Ghost Breakers

This fast-paced mystery / comedy tale of a young woman's trip to Cuba to claim her inheritance of a haunted castle holds up well, even after 60 years of cinematic "progress" (contrast this delightful 1940 hit with the more recent Blade II, and judge for yourself how far we have really come). The only truly dated element is the stereotypical character of Bob Hope's black manservant. However, he is more of a buddy ala today's buddy picture, not at all a defenseless object of ridicule. As a strongly-played central character with plenty of witty dialog, he easily holds his own with Bob Hope. The movie is well scripted, with various plot twists and suspicious characters. There are only one or two major loose ends (probably the footage tying these up wound up on the cutting room floor). There are a few "gratuitous sex scenes" (Paulette Goddard seen briefly in her slip as she changes clothes) that will be welcome to male viewers, even if they don't advance the plot. Bob Hope is young and debonair, if not actually handsome. His role is just the right mix of hero, lover, and comic. Makeup and special effects seem advanced for the time. Wisps of fog "morph" convincingly into letters of the opening title, so we learn that morphing was not invented for the Terminator II movie after all. The lightening storm in the city is impressive. The zombie is genuinely creepy. So by all means rent or buy this movie and enjoy.