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Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, Richard Carlson, Paul Lukas, Willie Best ... see more see more... , Pedro de Cordoba , Virginia Brissac , Noble Johnson , Anthony Quinn , Tom Dugan , Paul Fix , Lloyd Corrigan , David Durand , Jack Edwards , James Flavin , Grace Hayle , Douglas Kennedy , Paul Newlan , Jack Norton , Kay Stewart , Leonard Sues , Blanca Vischer , Emmett Vogan , Max Wagner , Robert Ryan , James Blaine , Jack Hatfield , Francisco Maran , Robert Elliott

Paramount followed up its successful Bob Hope/Paulette Goddard co-starrer The Cat and the Canary (1939) by warming up another venerable "old dark house" stage play, Paul Dickey and Charles Goddard's T... read more read more...he Ghost Breaker, pluralizing the title to accommodate both stars. This time Hope plays radio personality Lawrence L. Lawrence (the middle initial stands for Lawrence: "My folks had no imagination") who has to flee New York to avoid being mistakenly arrested for murder. He and his manservant Alex (Willie Best) book passage on a Cuba-bound liner, where they meet lovely heiress Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard). She is heading to Cuba to take charge of her ancestral mansion, despite warnings from several sinister characters that to enter this "haunted" house will mean certain death. Appointing himself Mary's protector, Lawrence investigates the mansion on his own, thereby crossing the path of a zombie (Noble Johnson) and an apparently genuine ghost. He also meets the twin brother of the man he's accused of killing (Anthony Quinn), who seems the most likely suspect when Mary nearly comes to harm. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

74% liked it

1,420 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

5 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 23 min.

Directed by: George Marshall

Release Date: June 21, 1940

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DVD Release Date: March 5, 2002

Stats: 85 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (85)

  • Beefy
    December 27, 2011
    Beefy
    Lovely cinematography, a sharp witted Hope, and a gorgeous Goddard. Even with all that, the film's primary standout was it's casual racism and depiction of African Americans; it often undercut the humor and suspense.
  • ajv2688
    September 27, 2010
    ajv2688
    One of my favourtie Hope movies, it's really very funny. If you're a fan, check it out. It's sort of a spoof of old horror and mystery movies.
  • threefolddado
    July 3, 2008
    threefolddado
    Good paranormal humor.
  • jam233
    October 11, 2009
    jam233
    This is one of Bob Hope's funniest and best movies. His comic timing has rarely been better. Paulette Goddard is terrific and Willie Best steals every scene he's in. It is always entertaining and a must for anyone who appreciates Bob Hope's special brand of humor.
  • CHILIcheeseDONUTSwithTUNAonTOP
    September 4, 2009
    CHILIcheeseDONUTSwithTUNAonTOP
    A crime/suspense/comedy/romance/horror film starring Bob Hope. Hope's character thinks he kills someone, so he flees from the scene and ends up on a boat heading for Cuba along with his manservant. This manservant isn't as funny as the one in King of the Zombies, but as a whole t... read morehe movie was really funny and had some parts that were sure to scare when it was released. Organized crime, a ghost, a zombie, a castle, slimy Caribbean characters, voodoo, and a pretty innocent lady inheritoress all play parts in this hilarious film. Probably the best Bob Hope film I have seen (no singing and dancing).
  • whitsrus
    April 11, 2008
    whitsrus
    What a blast! Bob Hope was refreshing in every scene. There were a lot of lose ends left to tie up, but for the time, I think it was an excellent flick.
  • joycefricken
    April 15, 2007
    joycefricken
    Larry (Bob Hope) and his man Alex (Willie Best) help a lovely lady (Paulette Goddard) in pre-pubescent-Castro Cuba (1940 to be exact).
    Alex, Larry's (in the vernacular of the time) Negro or colored man, has as many good lines and delivers them as well as Hope. He's stereotypical... read more, of course, but he still comes off as cool.
    The ghost and treasure plot, an old Hollywood staple, has been done dozens of times under various titles. Silll, being well paced and fairly well written, this version is one perfect little couch movie on a hungover afternoon.

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Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz
June 25, 2010
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Mixing laughs and scares. Full Review

Sean Axmaker
June 11, 2010
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com

... George Marshall makes an effort to construct the proper atmosphere around these city folk on a haunted safari in voodooland... Full Review

Ken Hanke
November 20, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

One of the few truly great meshes of comedy and horror that never shorts either genre. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
January 28, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Philip Martin
May 16, 2005
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

Andy Klein
August 13, 2004
Andy Klein, Los Angeles CityBeat

No review available.

June 24, 2006
Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

October 16, 2003
Film4

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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