The Ghost And Mr. Chicken Reviews

• Incredibly fun and funny...now where's the DVD?

  
  By A10872FHIJAKKD on 2001-10-05
  I first saw this Don Knotts comedy back in the late Sixties...and it stuck with me. (Especially the tune the organ plays.) The scenes of nervous, bungling, bug-eyed Don Knotts made me laugh out loud then -- and they still do now. So I was really pleased when this movie was finally released on video a few years ago. My only gripe now is that I wish it were out on DVD because I'm sure I'll wear out my video before too long!

  Of course, I'm a big fan of the Andy Griffith Show. So that probably explains why I like this movie so much. Don Knotts was largely responsible for making that show the huge hit that it was. And, if you like his schtick on Griffith, you'll like this movie.

  In fact, there are about a half dozen or more actors who appear in the movie -- most just briefly -- who also worked with Knotts on the Andy Griffth Show. Hal Smith, Ellen Corby, Hope Summers, Burt Mustin and Rita Shaw to name just five. So it was fun to pick out the familiar faces. The movie was even written by two of the Andy Griffith Show's most prolific writers!

  Knotts has the nervous man character down so well that some scenes in the film are almost painful to watch (like when he's giving his speech -- "I've been called brave. What is brave? Let me clarify this" -- before the picnic crowd gathered in his honor), but I can't help myself. He's funny.

  I won't go into the plot because so many others have already reviewed it. I just wanted to add my two cents (and Five Stars) to the other reviews.

  The bottom line: this is a fun movie, great for the whole family. If you haven't seen it, please do so. Sure it's corny. Sure it looks dated. But it's not supposed to be Citizen Kane. It's just a great popcorn movie to share with friends and family.
  
  

• Ghost and Mr. Chicken

  
  By A1OGPR0AKZ4K7D on 2008-03-25
  Luther Heggs is a mild mannered typesetter just waiting to break out and show the world that he can be a reporter. When the nervous, shy, and loveable bug-eyed reporter wanna be is dared to spend the night in the old haunted Simmons mansion, he feels this is his chance. There are a lot of strange things that happen in this old house. People recount of hearing creepy organ music wondering if the unsolved murder victim is haunting the old house. The newspaper editor thinks it is a wonderful idea, and decides to give Luther the chance he has been dreaming about since the anniversary of the murder/suicide is approaching. When Luther spends the fated night, he barely makes it past midnight tearing from the house spouting tales of a ghost playing the organ, shears embedded in a portrait, and secret passage ways. When Luther tries to prove the events he experienced in the house, he ends up looking like a fool when they cannot be recreated. As he solves the mystery, he takes the whole audience along for the ride.
  
  Don Knotts is superb in this movie! His physical comedic skills could not be done any better. The supporting cast brought together for this film was very well cast. Some of the cast members will also be familiar to those that have followed Knotts career with Andy Griffith.
  
  
  

• 'atta boy Luther

  
  By A12RIRSZF47MTI on 2003-12-21
  This is a sentimental movie for me. I remember well going to see this as a 10-yr-old boy with my mom & late dad. For weeks after seeing it, my dad would say "Atta boy, Luther" any time any of us kids did anything right. My mom would say "...and they used Bon Ami" whenever appropriate. I thought it was one of the funniest movies I'd ever seen as a kid. On the other hand, I was scared to death when the organ started playing by itself (pretty tame by today's standards). As it's said, "They don't make 'em like this anymore". Any fan of Don Knotts should see this light-hearted film. It's not CITIZEN KANE, but it's enjoyable as a look at the mid-sixties pop-comedy genre.
  
  

• Why don't you run up an alley and holler fish!

  
  By A2H22I2RWE0HOV on 2005-04-17
  I have a fond place in my heart for this movie, so I'll try to be straight with this review. I just noticed the outrageous price this DVD is fetching all of the sudden. Glad I got it when I did for like $10. Anyway, I've been watching this movie since I was a kid and I can't say enough good things about it. Don Knotts breakout performance. This and Mr. Limpit and How To Frame A Figg are like the Knotts trinity. Sure, Apple Dumpling Gang and Private Eyes were good too, but this is the crown jewel. I introduced this movie to my daughters and my younger one loved it, just as I did when I first saw it all those years ago. Fast-paced and hilarious, Knotts just keeps 'em coming. Just mortar, stone and wood! Shears in the throat! I know the dialogue like the back of my hand. All the characters fit so well together. So visit Rachel, Kansas and see what's going on in the old Simmons' house and hell, spend the 20th anniversary of the murder/suicide along with Luther Haig and a gaggle of side-splitting situations. Enjoy, for they don't make movies like this any more.
  
  

• Classic Comedy! Don't Miss It!

  
  By A9DXKB355WGZC on 2002-03-18
  I remember one Friday night when I was growing up in the 70's. They were going to show "Ghost and Mr. Chicken" on tv, and my sisters, my neighbor friend and I were settled in to watch it. I was scared to death, covering my eyes when Knott's character (Luther Heggs) came downstairs and saw the painting with the blood gushing out of it! The organ music was so creepy.

  Now I own this movie and watch it often. It is a reminder of kinder, gentler days, of small town people that are very familiar from my childhood. Of course, I'm a huge Andy Griffith show fan, and this movie was based on an episode called "The Haunted House." The writers of that episode wrote this movie (one of them of the voice of the un-seen guy who keeps hollering
  'Atta Boy Luther') and Andy Griffith Show fans will notice many familiar faces in the movie..Otis, Clara, and more. If you loved Don Knotts in that show, you'll love this movie. And if you aren't a big fan of Andy, I still think you'll like this movie. It truly is very funny, the scary scenes are still scary, and I think this is Don's finest work. Please issue this on DVD, I'll be the first in line to buy it.
  
  

• "She Came Home and Vibrated for an Hour!"
  By A315WMPERH1S0Z on 2006-03-26
  The above is the only risque line you will hear in this classic family comedy starring the one and only Don Knotts. I just watched this movie for the first time in over 30 years and this movie brought back so many memories. If you were born between 1955 and 1965, this film was probably a big part of your childhood. I was a little too young to see it when it released to theaters, but it played on local television at least once a year in the late 1960's and early 1970's. It doesn't have much of a reputation in "film" circles but for kids of that era it's one of the period's essential films.
  
  Don Knotts stars as a nervous, easily spooked type who works in the typeset department of a smalltown newspaper who gets his big break to become a reporter if he will spend the night in the local "haunted house" - an abandoned mansion where a murder/suicide occured 20 years ago. Knotts is in classic form as our neurotic hero and he is matched by a wonderful cast of character actors from the era, many of them familiar faces from their regular appearances on TV shows of the era (two of Knotts' ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW costars, Hope Summers and Hal Smith, are even here in unbilled small parts). I especially enjoyed the wonderful Reta Shaw as the domineering matriarch of the local paranormal society.
  
  This innocent movie has only the mildest of "spooky" moments (the time spent in the haunted house is surprisingly short); this and the broad playing clearly show it was geared for children's film audience although the actors will hold the attention of light-hearted adults. Knotts was already middle-aged here but he's still wonderfully believably as the naive Luther (he is just a kid here though in this small town where apparently only five or so people are under 50 judging by the film.) The movie also boasts a superb creepy organ-dominated score by Vic Muzzy. No, it's not CITZEN KANE but THE GHOST AND MR CHICKEN is a much-loved family film and one I think young people even today would enjoy it.
  
  
  
• "Calver! What're you doin' here? You're dead!"
  By A2FAMG3FICBKSW on 2003-11-19
  As a big-screen comedian, Don Knotts was never funnier, more endearing, or more inspired than in this silly, oddly charming small-town comedy. It's one of those pleasant memories from childhood, and I'm delighted to discover how well it holds up. Knotts' character, Luther Hegg, is little more than an extension of, or variation on, Barney Fife; he's what Barney might become if Andy wasn't around to calm him with a wink to the audience. And Knotts gives into the foolishness with enormous conviction: the goggle-eyed, wild-haired terror; the slightly self-important preening of a little man who just KNOWS he could be a big deal with the right break; the false bravado that quickly succumbs to cowardice of the first rank (a schtick Bob Hope would have been proud to own); and, curiously, the essential heartbreak and loneliness Knotts is too good an actor to sentimentalize or imbue with undue self-pity.

  Aside from the star's peerless, bug-eyed takes, what makes this unpretentious trifle of a movie so pleasurable are its relative intelligence and its canny observation of character. They've been making inexpensive showcase comedies for rising comedians for aeons now, and most of them are dumb to the point of inanity (today they're both stupid AND gross.) But the screenwriters and the director of this movie have a fondness for even the smallest of characters, and there are wonderful touches, like the way the old man in the boarding house casually takes an egg off the cozy of the bickering old woman next to him at the breakfast table, cracks it open, and eats it. No one notices, and the filmmakers don't beat us over the head with it; it's there, on the periphery, if we want to enjoy it. Can you imagine the people behind David Spade movies having the grace to do that?

  Every role, however small, is written and performed as completely individual. The voices are unique, just right for the performers and for the town itself. The verbal one-upsmanship of the elderly women in the boarding house is a perfect example; you get the feeling they've been at it for years now. Add in Vic Mizzy's memorable, idiosyncratic hipster-like score with its variations on two simple rhythmic themes, a beautiful digital transfer, and Technirama 2:35:1 widescreen, and - voila! - 90 minutes of simple joy, done to a T.
  
  

• "Calm? Do 'murder' and 'calm' go together? Calm and murder?"
  By A25ZVI6RH1KA5L on 2004-04-28
  Of the films that Don Knotts made with Universal Studios after he left the highly successful Andy Griffith Show, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) has always been my one of my favorites. This was the first of five films Knotts made with Universal from the mid 60's until the early 70's.

  Helmed by veteran television director Alan Rafkin, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken stars Don Knotts as Luther Heggs, a typesetter at a small town newspaper with dreams of someday becoming a reporter. While driving home one dark and stormy night, Luther, passing the old Simmons place, a local haunted house where a particularly brutal murder-suicide occurred some twenty years past, happens upon a murder victim, to which he gets all flustered in typical Knotts fashion as he sees his big chance to get a scoop and hopefully achieve his dreams of becoming a real newspaper man. After taking a number of photos, he rushes off to the police station to report the crime, only to learn that the man wasn't murdered, and Luther finds himself in the uncomfortable position of having to deal with being a laughingstock, particularly by a his coworker Ollie, who is a reporter and works at the same paper as Luther. Ollie is also involved with Alma, a local woman who Luther has pines for, but finds himself unable to tell her.

  Anyway, as the eve of the 20th anniversary of the murder-suicide at the Simmons house approaches, Luther's newspaper, owned and operated by George Beckett (Dick Sargent), decides to try and capitalize on the event by having someone spend the night in the old Simmons place, and document any strange or unusual happenings. We also learn that old man Simmons, who supposedly killed his wife and took his own life many years back, has a nephew, Nick Simmons, who is in town and trying to clear the bank lien on the house so he can demolish it, for whatever reasons. Well, Luther does spend the night, or, at least part of the night, that is until strange things do start happening, odd noises, secret passages, maniacal laughter, mysterious organ music, portraits running with blood, etc., and Luther is driven from the house. His spectacular story is printed, and interest is renewed in the Simmons house, causing Nick Simmons problems in gaining clear access to do with the house as he pleases, and results in him bringing a libel lawsuit against Luther and the newspaper. During the trial, it's decided that the only way to clear things up is to actually go to the Simmons house and try to re-enact the events as Luther related them, and determine once and for all the truth. At the house, the procession finds the spirits that haunted Luther previously unresponsive, and things certainly look bad for Luther. Is the house truly haunted? What was the nature of the crime committed so many years ago?

  Knotts is great, performing his 'nervous man' routine, and a number of Andy Griffith Show regulars make brief appearances in the film including Hal Smith as Calver Weems (he was Otis, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show), and Hope Summers as Suzanne Blush (she played Clara Edwards on The Andy Griffith Show). One of my favorite scenes is when the town is having a celebratory picnic for Luther after his article detailing his night spent within the Simmons house (exaggerated quite a bit by his editor to make Luther seem braver than he actually was) and Luther has to get up in front of everyone and deliver a speech. Suffering from a severe case of stage fright, and losing his notes to a convenient gust of wind, Luther tries to wing it, with hilarious results. Here's a snippet 'I have been called brave. What is brave? Let me clarify this. Of course we all know this is short for brave-r-y. That goes without even being said. But is also a symbol of another thing....' There is also a couple of running gags throughout the film, one being someone off-screen yelling out 'Atta boy, Luther!' at certain points in the film. What makes Knott's performances so great in this film and other roles of a similar nature? I guess it's his willingness for self-deprecation, presenting himself as a buffoon, allowing the audience to derive much laughter at his meek, nebbish characters. All of his Universal pictures follow a similar format, showing a bumbling but likeable character with lofty aspirations, thrust into a situation allowing for a great downfall, and then redemption in the end, as the underdog ends up in a much better position than when the film started.

  Universal presents here a really good-looking wide screen print. Special features include a theatrical trailer, and recommendations that list Knott's four other Universal films, including The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968), The Love God? (1969), and How to Frame a Figg (1971). Atta boy, Luther? I say Atta boy, Don, for giving us much to laugh about, and entertaining so thoroughly.

  Cookieman108
  
  

• The World's Bravest Coward!
  By A10Q8NIFOVOHFV on 2000-10-03
  Luther Heggs (Don Knotts), meek newspaper typesetter, drives his '58 Edsel down Warren Harding road one stormy night. As Luther passes the local "haunted" house, he mistakenly believes he witnesses a murder. Luther's misunderstanding gives the newspaper editor the idea to investigate the supernatural reputation of the infamous Simmons mansion, and its 20 year-old unsolved murder case. To prove the house isn't haunted, the editor tells Luther to spend the night. Luther very reluctantly agrees, with hilarious results.

  After his gig as Barney Fife ended on the "Andy Griffith" show, Don Knotts moved his "Nervous Norris" comedy style to the big screen. Arguably, "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" is the best of his string of mostly forgettable Grade B comedies from the mid-'60s. Luther Heggs is a thinly disguised clone of Barney Fife. Luther dresses in Barney's salt-and-pepper gray Sunday suit, bow tie, and battered straw hat. What's more, Luther studied judo and karate by mail. He goes around karate chopping thin air to display his talent for the delectable Alma (Joan Staley). Nostalgia buffs can test their memories by spotting familiar TV character actors of old that comprise much of the supporting cast. Hal Smith (Otis Campbell in "Andy Griffith") has a bit part as the town drunk. Dick Sargent ("Bewitched") is the newspaper editor. Charles Lane (Homer Bedloe of "Petticoat Junction") is the skinny lawyer. George Chandler ("Lassie," "Ichabod and Me") is the judge. Lurene Tuttle ("Julia") runs Luther's boarding house. Grandma Walton herself, Ellen Corby, is the retired schoolteacher.

  Rachel, Kansas (the Mayberry of the Mid-West) just oozes small town atmosphere. This movie is fine for "G" rated comedy fans, especially those that enjoyed Don Knotts' brand of spastic humor in "Andy Griffith." It has the look of an old TV show filmed in Technicolor and expanded to feature length. Only the canned laughter is missing. The old lady with the "Bon Ami" fixation proves the down-home humor of the script. Don Knotts will never be a threat to the great movie comedians, but kids and aging baby boomers alike can enjoy this movie. The VHS copy includes the original theatrical trailer. Put your brain on hold and enjoy the nonsense. ;-)
  
  

• "And they used Bon Ami!"
  By A18RQ2URRGIIEA on 2003-10-17
  In 1966, Alan Rafkin directed one of the best Don Knott's comedies entitled "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken". Set in a fictional town in Kansas, Don Knotts plays the nervous and shy Luther Heggs, who works as a typesetter for the town's local newspaper. More than anything, Luther wants to become a full-fledged newspaper reporter, but his manager, George Beckett (Dick Sargent, who played the second Darrin Stevens in the 1964-1972 TV series "Bewitched"), won't promote him. Located in the town is the abandoned Simmon's house where several murders occurred 20 years earlier. The local townsfolk believe the house is haunted because eerie organ music can be heard coming from it every midnight. (The music was composed by Vic Mizzy, who composed music for many films, as well as TV series such as "The Addams Family", "Green Acres" and "Quincy" to name a few.)

  Luther is challenged to spend one night in the abandoned Simmon's house. With knees a-knocking and teeth a-chattering, Luther enters the Simmon's house with sleeping bag in hand. What ensues is some of the best Don Knotts acting and comedy ever seen as Luther is scared and runs from the house. He is quickly hailed as a town hero, especially by several older ladies, many of which live in the same boarding house as Luther: Mrs. Halcyon Maxwell (Reta Shaw, who played Mrs. Brill in the 1964 classic "Mary Poppins", as well as the occasional Aunt Hagatha in "Bewitched"), Mrs. Natalie Miller (Lurene Tuttle, who played Eliza Chambers in the 1960 classic "Psycho"), Mrs. Hutchinson (Jesslyn Fax), and Mrs. Cobb (Nydia Westman). Other notable characters in the film include Luther's girlfriend Alma Parker (Joan Staley), Kelsey (Liam Redmond), Ollie Weaver (Skip Homeier) and Nicholas Simmons (Philip Ober).

  "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" is a classic comedy that is not dated and continues to entertain young and old alike. I rate the film with 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend purchase of the film on widescreen DVD!
  
  

• New Evidence Suggests This "Chicken" Even Funnier in DVD!
  By APRAUZ9Z7X4PI on 2000-10-01
  Mathematically speaking, if you took the very best moments of Barney Fife and Mr. Furley, and rolled them into one, it would precisely equal the number of minutes Luther Heggs spends alone in in a haunted house. A movie is the sum of all its parts, and this ingenious addition to Knotts' career survives the many (but who's counting) hokey and mundane minutes between Luther's dissertation of his spook house escapades, and his enchanting picnic speech. The film's climax actually occurs in its earlier stages but Luther's moving and heartfelt words are still well worth the wait. These are small town folks with big time values, and they are living in the kind of place many "real life" cities are trying to preserve (small town charm). Knotts plays "Luther" in the tradition that Bert Lahr portrays the "Cowardly Lion", and with similar results rising a few notches above what could accurately be described as "silly ", "funny", or even "classic". Describing Knotts as "silly" is tantamount to calling William Shakespeare a "pretty good" writer. The supporting cast is superb and uplifting. You are likely to recognize several of the top character actors in cinematic history. The sinister organ music is also in a class by itself as Luther takes "the bait", in part to impress his gal (who was a "real life" Playboy centerfold). So who could possibly blame him as this fumbling, bumbling, nervously clamoring basket case exudes psuedo confidence in admirably giving it his best shot (despite the fact that a part of him clearly realizes it makes no sense at all, and could in fact be hazardous to his health!)? The really funny thing is that the haunted house segments are actually quite scary! It is not widely known that the "real life" home of Norman Bates (and his mother) is used for the exterior shots. "The Ghost" and "Mr. Chicken" (but especially the haunted house, its creeky floors, atmosphere, and inhabitants) desperately need to jump out in DVD so we can enjoy the full gamut of spooky effects. Who knows, although none of us could possibly imagine it, the facial expressions of Luther Heggs may be even funnier than we realized!
  
  
• Hilarious Don Knotts comedy
  By A2CZPM110DW516 on 2003-12-17
  Even an excruciating sunburn, acquired earlier in the day at the beach, was forgotten on that long-ago summer night when I saw Don Knotts in "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" when it played as the supporting feature to "Munsters, Go Home" at the drive-in. Now, many years and hundreds, if not thousands, of movies later, I still find it hilarious.

  Knotts is one of the funniest comics of all time (it's not for nothing that he won 5 Emmys for "The Andy Griffith Show"), and he's at his best here. He also recieves terrific support from a fine cast of familiar character actors. In some ways, I could even identify with the hapless hero. Like him, I, too, ate my peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from the inside out, avoiding and throwing out the crust (now my favorite part, but you probably don't care about that).

  "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" even manages to be genuinely spooky at times (that organ music - yikes!). Knotts made quite a few movies after this, but none approach the silly charm of this comedy classic.

  "Attaboy, Luther!"
  
  

• FUN IN AN OLD, DARK HOUSE
  By AF2CPN34MDVBK on 1999-12-22
  My kids love this movie and they watch it on sleep-overs with their friends. Don Knotts plays Luther Hegg, a timid typesetter in a small town in the mid-west (Rachel, Kansas). The supporting actors are first rate: Skip Homeier, Dick Sargent, Ellen Corby etc. Joan Staley, who plays Alma, was the centerfold for PLAYBOY in 1958! Vivian Vance's ex hubby Phil Ober plays the murderer and the old women in the boarding house are hilarious. Reta Shaw is very funny as the head of the Psychic Society and Vic Muzzy's musical score is cornily creepy. When this picture was first released in theatres in l965, it was a huge hit in small towns across the U.S. and it is very representitive of 1960's small town Americana. Fun!
  
  
• Can You Curb Your Tongue For A Few Minutes?
  By A8YJW7T3QNV6E on 2005-03-23
  After I read the other reviews of TGAMC I had to add my own. What can I say? I know this film is as cornball as you can get, but that's why I love it! And I absolutely love Don Knotts! Please, please don't ever remake this film. This movie is just as funny now as it was 40 years ago. Who can forget "I'm having chicken noodle soup with Alma." Or the courtroom scene. Charles Lane: "Can you curb your imagination for a few minutes?" Don Knotts: "Can you curb your tongue for a few minutes?" "Atta boy, Luther?" I was amazed by all the people who said how creepy the organ music was (and still is)! I know. I know. It still gets to me. And I'm 54! And I remember how scared I was when Luther ran down the stairs and saw the garden shears in Mrs. Simmons' throat and the blood running down. Just a really good, clean movie. We need more of these.
  
  
• Creepy and Funny
  By A17GJ9PSN9U8CV on 2000-06-07
  I'm in no way a huge Don Knotts fan, but that didn't stop me from liking this movie.

  I watched this first time as a kid, and it scared the dickens out of me. At the same time, it was just hilarious the way that Don Knotts played his role as well as how all the townspeople acted.

  I've seen about 5 Don Knotts movies, and this one is the best of the ones I've seen ("How to Frame a Fig" is also quite good). It's definitely worth your while to have a look at this classic.
  
  

• GHOSTS IN RACHEL, KANSAS
  By A3BSS2M2DPPV4T on 1999-11-30
  A purposely corny but funny venture into the sixties. Don Knotts is in his element as Luther Heggs, the timid typesetter who dares to spend the night in the town's local haunted house. The old ladies who are residents of the boarding house in which Luther lives are a riot (and they used Bon Ami!) The organ music is creepy and the victrola scene is startling. It's filled with such familiar faces as Ellen Corby (Grandma Esther of the Waltons) Reta Shaw, (she says to her husband after balling him out "Milo, you didn't eat your tapioca") Hope Summers (Clara on Andy Griffith), Dick Sargent, (Bewitched) Nydia Westman, Jesslyn Fax and the once-great radio actress Lurene Tuttle. A key role is played by the elusive Philip Ober (he was married to Vivian Vance for 20 years.) Don Knotts has rarely been better (his scene in the sleeping bag is priceless), and Joan Staley is very nice to look at. Fun for people who are in the mood for lightweight fluff from a bygone era.
  
  
• The Reason Don Knotts Was Born
  By AEVDN809UQJHU on 2000-02-12
  Most simply put, "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" is one of the finest American comedy movies ever made, ranking right up there with "Bringing Up Baby", "The Graduate", "Dr. Strangelove", Hope and Crosby's "Road" series, "Spook's a Poppin'", and "Kingpin".
  This is evidenced for me by the fact that I have watched the movie on video dozens and dozens of times and it makes me laugh out loud each and every time.
  A masterpiece.

  Sample Dialog:
  Luther(Don Knotts)to the girl he has a crush on: I just love good food.
  Girl: Me too!
  Luther: Really? You know we're a lot alike! My mother liked good food too....she always said, "I'd rather have good food than bad food any old day."
  
  

  memorable line (quoted in "Kingpin"): "Atta boy, Luther!"
  
  

• Tell it, Luther !
  By A31MJ6GNKA7OQJ on 2000-10-30
  Imagine a Don Knotts movie that endures and claims so many hardcore fans ! This is definitely IT ! The plot moves along fast and with charm, wit and humor. The Luther Heggs character is very typical Knots, but the supporting cast adds so much - the tapioca scene with the banker and his wife is hilarious, as are so many with the imperious Reta Shaw. We sympathize with her waifish, soft-spoken husband and love it when he sees THAT sweater. It is what it is and doesn't pretend to be more than that...a fun movie that can entertain a family year after year.
  
  
• Finally A Gem From My Childhood on DVD
  By A3F634ZCZ9Q0H2 on 2003-08-01
  This movie won my heart back in 1966 when it was released and I saw it when I was 12 years old. It entertained me then and later on in life, I enjoyed it more being able to understand some of the jokes meant for adults.

  Don Knotts gives a great performance as a shy, bumbling, frightened reporter wannabe, who from the opening credits begins to lay the goundwork for that character. Along with the unmistakable music of Vic Mizzy, who also did the Addams Family Theme song.

  The supporting cast are also terrific including Dick Sargent (who played the 2nd Darren on Bewitched) and Rita Shaw playing the after life believing Mrs. Halcyon Maxwell.

  I am so glad this will be released in the Wide Screen format because it will be like seeing it again at the theater in 1966.

  Also, this movie is great for kids and fun for adults.
  
  

• Attaboy Luther!
  By AI9WRE9P7MLM7 on 2004-08-12
  Luther Heggs, played by Don Knotts, dreams of being a newspaper reporter. To get his big chance he spends the night in the haunted Simmons mansion on the eve of the 20 year anniversary of the murder-suicide of Old man Simmons and his wife. After reporting on his terrifying night in the mansion, Heggs is sued for libel by Nick Simmons, the Simmons heir. Being known for his "wild flights of imagination" Heggs must prove that he didn't make the whole story up and in the process reveals the true murderer.
  
  The Ghost and Mr. Chicken also features Dick Sargent as the newspaper editor, and Joan Staley as Heggs' love interest. Released in 1966 by Universal Pictures, in Technicolor, with a running time of 90 min., this movie was set in the 1950's in small-town Rachel, Kansas. Alan Rafkin directed.
  
  I give The Ghost and Mr. Chicken five stars. This movie has everything, comedy, romance, and ghosts; and is classic "Don Knotts". It has all the spooky clichés, black cats, secret passageways, and creepy organ music, just to name a few. This would be a great Halloween movie for the family.
  
  
  
• You can't go wrong with Don Knotts and a haunted house
  By A3KF4IP2MUS8QQ on 2004-11-28
  It's almost too easy: put Don Knotts in a haunted house, and you're guaranteed to have a funny movie. I'm sure many of us still remember the classic haunted house episode of The Andy Griffith Show as one of our favorites. Don Knotts had just left his Emmy-winning role of Barney Fife (and he left the show because the plan all along had been to end the show after five seasons - but then the show didn't end), but the Mayberry stamp can certainly still be seen in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. There were cameos from such familiar faces as "Otis" and "Clara," and the idea for a running gag featuring an off-screen character yelling "Attaboys" throughout the film can be attributed to Andy Griffith himself. You'll also see the grouchy old man who kept trying to shut down the Hooterville Cannonball in Petticoat Junction and Dick Sargent of Bewitched fame. Knotts was fortunate indeed to have Joan Staley, a former Playboy Playmate, as his leading lady - Thelma Lou has nothing on her, let me tell you.
  
  Knotts plays Luther Heggs, a character very much in the Barney Fife vein. Heggs is a typesetter at the local paper, but he dreams of being a real reporter. His attempt to get a real scoop winds up making him a laughingstock all over town; to make matters worse, his mean supervisor at the paper has a thing going with Alma Parker (Staley), the subject of his own affections. Heggs gets what could be his big break when the editor asks him to write an article on the old Simmons mansion, a spooky old place reportedly haunted for the past twenty years - since the night Mr. Simmons killed his wife and then took a swan-dive off the upper floor. There's only one thing that can convince a terrified fellow to spend a night in a haunted house, and it isn't a desire to show his boss or anyone else what he is made of; no, the only thing that will work here is a desire to impress a lady, and so Heggs settles in for the scariest night of his life. His story about the ghostly manifestations he witnessed makes him a town hero, but it raises the ire of the surviving Simmons descendant who is eager to tear down the house for reasons of his own. And so it is that Heggs has to prove to a court of law that he saw what he said he saw.
  
  It's a pretty simple plot that is easily predictable from the very start, but this movie works because it is funny. The whole thing might have fizzled with another actor, but Don Knotts makes everything hilarious - he is a master of physical comedy (bettered only by Tim Conway). He is truly in his element here as a reluctant hero - there's very little difference between Luther Heggs and Barney Fife, when it comes right down to it. They really ought to slap a "guaranteed funny" label on the front of this one.
  
  
• From the Dark Mind of Don Knots
  By A19YOEYI2LVFSI on 2005-05-09
  Is there a movie that showcases the dark recesses of Don Knots' mind? Yes, and it is called "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken".
  
  If you ever wanted to see the interworkings of a dark genius THIS IS THE MOVIE!
  
  Don Knots is the everyman we all know, fighting to keep his sanity in a world that is rapidly becoming more and more advanced without him.
  
  Is it about a ghost? On one level yes, but doesn't the ghost that haunts Mr. Chicken represent American's post-WWII fascination with Soviet Russia and in some way speak to the darker ego/id of all our psyche?
  
  Who knows! That's the mark of this masterpiece.
  
  Don't just buy or rent this; BECOME it.
  
  
• wonderful, one of my all time favorites
  By on 2004-06-28
  i was primarily a don knotts fan due to his lovable role as barny phife on the andy griffeth show. when i saw this movie at the video rental store starring my favorite tv personality next to lucielle ball and the gang, i immdediatly rented it. that was when i was twelve, now fourteen i still enjoy this comedy and love the DVD version of this classic. it's enjoyable for people of all ages as i found out growing up with this wonderful movie. give it a try, i know you'll love it!!!!
  
  
• Comedy Classic
  By A23R4P504C8FKH on 2004-09-22
  Don Knotts is probably one of the least appreciated comedic actors in America. That's too bad because he has entertained and made a couple of generations laugh at his timeless and pretty much wholesome humor. Ghost and Mr. Chicken was one of the best movies Don Knotts did. So glad it's out on DVD.
  
  And they used Bonami!
  
  
• The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
  By on 1999-12-08
  My children just love this video. Although it is campy, it truly is fun. Don Knotts has never been better. A film we will sure to watch over and over.
  
  
• A family classic , hands down
  By A2TW1GNHKD32WF on 1999-09-12
  The organ music, the picnic speech, the old ladies in the rooming house, etc....... All unforgettable scenes of great Halloween fun for my family and me for over 3 decades. One closing comment... the funniest scene... Luther attempting to board the elevator. Brings my dad to tears every time. Thank heaven for Don Knotts!
  
  
• A Strange Hold Over Me
  By on 2000-07-04
  I don't know how many times I watched this movie as a kid- it always seemed to be on one channel or another at 9am on a Sunday morning. But I never got tired of watching it! It's an innocent movie for innocent souls, but (like the Bullwinkle & Rocky cartoon series) has a surprising number of sly jokes that you just don't get until you watch it as a non-preteen, as well creepy scenes (to this day, I still get goosebumps when the organ starts playing during the final scene!). This movie is great for kids and adults alike, and makes great slumber party fare for the youngest set (before they have succumbed to the lures of the "Scream" series). To top it off, Don Knotts is at his karate-chopping peak. What more could you ask for?
  
  
• The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
  By on 2001-11-27
  This is one of the great Don Knotts classics. He is a riot in this film and the organ music is awesome. I could watch this movie over and over. My kids (teenagers)also love this film. Not bad - considering what teens watch today at the theater.
  
  
• PURE FAMILY FUN !!
  By A3A81ZZ4ANLZ8G on 2004-03-29
  What more can you say about the legendary Don Knotts. I don't think he has ever received the recognition he truly deserves for being a comedic genius. This is a cult comedy classic worthy of ownership for any Don Knotts fan. I give this hilarious movie 5 stars, because it's pure fun for the whole family. Universal Studios have done a wonderful job with the digital transfer for this release. The 2.35:1 Widescreen picture is pristine and looks better than any previous version I've ever seen before. In my opinion the 2.0 audio is excellent, too bad it isn't in 5.1 Dolby Digital. I can remember as a 10 year old boy running home for Don Knotts week on the after school movies. "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" was a treat to watch then and it's even a bigger treat to own it on DVD. Luther Hegg wants to become an ace reporter but to do that he must solve the 20 year old murder mystery of the local haunted house. His boss at the local newspaper gives him a chance but In order to solve the mystery he must spend the night. What terror awaits Luther in the haunted house, will he solve the mystery and live to write about it? Only Don Knotts could create such a loveable and cowardly character like Luther Hegg and play him to perfection. "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" surrounds itself with a great supporting cast made up of Joan Staley, Liam Redmond, Dick Sargent, Skip Homeier, Philip Ober and some eerie organ music from Vic Mizzy to set the mood. Whether you loved him as Barney Fife or Luther Hegg this is 90 minutes of fun everyone can enjoy. Attaboy Luther!!
  
  On the DVD
  Original theatrical trailer
  Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  
  
  
• The Classic Chicken
  By AFC7IMFSN772V on 2005-01-29
  Last night was spent in watching an almost-delicious movie. I say almost because it has one feature which makes it less than highly recommended, but I shall expound upon that in a little bit. It was "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken." It stars the inimitable Don Knotts as Luther Heggs, the frightened type-setter of a small-town newspaper who is determined to work his way up to the glories of reporter-hood. Y'all, this movie is hysterical. You'll be so scared that you'll laugh yourself to death. (Thus says the movie trailer.) It's chock-full of humor and just enough spookiness to give you goosebumps. You see, Luther has the chance of a lifetime to hit it big, thanks to tips from the mysterious Scotch janitor in the basement of the news office. The Simmons house once had a murder in it, and the 20th anniversary of the murder has come. Luther sneaks a filler story about it into the newspaper, and the town goes wild with delight. (And here I'll warn about the weird thing. There is some kind of weird spiritist society in the town, made up of old women who go around chanting weird things and talking about "communicating with the divine," and "cosmic importance." We fast-forward through this, and in the movie the ladies are very definitely made out to be ridiculous - not portrayed as legitimate or real, but wacky. We still prefer not to watch it, as they are spookily occult at a few points, but only a few points.) But, to do a really good story on the murder house, the newspaper decided it would be great to have someone spend the night in it on the 20th anniversary, and write a report on it. Guess who is elected? Luther. The abashedly awkward and terrified bumbling hero who discovers he's the bravest man in town. What follows is a night full of laughs, goosebumps, and intrigue. The Simmons house has more mystery to it than a 20-year-old murder, and Luther Heggs is the man to crack the mystery, despite his bumbling terror. Knotts is a hoot as he runs from his own reflection and attacks a dress form, and every moment is full of his inimitable facial expressions. But when the organ in the top floor of the old mansion starts playing at midnight, keys moving, but no one sitting at the keyboard, it's enough to give goosebumps to the toughest of us. The music is deliciously spooky. Of course, there's no ghost. But the question remains. How is the organ playing, why is the mystery house going to be bulldozed, and how did the murder really happen? Luther stumbles upon a more tangled web than just the old cobwebs hanging from the mansion's deserted walls. I definitely recommend this as a good clean movie, with few disclaimers: the spiritist society is the biggest one, there is one point where a lady refers to a dress having yellow flowers across the "bosom," and the fair, sweet Elma wears dresses that are quite low in the neck. So you've been warned of the bad, and that's all there is to it. It's "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken," and if you don't watch this movie, you're chicken. ;)
  
  

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