A 1946 American fantasy-comedy directed by Charles Barton, starring the comedy duo of Abbott and Costello.
In the midst of the American Revolution, noblewoman Melody Allen (Marjorie Reynolds) discovers her fiancé, Tom Danbury, is taking part in Benedict Arnold's infamous plot and enlists the aide of tinker Horatio Primm (Costello) to help her warn the army. Unfortunately, before they can even leave Danbury's estate, the two are mistaken for fleeing spies by approaching American soldiers and killed, with their bodies tossed down a well and their souls cursed to be bound to the grounds of the ransacked estate "until crack of doom" unless they are proven innocent.
166 years later, their ghosts decide to haunt the newly restored Danbury mansion, which is playing host to playwright Sheldon Gage, his fiancée June, her aunt Millie, and psychiatrist Dr. Greenway (Abbott). At first, they only intend to scare them off to stop the house from being opened to tourists who will only ever know them as traitors (and for Horatio to take his revenge on Dr. Greenway, who they initially mistake for his rotten ancestor Cuthbert). However, when they discover the restorers recovered most of the original furniture, they decide to shift focus to finding Horatio's lost letter of commendation from George Washington, which was stolen from his sweetheart Nora and hidden somewhere, to prove their innocence and finally be freed.
The movie also stars Binnie Barnes, John Shelton, Gale Sondergaard, Lynn Baggett, Jess Barker, and Ann Gillis.
It was released on August 16, 1946.
Tropes for the film:
- Agony of the Feet: During the séance while Horatio is under the table to respond by knocking, Dr. Greenway crassly asks if they're the traitors from the well. Horatio responds by pounding on his foot.
- The Atoner:
- Tom Danbury became one later in life, as Melody finds a copy of his memoirs with a dedication denouncing his actions during the war and expressing regret for betraying her. He later crashes the séance to give them the combination to the secret drawer he hid the letter in.
- Dr. Ralph Greenway becomes this when he realizes that the ghosts are targeting him due to the actions of his ancestor.
- Barred from the Afterlife: Horatio Prim, killed in the American Revolution, is bound to an estate by a curse. When the curse is lifted (by the finding of a letter praising him written by George Washington) he goes to Heaven. But he can't get in because the Pearly Gates are locked — for Washington's birthday.
- Bound to an Area: Horatio and Melody are unable to leave the Danbury estate grounds because of the curse, with them being bounced back by an invisible force when they try. They weaponize this in the climax by hitching a ride in the police car trying to take Dr. Greenway and the clock away, stopping it dead in its tracks at the gate.
- Butt-Monkey: Abbott takes this role, as Melody and Horatio endlessly harass his character of Dr Greenway (due to mistaking him for his ancestor, who interfered in Horatio's attempt to present an important letter to their mutual love interest Nora), causing him no end of misery.
- Cartoon Conductor: Used for a brief gag after Horatio's run-in with the mansion's new electrical system. He grabs a small fluorescent tube from a workbench which lights up as he touches it. As he frantically waves it around, trying to put it out, music suddenly springs out of nowhere in time with his gestures.
- Celestial Bureaucracy: After the curse that prevents Melody and Horatio from ascending to Heaven is lifted, Horatio is still excluded — because Heaven is "Closed for Washington's Birthday".
- Covers Always Lie: A decent number of the posters for this film make it out to be a standard by-the-books outing for the duo, with Abbott and Costello wearing their standard suits and anything related to the actual plot either shuffled off to a corner or omitted entirely.
- Creepy Housekeeper: Spoofed when the guests at the restored plantation meet the creepy housekeeper and one remarks "Didn't I see you in Rebecca?". Later, as Horatio has been terrorizing Cuthbert's descendant Dr. Greenway under the mistaken assumption that he is Cuthbert, he is laughing wildly. Emily the Housekeeper enters unexpectedly from behind him, scaring Horatio out of his few wits.
- Description Cut: While Nora is defending Horatio against Cuthbert:Cuthbert: That lazy, fat tub.
Nora: Lazy, is he? Why, he's the most wide-awake tinker in the Colonies!
(Cut to Horatio, fast asleep on the back of his horse) - Dramatic Irony:
- Horatio and Melody are only killed and cursed because both they and the soldiers assume the other party are traitors and open fire on sight.
- When the ghosts begin their search for the letter, Horatio talks Melody out of trying to search the clock, not knowing that's exactly where it was hidden (although, it wouldn't have mattered anyway as we later find out the clock was one of the few things in the mansion that wasn't the original).
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Having spent most of their 166 years hanging around the well their bodies were dropped down, Horatio and Melody are initially confused by the modern amenities that have been added to Danbury Manor, wondering why all the lights have glass around the "wicks", mistaking a telephone operator for another ghost, and thinking a gangster program on the radio was actual people.
- Ghostly Goals: Horatio and Melody, a pair of ghosts from the American Revolution, are trying to prove themselves innocent of the treachery they were unjustly cursed for. That is, when Horatio isn't tormenting his old enemy's descendant, Dr. Ralph Greenway.
- Hard-to-Light Fire: Played for Laughs when Horatio struggles in vain to light the tapers of a chandelier and a table lamp with a match, not understanding that they're electric candles.
- Harmless Electrocution: Since he's already a ghost, grabbing the main switch to the mansion's electrical system only gives Horatio one hell of a shock and the brief ability to light up a small fluorescent tube when he picks it up.
- He Knows Too Much: Tom Danbury has Nora spirited away after finding her hiding in his closet, having overheard his plot. Thankfully, it's later revealed she was likely saved by the arrival of the soldiers, as Tom's memior mentions her writing him after the war to learn what became of Horatio.
- Horrifying the Horror: Emily the Housekeeper is so intimidating that she scares Horatio the ghost when they first meet!Horatio: Zounds! What well did she come out of?
- Identical Grandson: While his exact relation isn't specified, Dr. Ralph Greenway is the spitting image of his ancestor Cuthbert Greenway, the Danbury's head butler and Horatio's romantic rival.
- MacGuffin: The letter from General George Washington praising Horatio's good character; this item is what's needed for Horatio to be freed from his curse and ascend to Heaven.
- Mocking Sing-Song: The first thing he Horatio does when gets Dr. Greenway alone is trip him, then start singing, "I tripped you, I tripped you!", despite knowing Greenway can't hear him.
- Must Make Amends: Once the guests learn who the ghosts are, Dr. Greenway realizes that the reason they targeted him was for what his ancestor did to Horatio and does all he can to get the letter and undo the curse. This earns the pair's respect and they do what they can to help him when he returns.
- Quack Doctor: Dr. Greenway is a Know-Nothing Know-It-All shrink who's idea of helping Sheldon seems to entirely revolve around telling him to "be reasonable" and "calm down". Before he arrives, Millie states that he tried to convince her a rash from an allergic reaction was actually a manifestation of a guilt complex from something she did as a toddler.
- Rule of Funny: Horatio and Melody are supposed to be unseeable or hearable by mortals, but that doesn't stop Ralph Greenway from hearing the "Charge" fanfare being tooted into his stethoscope by Horatio, or a dog going wide-eyed and running away yapping in fear after Horatio fades into view after his encounter with the breaker.
- Silly Spook: Horatio Prim is a ghost wrongly accused of treason, just trying to clear his name (with the typical Costello bumbling, cowardly comedy). Melody, while still being the more serious of the two, also can't help but get caught up in the glee of their first proper haunting, especially after finding out the mortals can't see them.
- Spooky Séance: While it's not all that spooky for the audience, it is for the people holding it who can't see the ghosts, and even becomes one for the ghosts themselves after the table starts floating and Tom Danbury begins to speak through Emily.
- Standard Snippet: The movie opens at a party at the Danbury mansion, with Luigi Boccherini's "Minuet" playing to ensure the audience knows it's a high class party.
- Tagline: "Something NEW from BUD and LOU!"
- Time-Passes Montage: The 166 years between 1780 and 1946 are covered by a montage of dated Sweetie Graffiti carved in the trees around the estate.
- Turned Off by the Dumbass: Melody acts aroused towards Horatio after over a century of being stuck together. Horatio seems interested but kills the moment when he asks her to scratch his back.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: After all he's been through, breaking the curse keeping him bound to Earth, Horatio still can't get into Heaven because access has been closed for the day.