The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

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The Ghost and Mr. Chicken is a 1966 movie featuring comic actor Don Knotts as local newspaper typesetter, Luther Heggs, with high hopes of becoming a reporter. While walking past the creepy, reputedly haunted Simmons mansion one night, he witnesses what he believes is a murder and gives a frantic account of his experience at the police station. After it turns out that the murder victim, the town drunk, is quite alive, to avoid ridicule by townsfolk and help boost newspaper sales Heggs accepts a challenge by his editor to spend a night alone in the mansion.

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken was a perfect vehicle for Knotts to expand his portrayal of the bug-eyed, Nervous Man character he played so well in a cameo in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World three years earlier.

The film was directed by Alan Rafkin, script was written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, and music was composed by Vic Mizzy.

[edit] Cast

Charles Lane — Whitlow
Don Knotts — Luther Heggs
Liam Redmond — Kelsey
Skip Homeier — Ollie Weaver
Lurene Tuttle — Mrs. Natalie Miller
Harry Hickox — Police Chief Art Fuller
Nydia Westman — Mrs. Cobb
Robert Cornthwaite — Springer
Sandra Gould — Loretta Pine
Cliff Norton — Charlie, the Bailiff
Jim Boles — Billy Ray Fox
Ceil Cabot — Bit/clubwoman
Herbie Faye — Man in Diner
Harry Hines — The Rotarian at picnic
Florence Lake — Clubwoman
J. Edward McKinley — Mayor Carl Preston
Eddie Quillan — Elevator Operator
Hal Smith — Calver Weems (the town drunk)
Ruth Thom — Clubwoman
Joan Staley — Alma Parker (Luther's love interest)
Dick Sargent — George Beckett
Reta Shaw — Mrs. Halcyon Maxwell
Philip Ober — Nicholas Simmons
Jesslyn Fax — Mrs. Hutchinson
George Chandler — Judge Harley Nast
Jim Begg — Herkie
James Millhollin — Mr. Milo Maxwell
Ellen Corby — Miss Neva Tremaine
Phil Arnold — Juror
Al Checco — Gaylord Patie
Everett Greenbaum — Man in audience ('Attaboy, Luther')
Bern Hoffman — Heavyset Man at Police Station
Dorothy Love — Clubwoman
Burt Mustin — Mr. Dellagondo (Old Man Boarder at Mrs. Miller's)
Maxine Semon — Clubwoman
Hope Summers — Suzanna Blush
Dick Wilson — Bandmaster

[edit] Details

The Simmons mansion is built in the Second Empire style and appears similar to the The Addams Family and The Munsters houses. The Universal backlot house standing in for the Simmons' mansion was once used as the Psycho house in 1960.

Hal Smith who was known as Otis Campbell the drunk on The Andy Griffith Show had a cameo in the beginning of the film as a town drunk again

Several guest stars from The Andy Griffith Show had key roles or cameos in the film.

1. Ellen Corby, who to Andy Griffith Show fans is known for playing the old lady who dupes Barney to buying a broken car in "Barney's First Car" had a small cameo in the courtroom scene as Luther's old grade school teacher Meva Traimane

2. Rita Shaw who played two roles on the show, one as a female convict and in another played Barney's music teacher played a supporting role as the sprit believing member of the town occult socity.

3. Al Checco who guest starred as a thief who tricked Barney and got him drunk in order to steal a quarter million dollers, and was also in real life Don Knotts' old comedy partner when there were in the Army had a uncredited appearance in the film.