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The Ghost Goes West

The Ghost Goes West

  • Status: Released
  • 17-12-1935
  • Runtime: 95 min
  • Score: 6.529
  • Vote count: 35

Donald Glourie shares his crumbling ancestral home with the ghost of his Highland ancestor, Murdoch, who has been condemned to haunt the castle until he avenges a 200-year-old insult from a rival clan. To clear his mounting debts, Donald sells the dilapidated pile to an American businessman, Mr Martin, who has the castle complete with the Glourie ghost transported and rebuilt in Florida. While old-world gentility rubs up comically against 20th-century materialism, Martin's daughter takes a liking to both Donald and Murdoch, convinced they are one and the same man...

Robert Donat

Murdoch Glourie / Donald Glourie

Jean Parker

Peggy Martin

Eugene Pallette

Mr. Joe Martin

Elsa Lanchester

Miss Shepperton

Ralph Bunker

Ed L. Bigelow

Patricia Hilliard

Shepherdess

Everley Gregg

Mrs. Gladys Martin

Morton Selten

The Glourie

Chili Bouchier

Cleopatra

Herbert Lomas

Fergus

Mark Daly

Murdoch's Groom

Elliott Mason

Mrs. MacNiff

Quinton McPherson

MacKaye

Victor Rietti

Scientist

Hay Petrie

The McLaggen

Richard Fraser

Son of McLaggen

Jack Lambert

Son of McLaggen

Colin Lesslie

Son of McLaggen

Neil Lester

Son of McLaggen

J. Neil More

Son of McLaggen

David Keir

Creditor

Arthur Seaton

Creditor

CinemaSerf

Robert Donat (the younger "Glourie") is on good form in this enjoyably daft ghostly caper that sees the son of the chief of a cowardly Scottish clan condemned to haunt his castle until their sworn enemy the "McLaggen" takes an oath declaring that one "Glourie" is worth fifty of them. This all started in 12th century Scotland, so our hero is somewhat frustrated that he will never find a "McLaggen" let alone get him to make the promise by the time we reach the 20th - until, serendipity takes an hand and his ancestral castle is bought, and relocated to Florida by millionaire ""Joe Martin" (a superb Eugene Pallette), who plans to use it - complete with it's well publicised ghost - to promote his business interests and in so doing attracts a few others from auld Scots landed gentry. Might he have a ghost of chance of release, after all? René Clair keeps it bubbling along nicely, with a couple of fun cameos from Elsa Lanchester and Morton Selten as the original "Glourie" who much preferred his whisky to anything remotely akin to combat. It is whimsical and engaging, spooky (well, not really...) and charming with a script that builds on Scottish traditions in both history and comedy well.