" has him likably paired again with Paulette Goddard from "The Cat and the Canary" the previous year.
He's a radio personality who thinks he's shot and killed a gangster's henchman, she has just inherited an allegedly-haunted mansion in Cuba; together, with assistance from Hope's valet, Willie Best, they figure out why nefarious types (Anthony Quinn among them) are trying to keep Goddard away from the spooky property.
Didn't Work For Me. Ghost Breakers, The (1940) ** (out of 4) Disappointing horror/comedy has Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard traveling to Cuba where they investigate an eerie house, which may or may not be haunted.
When l'd watched Paleface in 1976 Bob Hope becomes my hero ever since, then l've looking for pictures from this fabulous comedy actor, I have some, not enough but each them are specials, in this latest release here in Brazil is a fine tale a mix of spooky and smart jokes told in every frame, Paulette Goddard in sexiest scenes showing us a beuatiful full shape, Willie Best rise up in funny faces in every corner, the picture was well conceived, with many twists around, Bob gained recognition afterwards with several upcoming well-crafted and smart comedies paving a solid career that will confirm later!!Resume:First watch: 2012 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.
Incorrectly assuming that he shot a man dead, a radio broadcaster flees to Cuba together with a young woman checking out the apparently haunted castle she has inherited in this amiable mix of laughs and chills starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard.
good occasion for discover Paulette Goddard and Bob Hope in a ghost story who reminds the old science to use the humor in graceful manner.
Bob Hope is in top form, Paulette Goddard does her usual first-rate job and Willie Best puts in an amazing performance.
Bob Hope plays a radio personality - not much of a reach, admittedly - who finds himself in Cuba on the run from gangsters and ghosts in this follow-up to the hit movie The Cat and The Canary.
Anthony Quinn shows a nice light touch as well.It all involves ghosts and zombies in Goddard's ancestral home in Cuba.I liked Willie Best here.
Bob, Paulette Goddard , WIllie Best & George Marshall create another classic!.
"Ghost Breakers" is right behind Director George Marshall, who helmed the classic Jimmy Stewart/Marlene Dietrich Western "Destry Rides Again" and W.C Field's great comedy, "You Can't Cheat An Honest Man," (with Eddie Cline & EDward Sedgewick) both in 1939, directed two of Bob Hope's three best & funniest, "Monsieur Beaucaire" (1946)and this film, "Ghost Breakers" (Robert Butler's riotous 1944 Technicolor gem, "The Princess & The Pirate" is the third).Bob helps perky & gorgeous 30-year old Paulette Goddard (who was married at the time to the great Charlie Chaplin, who was 51) and this leads him and his valet Willie Best to a spooky old castle on a desolate tropical island in Cuba.While there, they meet ghosts, murder, a secret treasure, hidden rooms and passage ways - and one humdinger of a zombie (veteran Noble Johnson, who in 1933 played the native chief on Skull Island in "King Kong" and the Nubian slave in "The Mummy" with Boris Karloff).The blend of comedy and frights is (almost) unbeatable.This is the type of movie that parents should show their kids (at least 9 or 10) to give them an example of what great entertainment is all about.
Bob Hope plays Lawrence Lawrence(really) a radio host who goes on a cruise ship to evade some irate gangsters, and gets mixed up with beautiful heiress in distress Paulette Goddard, who inherited a reputedly haunted castle in Cuba.Fast, and furiously funny, with some gags that may seem dated(Basil Rathbone & Baby Snooks references, for instance) but what makes this comedy so special is how it blends seamlessly witty humor and atmospheric horror in a highly appealing cinematic package.
Willie Best plays his servant/best friend, and is very funny indeed, and nothing to be embarrassed about.Richard Carlson and Anthony Quinn round out a talented cast.The type of film that can be viewed many times over without getting tired of, it is a joy from start to finish.
However, in this film he is teamed up with a great actress, Paulette Goddard, (Mary Carter) who inherits an island off the coast of Cuba and the house is full of ghosts and strange things.
Perhaps that's because it's fairly early in his career before his character was totally set?Anyway, if you like old 40s mystery-haunted house comedies, and you like Bob Hope, this is a good bet..
And this is a Bob Hope comedyI love this film because it is really before its time.
How cool is that!This is also one of Bob Hope's funniest performances and a great way to remember him.P.S.: Like many commentators, I first saw this film on the late show as a kid and remembered it as the most chilling horror picture I had ever seen and only got to understand the jokes later.
Larry agrees that one good turn deserves another and decides to go to Cuba to help Mary.The Ghost Breakers is a very entertaining mix of comedy and horror.
Bob Hope referred to Best, as his comedic co-star in The Ghost Breakers (1940), as one of the finest talents he had ever worked with.It's all very funny & this film kind of set up the model that Hopes solo comedy films would use in different variations throughout his career when he wasn't with Bing.
Those expecting another comical spook fest from the team of Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard will have to wait until half way through the film before the chills start.
This early Bob Hope movie hits all the right tones...mostly because of the ghost/zombie angle.My sisters and I saw this as kids.
Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard team up again a year after starring in THE CAT AND THE CANARY.
After a chain of circumstances(which must be seen to be believed)leads to Lawrence believing that he murdered a man, Lawrence and his chauffeur Alex(Willie Best)come into contact with a beautiful young heiress named Mary(Paulette Goddard)who has inherited a reportedly haunted castle in Cuba, and they follow her.Hope isn't as funny in this film so much as charming and witty, but he does a good job and his mastery of wordplay is used expertly here.