The Ghost Talks is a 1929 American comedy film directed by Lewis Seiler based on a Max Marcin and Edward Hammond's Broadway play. Actor Stepin Fetchit played a character named "Christopher Lee" in this early talkie. Because not all theaters had been converted to sound, it was also released as a silent film.[1] Despite the title, there are no ghosts in the film.[2]
| The Ghost Talks | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Lewis Seiler |
| Written by | Frederick Hazlitt Brennan Harlan Thompson (dialog) |
| Based on | Badges by Edward Hammond and Max Marcin |
| Starring | Helen Twelvetrees Carmel Myers |
| Cinematography | George Meehan |
| Distributed by | Fox Film Corporation |
Release date |
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Running time | 61 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
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According to the New York Times review, this was the second all-talking feature from Fox Films, featuring various plot devices, like a lisping heroine, to show off its Movietone sound system. This film is regarded as lost.[3][4]
Plot
editAs described in a newspaper review,[5] heiress Miriam Holt, who is searching for some bonds that her deceased uncle had taken so that she can return the stolen property, checks into a suburban hotel. She is assisted by private detective Franklyn Green, who learned his craft by a correspondence course and believes that he can identify criminals by the automobiles that they drive. Of course, when Heimie Heimrath, Joe Talles, and Peter Accardi, the former criminal associates of the late uncle arrive, Franklyn is tricked into helping them. When Franklyn finally identifies the men as being wanted by the police, no one at the hotel will believe him. Miriam and Franklyn go to a house, which is said to be haunted, where they believe the bonds are hidden and run into Christopher Lee and his bride Isobel. The criminals follow them and create mayhem by scaring the occupants, resulting in an ending that is fast and amusing when Franklyn locates the bonds using his scientific methods and the police arrive to arrest the criminals, leaving Miriam and Franklyn to pursue their romance.
Cast
edit- Helen Twelvetrees as Miriam Holt
- Charles Eaton as Franklyn Green
- Carmel Myers as Marie Haley
- Stepin Fetchit as Christopher Lee
- Earle Foxe as Heimie Heimrath
- Henry Sedley as Joe Talles
- Joe E. Brown as Peter Accardi
- Clifford Dempsey as John Keegan
- Baby Mack as Isobel Lee
- Arnold Lucy as Julius Bowser
- Bess Flowers as Sylvia
- Dorothy McGowan as Miss Eva
- Mickey Bennett as Bellboy
- Edgar Caldwell (uncredited)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Solomon, Aubrey (2014). The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 313. ISBN 978-0-7864-6286-5.
- ^ Soister, John T.; Nicolella, Henry; Joyce, Steve (2014). American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929. Vol. 2. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 625. ISBN 978-0-7864-3581-4.
- ^ "The Ghost Talks". TCM. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ Pitts, Michael R. (2019). Thrills Untapped: Neglected Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1928-1936. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 87–88. ISBN 978-1-4766-7351-6.
- ^ "The Ghost Talks: Comedy of Thrills at the Regent". The Advertiser. Adelaide, South Australia. May 20, 1929. p. 14. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
External links
edit
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