The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
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| The Ghost and Mr. Chicken | |
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 Film Poster |
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| Directed by | Alan Rafkin |
| Produced by | Edward J. Montagne Jr. |
| Written by | Jim Fritzell Everett Greenbaum |
| Starring | Don Knotts Joan Staley Liam Redmond Dick Sargent Skip Homeier |
| Music by | Vic Mizzy |
| Cinematography | William Margulies |
| Editing by | Sam E. Waxman |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1966 |
| Running time | 90 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken is a 1966 film, starring actor Don Knotts as local newspaper typesetter, Luther Heggs, who has high hopes of becoming a reporter.
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[edit] Plot summary
The film is centered on the Simmons Mansion, which, according to legend was a "murder house" 20 years earlier, when Mr. Simmons murdered his wife, then jumped from the tower to his death. Legend says that you can hear the ghost of Mr. Simmons playing the organ at night. To increase newspaper sales, Heggs is assigned to spend the night in the house on the night of the 20th anniversary of the murders. At midnight, Heggs sees the old organ begin to play by itself. His story gets the town abuzz and Nicholas Simmons, nephew of the deceased couple, sues Heggs for libel. In the courtroom, Heggs is made into a fool, but the judge orders the courtroom to the Simmons House at midnight to allow Heggs to prove his story. Nothing happens, and after everyone else leaves, Heggs notices the old organ playing. Heggs sees Mr. Kelsey, the newspaper's janitor, tickling the keys (the organ has an additional keyboard under the pipes). The editor and janitor then confront Nicholas Simmons, who killed his aunt and uncle and has been trying to cover up the story all this time. Luther knocks out Nicholas Simmons with a body slam, and the case is closed.
[edit] Other
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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, as well as on the old Steve Allen show.
Knott's biography told how Andy Griffith came aboard to consult on story ideas for the first of Don's five films for Universal Studios. Griffith suggested expanding on a plot from an Andy Griffith Show episode involving a spooky old house.
The film was directed by Alan Rafkin, the script was written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, and the music was composed by Vic Mizzy.
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken has a very large collection of 1940s, 50s and 60s character actors assembled for one film, many of whom fill minuscule parts.
[edit] Cast
- Don Knotts — Luther Heggs
- Liam Redmond — Kelsey
- Skip Homeier — Ollie Weaver
- Lurene Tuttle — Mrs. Natalie Miller
- Harry Hickox — Police Chief Art Fuller
- Charles Lane — Whitlow
- 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. Located on the Universal Studios back lot, it was once used as the Psycho house in 1960.
- Hal Smith, who was known as Otis Campbell, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show, had a cameo in the beginning of the film as a town drunk.
- Several guest stars from The Andy Griffith Show had key roles or cameos in the film:
- Ellen Corby, who to Andy Griffith Show fans is known for playing the old lady who dupes Barney into 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 Tremaine.
- Reta Shaw, with two roles on the show, one as a female convict and in another as Barney's music teacher, played a supporting role as the spirit-believing member of the town occult society.
- Al Checco, who guest starred as a thief who tricked Barney and got him drunk in order to steal a quarter million dollars, and was also in real life Don Knotts' old comedy partner when they were in the Army, had an uncredited appearance in the film.
- The voice heard yelling "Attaboy, Luther!" belongs to the film's screenwriter, Everett Greenbaum. This phrase would again be heard yelled out at the bowling championship in the film Kingpin.
- Don's affection for the Edsel car shows up here as he drives one in this movie as well as in "Return to Mayberry".
