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THE CAT AND THE CANARY and THE GHOST BREAKERS [1939 / 1940 / 2022] [Eureka Entertainment Classics] [Blu-ray] [UK Release] Two Wonderful Spooky Atmospheric Movies with Entertaining Wisecracks from Bob Hope!
Ghosts and gags galore in this charming double-bill of horror-comedies starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. Eureka Entertainment Classics is proud to present both films in their UK debuts on Blu-ray.
THE CAT AND THE CANARY [1939] (Director Elliott Nugent) – A decade after the death of an eccentric millionaire, his remaining relatives gather for the reading of the will at his abandoned mansion set deep in the Louisiana bayous. His niece Joyce Norman [Paulette Goddard] is named the sole inheritor, but under the condition that she does not go insane within the next 30 days. The timid Wally Campbell [Bob Hope] vows to protect Joyce who must spend the night in the haunted mansion along with her jealous relatives, a creepy maid and a homicidal maniac who has just escaped from a nearby sanatorium.
THE GHOST BREAKERS [1940] (Director George Marshall) – Larry Lawrence [Bob Hope], sought in connection with a murder he did not commit, eludes New York police by hiding in a steamer trunk. Soon the trunk and Larry Lawrence are aboard a ship bound for Cuba, where the trunk’s owner, pretty Mary Carter [Paulette Goddard], is sailing to take possession of a recent inheritance: a “haunted” castle. Sensing that Mary Carter is in danger, Larry Lawrence and his valet precede her to the island, which is inhabited by a ghost, a zombie and perhaps even a flesh-and-blood fiend. There’s romance, comedy and chills as Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard contend with earthly and un-earthly foes ― and try to keep from ending up as ghosts themselves.
PRESS:
“Solid comedy entertainment [THE GHOST BREAKERS]” – Variety
“The amalgam of farce and horror is very successful [THE GHOST BREAKERS]” – The New Yorker
“An entertaining, comedic, and fright-fully good time! [THE CAT AND THE CANARY]” – Blu-ray.com
“Elliott Nugent has directed it smartly, taking full advantage of the standard chiller devices for frightening the susceptible of his audience but never losing sight of his main objective ― comedy […] the objective is carried briskly and to our complete satisfaction. [THE CAT AND THE CANARY]” – New York Times
FILM FACT: ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ [1939] The New York Times wrote that Elliott Nugent “has directed it smartly, taking full advantage of the standard chiller devices for frightening the susceptible of his audience but never losing sight of his main objective — comedy...the objective is carried briskly and to our complete satisfaction. Good show.” Variety wrote that the movie retained “the basic spooky atmosphere and chiller situations” of the original play and “will amply satisfy the mystery fans, and provide spine-chilling thrills for audiences generally.”
‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ [1940] The Charles W. Goddar and Paul Dickey play “The Ghost Breaker” was filmed twice previously by Paramount Pictures, first in 1914 by Cecil B. DeMille, with stars H. B. Warner and Rita Stanwood. It was filmed again in 1922 by director Alfred E. Green, starring Wallace Reid and Lila Lee. Both these silent film versions are now considered to be lost films. The film was adapted for radio on Screen Directors Playhouse on April 4, 1949. Bob Hope re-created his film role, and Shirley Mitchell starred as Mary. Bob Hope appeared again on the program for an hour-long version on June 14, 1951. George Marshall, director of ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS,’ remade it as ‘Scared Stiff’ (1953), featuring Martin and Lewis (Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis). The remake featured cameos not only from Hope, but also from Bing Crosby. A year before Scared Stiff, Martin and Lewis appeared in the Crosby/Hope film ‘Road to Bali.’ George Marshall also directed the not-dissimilar ‘Murder, He Says’ (1945) in which Fred MacMurray compares the situation to “that Bob Hope movie THE GHOST BREAKERS.” Scenes from the film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ were used in the 1972 pilot episode of “The Snoop Sisters” (aka “The Female Instinct”). ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ was one of the inspirations for the film ‘Ghostbusters’ series of films, whereby Dan Aykroyd wanted to combine the latest research with ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ style of comedy.
THE CAT AND THE CANARY [1939]
Cast: Bob Hope, John Beal, Douglass Montgomery, Gale Sondergaard, Elizabeth Patterson, Nydia Westman, George Zucco, John Wray, George Regas, William Abbey (uncredited), Milton Kibbee (uncredited), Charles Lane (uncredited), Frank Melton (uncredited), Nick Thompson (uncredited) and Chief Thundercloud (uncredited)
Director: Elliott Nugent
Producer: Arthur Hornblow Jr.
Screenplay: Lynn Starling (screenplay), Walter DeLeon (screenplay) and John Willard (based on the stage play)
Composer: Dr. Ernst Toch
Costume Design: Edith Head
Costume and Wardrobe Department: Eugene Joseff (Jeweller) (uncredited)
Cinematography: Charles Bryant Lang Jr., A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 74 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Universal Pictures / Paramount Pictures / Eureka Entertainment Classics
* * * * *
THE GHOST BREAKERS [1940]
Cast: Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, Richard Carlson, Paul Lukas, Willie Best, Pedro De Cordoba, Virginia Brissac, Noble Johnson, Anthony Quinn, Tom Dugan, Paul Fix, Lloyd Corrigan, Steve Benton (uncredited), James Blaine (uncredited), Steve Carruthers (uncredited), David Durand (uncredited), Jack Edwards (uncredited), Robert Elliott (uncredited), James Flavin, (uncredited), Jack Hatfield (uncredited), Grace Hayle (uncredited), Claire James (uncredited), Douglas Kennedy (uncredited), Francisco Marán (uncredited), Charles Meakin (uncredited), Dolores Moran (uncredited), Paul Newlan (uncredited), Jack Norton (uncredited), Tom Quinn (uncredited), Robert Ryan (uncredited), Ray Spiker (uncredited), Larry Steers (uncredited), Kay Stewart (uncredited), Leonard Sues (uncredited), Brick Sullivan (uncredited), Blanca Vischer (uncredited), Emmett Vogan (uncredited), Russell Wade (uncredited) and Max Wagner (uncredited)
Director: George Marshall
Producers: Arthur Hornblow Jr. and William LeBaron (uncredited)
Screenplay: Walter DeLeon (screenplay), Charles W. Goddar (based on a play) and Paul Dickey (based on a play)
Composers: Ernst Toch (music score) and Victor Youn (uncredited)
Costume Design: Edith Head (costumes)
Cinematography: Charles Bryant Lang Jr., A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Visual Effects: Farciot Edouart (process photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 83 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Universal Pictures / Paramount Pictures / Eureka Entertainment Classics
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ [1939] With the 1939 film ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ is perhaps the more well-known of the horror comedy genre. A collection of heirs gather in a creepy house to see who is lucky enough to inherit their deceased uncle's fortune. Two letters are provided by the lawyer, one saying the first heir, and the second, only to be opened in the occasion of the first heir's death, stating the next in line. Coincidentally there is also a man gallivanting about having escaped from a local asylum, and the house itself has a bit of a murky and mysterious history. Hijinks ensue.
When it comes to playing cowardly leading men Bob Hope is at the top of the list – Lou Costello is disqualified as he rarely gets the girl in the end – and with the 1939 remake of ‘The Cat and the Canary,’ we have on hand one of the best horror comedies to date, a film that gives us the incredibly teaming of Bob Hope with the very talented and always beautiful Paulette Goddard.
You can’t get much spookier of a location than a decrepit antebellum mansion located in the Louisiana bayou and with ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ we not only get all the trappings of a classic horror movie but also the perfect blend of scares and comedy. The plot centres around the reading of millionaire Cyrus Norman’s will and the potential inheritors all gathering at his spooky mansion; we have Fred Blythe [John Beal], Charlie Wilder [Douglass Montgomery], Cicily Young [Nydia Westman], Aunt Susan Tilbury [Elizabeth Patterson], Joyce Norman [Paulette Goddard] and timid Wally Campbell [Bob Hope], a radio actor who is not all that comfortable with the frightening surroundings and is more than willing to forego any inheritance if it means not being eaten by an alligator.
Cyrus Norman died ten years ago but it is only now that his lawyer Mr. Crosby [George Zucco] has gathered together the man’s living descendants, which was one of several strange stipulations in the will with the others being that it be read at midnight and that the only ones to inherit his lands and estate are those with the surname Norman – Joyce Norman being the only Norman present she will be the sole beneficiary – but another stipulation is that his heirs must remain sane for the next 30 days, which means if Joyce loses her sanity during that time, the heir will be determined from a second part of the will. Cue the scares and gas lighting as events unfold that would curdle the soul of even the stoutest heart.
‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ is a brilliant comedy spook show with Bob Hope illustrating that he was not only unrivalled in the manic scare category but also as a romantic lead and his chemistry with Paulette Goddard was amazing and as the two try to unravel the mystery – such as the murder of Mr. Crosby, an escaped lunatic from a nearby asylum – a murderous monster known as “The Cat” – as well as a riddle that will lead to a fortune in jewels, and with every horror trope imaginable being unleashed upon our stalwart heroes it seems like daylight is too far off. It should also be noted that one of the film’s standout performances is that of the housekeeper Miss Lu [Gale Sondergaard] whose dedication to her late employer is only exceeded by her belief in the supernatural and it’s her “communicating” with the spirit world that really adds some flavour to this movie and Gale Sondergaard is more than up to the task of standing toe to toe with Bob Hope.
‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ has more of a whodunit vibe, which might endear it more too modern audiences, especially since they are in vogue again. It’s a fun picture, and very breezy at 72 minutes and there are some great fun tongue in cheek lines about cats and it is all good stuff.
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Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ [1940] finds us in a Manhattan radio studio with a broadcast is being made by crime reporter Larry Lawrence [Bob Hope] as well as his enemies out there, who are very 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 Mr. Parada's discouragement, Mary Carter impulsively decides to travel to Cuba by ship to inspect her new property.
During Mr. Parada's visit, Mary Carter receives a telephone call from Mr. Mederos [Anthony Quinn], an even more sinister gent who warns Mary Carter not to sell the newly inherited property to Mr. Parada. Mary Carter agrees to meet Mr. 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]invites Larry Lawrence to his hotel room to discuss the broadcast so he can “give it” to him straight.
Coincidentally, Frenchy Duval is living in the same hotel where Mary Carter lives. Mr. Mederos arrives on the same hotel floor as Larry Lawrence. However, Mr. Mederos is looking for Parada. Mederos confronts Mr.Parada and Mr.Parada has a violent gun fight. Larry Lawrence hears the shot and fires his gun at random. In a mix-up in the still-darkened building, Larry Lawrence sees the body and believes he might be dead from one of Frenchy Duval’s henchmen. In the confusion he finds himself in the rooms of Mary Carter, who is already busy packing for her journey to Cuba. Believing that he is being pursued by Frenchy Duval's men, Larry Lawrence gets inside Mary Carter's large open trunk. Unaware of Larry Lawrence's presence, Mary Carter locks the trunk and arranges for its transport to the harbour.
Later at the dock, Larry Lawrence's valet Alex [Willie Best] searches among the luggage bound for loading and finds Larry Lawrence 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 Carter is surprised to unpack Larry Lawrence along with the rest of her belongings. Larry Lawrence 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 Lawrence and Mary Carter strike up a flirtation, they run into an acquaintance of Mary Carter'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 Carter, Larry Lawrence and Alex go to the island. En route they find a shack occupied by an old woman aka “Mother Zombie” [Virginia Brissac] and her catatonic son aka “The Zombie” [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 Carter 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 Carter away from her inheritance? Well you will of course have to watch the movie and find out once and for all of the outcome will be in this spooky comedy horror film.
THE GHOST BREAKERS MUSIC TRACK LIST
THANKS FOR THE MEMORY (1938) (uncredited) (Music by Ralph Rainger) (Lyrics by Leo Robin) [Sung briefly by Bob Hope]
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To sum up, both ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ and ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ are a great deal of fun, spirited romps (no pun intended), with plenty to occupy and entertain. The gorgeous cinematography is also a real visual feast, as are the early optical effects used to try and bring to life some of the supernatural aspects included in ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS.’ Both features have never looked better than they do here, and although it may be rather too late for Halloween, you should certainly think about picking up this spooky pairing. Who you gonna call? Well, based on the strength of this evidence: Bon Hope and Paulette Goddard.
Both films were remakes of silent versions — Cecil B. DeMille even did a version of ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS,’ which is now considered lost. I haven’t seen any of the silent versions, but I would suspect that Paul Leni’s 1927 version of ‘The Cat and The Canary’ is the best of the other horror films of that era. It’s interesting to see how these early attempts at horror comedies that predate ‘Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,’ which is often considered the film that sets the template for merging the two genres.
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Eureka Entertainment Classics presents us ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ and ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ two very spooky funny films in a wonderful glorious 1080p black-and-white 1.37:1 aspect ratio. ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ looks particularly good for a film of its vintage, with a well-balanced contrast range and a clearly defined level of detail – the page of text shown from “The Psychology of Fear” book is particularly crisp. Some small instances of minor wear still remain, and there is some very minor movement in frame on some shots, but they do not detract and are largely inconsequential. Film grain is visible sometimes but not aggressively so and is presented from a new 2K master, and otherwise this is a solid remastered image, with a pleasing contrast range and only minor traces of wear still visible. The film grain is slightly more noticeable here but feels right for the image. But most of all, the images in both films is very nice and clear, stable and sharp, and also free of any print damage and signs of age. Detail levels are strong, and contrast is spot on, ensuring all the dark detail that you need with of these spooky films is visible as it should be. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Eureka Entertainment Classics brings us ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ and ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ with just one standard 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio experience of dynamic range is quite good, dialogue, effects and music are all very clear. But most of all, with the two films is very well presented, as the dialogue is nice and clear and very audible, with the sound very rich and very well balanced, and the spooky soundtrack setting the mood really well and well worth having this Eureka Entertainment Classics Blu-ray in your collection.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
1080p presentation of both films from scans of the original film elements supplied by Universal Pictures, with ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ presented from a new 2K master.
Special Feature: ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ Audio Commentary with Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby [Audio only] [2022] [1080p] [1.37:1] [73:59] With this featurette, here we get introduced by the engaging dynamic duo Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby and take an enthusiastic in-depth dive into the film ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ which they describe at one point as “a perfect film,” and “one of the top three or four comedies of all time.” They supply information on the actors and including an interesting story about George Zucco, director Elliot Nugent, composer Ernst Toch, cinematographer Charles Lang, and screenwriters Walter DeLeon and Lynn Starling. They also note that some of the self-referential jokes, and draw plenty of comparisons with Paul Leni’s 1927 film version and the original stage play by John Willard. They reveal that the film was regarded by the BBC more as comedy than horror, and thus screened the film at child-friendly times of day, which explains how I saw it at such a young age – they remark tellingly that some of us were probably scarred by what we saw. Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby says one interesting thing about this 1939 film, is that as far as they can tell, the film was released in the United Kingdom before the United States of America and they feel how unusual is that, and in the UK it was shown on the 29th September, 1939 and in the USA it was shown on the 3rd October, 1939 and was given an “H” certificate, and they also say that Paramount Pictures felt that had done the film justice and also a very good job for this 1939 re-make. Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby now says this is where the film gets very interesting and very nasty with the build up to the end of the film, and feels Paramount Pictures have basically abandoned the comedy aspect of the film at this point and now it really turns into a full on horror film, especially where the mysterious “The Cat” stabs a man brutally in the back. Now Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby talk about the films composer Dr. Ernst Toch who was born on 7th December, 1887 in Leopoldstadt, Vienna, into a family of a humble Jewish leather dealer and Dr. Ernst Toch was an Austrian composer of European classical music and film scores, who from 1933 worked as an émigré in Paris, London and New York. Dr. Ernst Toch sought throughout his life to introduce new approaches to music. Dr. Ernst Toch was a bit of a Polymath and studied philosophy at the University of Vienna, medicine at Heidelberg and music at the Hoch Conservatory (1909 – 1913) in Frankfurt. Dr. Ernst Toch main instrument was the piano, and he was a pianist of considerable stature, performing to acclaim throughout much of Western Europe. Much of his writing was intended for the piano. Dr. Ernst Toch continued to grow as an artist and composer throughout his adult life and in America came to influence whole new generations of composers. Dr. Ernst Toch first compositions date from 1900 and were pastiches in the style of Mozart (quartets, 1905 album verses for piano). Dr. Ernst Toch first quartet was performed in Leipzig in 1908, and his sixth (Opus 12, 1905) in the year 1909. In 1909, his Chamber Symphony in F major (written 1906) won the Frankfurt/Main Mozart prize. From this time onwards, Dr. Ernst Toch dedicated himself to being a full-time composer. Dr. Ernst Toch won the Mendelssohn prize for composition in 1910. In 1913, he was appointed lecturer of both piano and composition at the College of Music in Mannheim. After winning a further five major prizes for his works, Dr. Ernst Toch served four years in the army on the Italian Front during World War I. In 1916, Dr. Ernst Toch married Lilly Zwack, the daughter of a banker. After World War I, Dr. Ernst Toch returned to Mannheim to compose, developing a new style of polyphony. Dr. Ernst Toch received his Ph.D. degree from Heidelberg University in 1921. Dr. Ernst Toch then taught on the faculty of the Mannheim Conservatory where one of his pupils was Hugo Chaim Adler. Following Adolph Hitler's seizure of power in 1933, Dr. Ernst Toch went into exile, first to Paris and then London, where Berthold Viertel and Elisabeth Bergner helped him find work as a composer for the cinema. Films scored during this period included ‘Catherine the Great,’ ‘Little Friend’ and ‘The Private Life of Don Juan.’ In 1935, Dr. Ernst Toch accepted an invitation from Alvin Johnson of the New School for Social Research to go to New York City. Dr. Ernst Toch could, however, only secure his living in California by composing film music for Hollywood, completing a total of 16 composed scores. During Dr. Ernst Toch residence in California, Dr. Ernst Toch was a professor at the University of Southern California, where he taught both music and philosophy. Dr. Ernst Toch was also a guest lecturer at Harvard University. In 1958, Dr. Ernst Toch received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Grand Merit Cross). Dr. Ernst Toch wrote eight string quartets before the war and five afterwards. No 9 (1919) marked a significant stylistic change, shifting from the influence of Brahms towards a more radical, extended tonality and linear development. During the 1920’s Dr. Ernst Toch was considered one of the great avant-garde composers. His work during that decade included the “Cello Concerto” (1925) and the humorous “Bunte Suite” (1929), but also two short operas, “Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse” (1927) and “Egon und Emilie” (1928), notable examples of the short-lived “Zeitoper” genre. These led Dr. Ernst Toch towards the full-length three act opera “Der Fächer” of 1930. That year he also invented “Gesprochene Musik,” the idiom of the “spoken chorus,” a technique used in his most performed work, “Fuge aus der Geographie,” which he himself regarded as an unimportant diversion. Sadly Dr. Ernst Toch passed away in Santa Monica, California, and was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. Dr. Ernst Toch is the grandfather of authors Lawrence Weschler and Toni Weschler. As we get near to the end of this film, we finally get to find out who is the menacing “The Cat” who of course gets their ultimate comeuppance, and then we see Paulette Goddard and Bob Hope talking to the press, and Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby feels it is a nice wrap up to the end of this film, and they both think it is a beautiful film, and of course we finally get the happy ending to this film, when we see Bob Hop kisses Paulette Goddard with an emotional hug, and again Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby think this is a totally brilliant fantastic film and it is also an absolute classic film and they really enjoyed doing this audio commentary and at that point this Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby audio commentary comes to an end.
Special Feature: Kim Newman on ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ and ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ [2022] [1080p] [1.37:1 1.78:1] [20:47] With this featurette, the venerable Kim Newman not only examines the ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ and ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ two films included on this Blu-ray disc, and talks about the whole genre like ‘The Old Dark House’ and talks about comic leading men, suspects, sliding panels, secret passages, hidden treasures, and evil villains disguised as ghosts or madmen on the loose, but also looks back on the development of the horror-comedy subgenre that they are part of, which he traces back to the book “Seven Keys To Baldpate” by Earl Derr Biggers (August 26, 1884 – April 5, 1933) which was published in 1931 and Earl Derr Biggers was an American novelist and playwright and is best remembered as the writer of novels featuring the fictional Chinese American detective Charlie Chan were adapted into popular films made in the United States and China. The book “Seven Keys To Baldpate” which is like a thriller type classic melodrama and was a great success and was sold not to the movie industry, but to the theatre and was adapted by George M. Cohan into a stage thriller play, which in turn was adapted several times for film, radio and TV and was a great success and the stage thriller play ran off and on for a very long time. Then in 1983 the screenplay was again adapted for the British comedy horror film ‘House of the Long Shadow’ directed by Pete Walker and was notable because four iconic horror film stars Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Carradine are together in one feature. Kim Newman mentions that the 1939 film ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ was again based on the novel “Seven Keys To Baldpate” and that the 1939 film was the first Universal Pictures horror genre film. Kim Newman says that when sound came into its own, the Hollywood studios rushed to bring out these horror films that of course had a lot of dialogue and of course the first of these films were ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood,’ ‘Stagecoach,’ ‘The Roaring Twenties’ and ‘Son of Frankenstein’ and then came along Bob Hope starring in the 1939 film ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ which was a great success and here the leading man goes to a mysterious spooky old dark house, and Bob Hope had only just started out in the film industry and was not a huge Hollywood star at the time, but was much more successful on talk radio comedian in America in the late 1930’s and 1940’s and Kim Newman felt Bob Hope was so ideal for the leading man in the 1939 horror spooky ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY film. Now Kim Newman gets round to talking about the 1940 film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ which again starred Bob Hope and of course also Paulette Goddard, and also appearing in that film was Willie Best was one of the first African American film actors and comedian to become well known in the 21st century, but mainly known as the architectural stereo typical African American and was portrayed in that period of the 1930’s, and commenting on the “mixed blessing” of Willie Best, who is funny in scenes with Bob Hope that are not always comfortable to watch, but luckily is not allowed to have African American film actors appear like that character modern films today and again in the 1940 film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ Bob Hope is once again cast as the sidekick character with all the wisecrack jokes and with these two films with this Eureka Entertainment Classics Blu-ray release, and with these classic horror genre films that was when Hollywood caught onto the great success of 1939 ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ and 1940 ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ that they then brought out a slew of the horror genre films which include ‘One Body Too Many,’ ‘Hold That Ghost,’ ‘Whispering Ghost’ and ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ and of course those films all revolved around “spooky old houses” and of course it all revolves around people squabbling over a Last Will and Testament, creepy panels, secret passageways, hidden treasure and the unsuspecting heir to the old spooky house and a hidden fortune, who turns out to be the mad maniac hooded menace creeper, and Kim Newman feels these types of horror genre films are enormously re-watchable and Kim Newman also suggests that these horror genre films and their brethren remain enormously watchable and rather comforting and a formula that always works, and feels these 1939 and 1940 horror genre films will never be made again but noting that they reinvigorated the horror film genre and at that point the Kim Newman featurette comes to an end and Eureka Entertainment Classics wants to give Kim Newman special thanks for his contribution to this featurette and I whole heartily agree with that statement, as it was a very interesting talk by Kim Newman.
Special Feature: Trailer [1939] [480i] [1.37:1] [3:40] With this featurette, we get to view the film trailer for the 1939 film ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ and sadly the quality of the image is not very good.
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Special Feature: ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ Audio Commentary with Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby [Audio only] [2022] [1080p] [1.37:1] [83:36] With this featurette, here once again we hear from the dynamic duo Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby once again to comment and talk in-depth on the film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ and get ready for some serious gushing about almost every aspect of the production, but given that it’s always informed and often educational gushing, that I have no problem with that. But as the film starts, they both welcome us to hear their in-depth audio commentary, and they think the title sequence is totally marvellous, and also feel the effects are very creepy, especially with the bolt lightning effects with the New York skyline. Areas discussed include the teaming up of Bob Hope and Willie Best, the dynamic “Scooby Doo” type character template with the “film noir” tone on board the shipboard exterior scenes. As we get to the last 10 minutes of the film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby now talk about the actress Paulette Goddard (born Marion Levy on the 3rd June, 1910 – 23rd April, 1990) and was an American actress during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Began her career as a child fashion model and performer in several Broadway productions as a Ziegfeld Girl. In the early 1930’s, Paulette Goddard moved to Hollywood and gained notice as the romantic partner of actor and comedian Charlie Chaplin, appearing as his leading lady in ‘Modern Times’ (1936) and ‘The Great Dictator’ (1940). After signing with Paramount Pictures, Paulette Goddard became one of the studio's biggest stars with roles in ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ (1939) with Bob Hope, the George Cukor film ‘The Women’ (1939) with Joan Crawford for M-G-M and was a very successful film, ‘North West Mounted Police’ (1940) with Gary Cooper, ‘Reap the Wild Wind’ (1942) with John Wayne and Susan Hayward, ‘So Proudly We Hail!’ (1943) for which she received a nomination for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, ‘Kitty’ (1945) with Ray Milland, and ‘Unconquered’ (1947) with Gary Cooper. Paulette Goddard was noted as a fiercely independent woman for her time, being described by one executive as “dynamite.” Other films Paulette Goddard in were ‘Whoopee!’ (1930), ‘Pack Up Your Troubles’ (1932), ‘The Kid from Spain’ (1932), ‘Roman Scandals’ (1933), ‘The Bohemian Girl’ (1936), ‘Second Chorus’ (1940), ‘Reap The Wild Wind’ (1942), ‘The Diary of a Chambermaid’ (1946) and many more and far too many to mention. Paulette Goddard travelled to Mexico in 1940 for Look magazine (“Paulette Goddard Discovers Mexico”), where she met the famous artist Diego Rivera while living in the San Angel Inn across from his studio. Paulette Goddard was “pursued” by Diego Rivera and was a depicted holding hand with him in his Pan American Unity mural painting because they were having an affair. Paulette Goddard accompanied Diego Rivera to California when he fled Mexico following death threats and attacks on him for his political activities. A follow-up story in Look (20th July, 1940) was titled “Adventure and Mexico – Paulette Goddard helps Diego Rivera.” The FBI soon put Paulette Goddard under surveillance to investigate her political opinions and activities because of Diego Rivera’s serious political activities because he wanted to assassinate Leon Trotsky who was the former Member of the Constituent Assembly of Russia who happened to be in Mexico at the same time, but on top of all that Leon Trotsky was having an affair with Frida Kahlo who was married at the time to Diego Rivera. But in May 1940 Leon Trotsky survived an assassination attempt when men with machine guns fired into his home. Three months later he was assassinated by Ramón Mercader, a Spanish communist and suspected agent of Stalin. The Soviet government denied responsibility for Leon Trotsky’s death. Once again they talk about Paulette Goddard in saying that her final Hollywood film was ‘Charge of the Lancers’ (1954) but Paulette Goddard came to England in 1954 to appear in the British “film noir” directed by Terence Fisher and starring Paulette Goddard, William Sylvester and Patrick Holt entitled ‘A Stranger Came Home’ which was a Hammer Film Productions and filming occurred at Bray Studios in Berkshire and was Paulette Goddard final film appearance and thereafter she worked intermittently in American television. Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby talk about Bob Hope’s too-rarely explored skill at physical comedy, the actors, the sound effects, the art direction, costume designer Edith Head, the film’s influence, and much more. We’re into the last act before the less comfortable aspects of Willie Best’s character are discussed, and they do note that he was “a brilliant actor type cast into the typical Hollywood roles.” Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby want to talk about Paulette Goddard’s amazing and wonderful black dress which of course was designed by the equally famous American film costumer designer Edith Head who won a record eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design between 1949 and 1973, making her the most awarded woman in the Academy's history. Edith Head is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential costume designers in film history. Edith Head worked at Paramount Pictures for 44 years. In 1967, the company declined to renew her contract, and Edith Head was invited by Alfred Hitchcock to join Universal Pictures, there Edith Head earned her eighth and final Academy Award for her work on ‘The Sting’ in 1973. Edith Head’s last film project was the black-and-white comedy ‘Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid’ (1982), starring Steve Martin and Carl Reiner, a job Edith Head was chosen for because of her expertise on 1940’s fashions. Edith Head modelled Steve Martin and Carl Reiner's outfits on classic “film noir” and the movie, released in theatres just after her death, and were dedicated to her memory. Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby now mentions the critics glowing reviews for the film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ and here is some of their comments, “George Marshall makes an effort to construct the proper atmosphere around these city folk on a haunted safari in voodooland” and “An even better mix of terror and titters than ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ – there's even a real zombie shuffling around the appropriately atmospheric sets” and “One of my favourite Bob 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.” Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby now want to talk about the actor Anthony Quinn who appears in the film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ and plays both parts Ramon Mederos and Francisco Mederos and although he only appears in very short scenes, but they felt he had star quality and also mentions the famous blockbuster films he has appeared in which were ‘La Strada’ (1954), ‘The Guns of Navarone’ (1961), ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962), ‘Guns for San Sebastian’ (1968),’ The Shoes of the Fisherman’ (1968), ‘The Message’ (1976), ‘Lion of the Desert’ (1980), ‘Jungle Fever’ (1991) and ‘Seven Servants’ (1996) and Anthony Quinn also had an Oscar-nominated titular role in ‘Zorba the Greek’ (1964). Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby says you know this film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ has influenced so many 1940’s horror comedy genre films like the original ‘The Black Cat’ for a start, and of course actors like Red Skelton and Abbott and Costello have appeared in a lot of horror comedy films and of course they feel the film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ influenced the modern horror comedy films like ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Ghostbusters 2’ and finally Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby both say they really loved watching the film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ and felt it was beautifully put together and is a classic Hollywood film and enormously influential and it was great fun talking about the film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS,’ and they also both say and thank you for listening to our audio commentary and at that point their audio commentary ends. While listening to this audio commentary you get to view the film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS.’
Special Feature: “The Ghost Breakers” 1949 Radio adaptation [Audio only] [1949] [1080p] [1.37:1] [30:02] With this featurette, is a very interesting, this 1949 radio production of the NBC Theatre Screen Directors’ Playhouse of “The Ghost Breakers” and was performed on the 4th April, 1949 and starring Bob Hope as Larry Lawrence and Shirley Mitchell as Mary Carter, and introduced by the 1940 ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ film version’s director George Marshall. Where other radio adaptations of movies often compress the narratives of the films they are adapted from, this one completely rewrites the script of the original, packing it with gags to transform it into what almost plays like an episode of “The Bob Hope Show” for a most receptive live studio audience. Structural changes see Mary attempt to hire Larry Lawrence as a ghost breaker; a job he will only accept after Frenchy Duval kills Raspy Kelly and announces his intention to do likewise to Larry Lawrence. The mobster even follows Larry Lawrence to Cuba and is waiting for him at the castle when Larry Lawrence and Mary Carter arrive. Other characters from the 1940 film make their brief appearances, but there’s no sign of Alex, and the mother of the zombie is played to the gallery here and you’ll get the idea. Almost every line Bob Hope delivers is a laugh out loud gag, some of which reference popular culture of the day and will likely be lost on a modern audience, and the “meta-level” aspect of the film is upped a notch here – “One more week on the air without a rest and I’d begin to look like Bob Hope,” says Larry Lawrence aka Bob Hope at one point. A couple of times I found myself wishing there had been cameras in the studio filming the event, as the audience breaks up into lots of hilarious out loud laughter at something that the radio actors are clearly doing rather than saying. While listening to the radio broadcast we get to view a plethora of black-and-white images from the 1940 film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS.’ All in all, this was very enjoyable and very funny audio presentation.
Special Feature: Trailer [1940] [480i] [1.37:1] [2:14] With this featurette, we get to view the film trailer for the 1940 film ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ and sadly the quality of the image is not very good.
BONUS: Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork for the films ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ and ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’
PLUS: A limited edition collector’s 20 page booklet featuring the main credits for the ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ and ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ films. A brand new writing single essay by film scholar, writer and researcher entitled “GHOULS AND FOOLS – An Early History of the Horror Comedy” and it is really damned good one, takes a comprehensive look at the birth and development of the horror comedy in American cinema, and how it was shaped in part by the changing socio-political landscape. All in all, it is an excellent read. We also get a plethora of wonderful black-and-white images and plus the viewing notes.
Finally, with these two classic spooky films ‘THE CAT AND THE CANARY’ [1939] and ‘THE GHOST BREAKERS’ [1940] this new set is an accessible, enjoyable and brilliantly fun new release that are a rather special new set, boasting two charming horror comedies from 1939 and 1940 on a single disc. The fact that two films are included in the one release makes it excellent value and you'd be hard pushed to find a better way to spend a couple of winter evenings. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
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