Today marks the anniversary of the release date of the classic 1934 Hal Roach spook comedy The Live Ghost starring Laurel and Hardy. The Live Ghost is a classic “haunted ship” scenario. The boys are forced to shanghai an entire crew of sailors and then pressed into service themselves. When the rest of the crew is off on shore leave, all it takes is an errant bucket of whitewash to turn one of their fellow shipmates into…you guessed it. Look for one of our favorite comediennes Mae Busch as a quayside prostitute towards the end! The sight gag that tops the movie off is priceless.
For more on silent and slapstick comedy, including the films of Laurel and Hardy, please see my new book Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube
(Travalanche) 