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After showing the classic, the original 1958, "The Fly," "Svengoolie" has reached rock bottom again, showing 1966's "The Ghost And Mr. Chicken." There is some demographic out there who like this film, as it seems to turn up sometime each year.
David and I have seen it, so we know how awful it is. We choose not to watch it, and David has chosen his film tonight, and while I would not have chosen it, it is also wonderfully campy, and I will reveal what that choice was tomorrow.
For those who have never seen the film, it is so bad I urge you to skip it. Here's the thing--for anyone having seen Don Knotts do his Barney Fifte schtick, imagine two solid hours of it with him at the lead helm! It is clear the schtick does not last that long, and he is incapable of carrying an entire film.
If I were a member of The Sven Squad, I would have taken the night off. Even they have better sense.
Girls, an evening of scrubbing the floors would be more productive.
It would make you feel like Jennifer Jones in "The Song Of Bernadette!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
6 comments:
I saw a few minutes of it once; that was MORE than enough
Victoria, I am glad you caught on to its awfulness. But when it first came out in 1966 it was a box off ice hit.
I think that for decades now the only way to enjoy "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" is as a kind of "meta" film. In no way does it look like it's happening in a small town; it is clearly happening on the "Small Town" block of a movie studio lot. The haunted house is a "haunted house" set, Joan Staley looks nothing like a small town girl, but a Hollywood actress playing a small town girl. Surely none of this was intentional on the part of the production, but this era was the last gasp of the studio system, and this is what it looked like as the frayed edges came into clear focus. Add to that the plethora of recognizable TV faces and the fact that this era was also an early heyday of the kind of show only "Svengoolie" is keeping alive, and I see why it keeps showing up for irony's sake.
TheMist7883, Thank you for explaining the cultural significance of this movie.
I was not even aware it had one. I cannot promise to watch it ever again, but
I thank you for giving me another way of looking at it.
Thanks for opening up the discussion, and for welcoming the viewpoints of your loyal readers. One of the reasons I really like your column!
Mike T.
TheMst7883, You are welcome. Feel free to drop in here anytime.
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