The Ghost and Mr. Chicken
Encyclopedia
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken is a 1966 American Universal Pictures
feature film starring Don Knotts
as Luther Heggs, a newspaper typesetter who spends a night in a haunted house, which is located in the fictitious community of Rachel, Kansas
. The working title
was Running Scared.
Knotts was best known at the time of the film's production for his Emmy Award
-winning five seasons on the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show
as small town deputy sheriff Barney Fife
. Knotts left the television show at the end of the 1964-1965 season in order to pursue a film career with The Shakiest Gun in the West
and The Apple Dumpling Gang
being two of the many films that followed his departure from the series. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken was directed by Alan Rafkin
with a screenplay by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum; all three men had been associated with the success of The Andy Griffith Show
. Several players from the television show also appear in the film including Burt Mustin
, Hal Smith
, and Hope Summers
. Viewers will also recognize several actors and actresses who had appeared or were then appearing on other sitcoms of the time.
in Rachel, Kansas
, but aspires to be a reporter. One night, observing what he believes to be a murder outside of an old, supposedly haunted house
, Heggs rushes to the Police Station with his scoop. Unfortunately, as he relates the details of his story to the Chief of Police, the murder "victim" walks into the room. The next morning, Heggs walks downstairs to the dining room at the Natalie Miller boarding house and overhears Ollie Weaver (Homeir), a full-time reporter at the newspaper, mocking his mistakes of the night before. According to a legend noted in the film, the Simmons mansion was a "murder house" 20 years earlier, when Mr. Simmons murdered
his wife, then jumped from the organ loft to his death. Legend says that you can hear the ghost of Mr. Simmons playing the organ at night. To increase newspaper sales, Luther Heggs (Knotts) is assigned to spend the night in the house on the 20th anniversary of the murders. At midnight, Heggs sees the old organ begin to play by itself as well as other ghostly happenings. His story gets the town abuzz and Nicholas Simmons (Philip Ober
), nephew of the deceased couple, sues Heggs for libel. In the courtroom, Heggs is made out to be a fool, but the judge orders the courtroom to the Simmons house at midnight to allow Heggs to prove his story. Nothing happens, and everyone leaves except for Heggs. Soon after, when he notices the old organ playing again, Heggs discovers Mr. Kelsey (Liam Redmond
), the newspaper's janitor
, producing the creepy tune from an additional keyboard located under the pipes. The typesetter and janitor then confront Nicholas Simmons, who killed his aunt and uncle and has been trying to cover up the story all this time. A secret passage from the study up to the organ loft had been Simmons' alibi, and Mr. Kelsey was the last one who knew the secret. Luther knocks Simmons out with a body slam, and the case is closed. At the end of the film, Heggs marries his sweetheart, Alma Parker (Joan Staley
) and the church organ begins to play the same spooky tune that came from the Simmons house, with the keys moving but no one there.
, Knotts' costar on "The Andy Griffith Show
", suggested expanding on an episode from the television show involving a deserted house (the old Rimshaw house in the episode "Haunted House" aired Oct. 1963) in which Barney, Gomer
, and Andy retrieve a baseball of Opie and his friend from the house.
The Simmons Mansion stands on Colonial Street
on the Universal Studios
lot in California and was built for the 1946 film So Goes My Love
. It appeared as the Dowd house in the 1950 film Harvey
, and currently serves as the home of Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives
.
Al Checco, Don Knotts' Army-days comedy partner, had an uncredited appearance in the film.
Don Knotts personally called the Bon Ami
company president to get permission to mention the cleaning product's name in one of the film's running gags.
Universal contract star Joan Staley was known by Alan Rafkin
from their work together in Broadside
. Normally a blond, she had to wear a dark wig because the producers felt she was "too sexy" as a blonde and the part called for a brunette. She wore the same wig previously worn by Claudia Cardinale
in Blindfold
.
on April 30, 1996. Universal
released the film on DVD
September 2, 2003 and again January 9, 2007.
. Composer Vic Mizzy
used the old tune Mr. Ghost Goes to Town as his main theme. Mizzy's haunted house organ theme also appeared in the 1967 film Games
.
The track listing is as follows:
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
feature film starring Don Knotts
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
as Luther Heggs, a newspaper typesetter who spends a night in a haunted house, which is located in the fictitious community of Rachel, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. The working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
was Running Scared.
Knotts was best known at the time of the film's production for his Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning five seasons on the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
as small town deputy sheriff Barney Fife
Barney Fife
Bernard "Barney" Fife is a fictional character in the American television program The Andy Griffith Show, portrayed by comic actor Don Knotts. Barney Fife is a deputy sheriff in the slow paced, sleepy southern community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
. Knotts left the television show at the end of the 1964-1965 season in order to pursue a film career with The Shakiest Gun in the West
The Shakiest Gun in the West
The Shakiest Gun in the West is a 1968 Western comedy film starring Don Knotts. It was directed by Alan Rafkin and written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum.The film is a remake of The Paleface, a 1948 movie starring Bob Hope and Jane Russell....
and The Apple Dumpling Gang
The Apple Dumpling Gang (film)
The Apple Dumpling Gang is a 1975 Disney film about slick gambler Russel Donavan who is duped into taking care of a group of orphan children who eventually strike gold during the California Gold Rush....
being two of the many films that followed his departure from the series. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken was directed by Alan Rafkin
Alan Rafkin
Alan Rafkin was an American Emmy Award-winning director, producer, and actor for television.-Biography:Born in New York City, Rafkin attended Admiral Farragut Academy in Pine Beach, New Jersey....
with a screenplay by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum; all three men had been associated with the success of The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
. Several players from the television show also appear in the film including Burt Mustin
Burt Mustin
Burton Hill "Burt" Mustin was an American character actor.-Early life:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to W. I. and Sadie Mustin, Mustin was a 1903 graduate of the Pennsylvania Military College , earning his degree in civil engineering...
, Hal Smith
Hal Smith (actor)
Harold John "Hal" Smith was an American character actor and voice actor. Smith is best known as Otis Campbell, the town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show, and was the voice of many characters on various animated cartoon shorts...
, and Hope Summers
Hope Summers
Hope Summers was an American character actress known for her work on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD, portraying Clara Edwards.-Career:...
. Viewers will also recognize several actors and actresses who had appeared or were then appearing on other sitcoms of the time.
Plot
Luther Heggs (Knotts) is a typesetter at the newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in Rachel, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, but aspires to be a reporter. One night, observing what he believes to be a murder outside of an old, supposedly haunted house
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
, Heggs rushes to the Police Station with his scoop. Unfortunately, as he relates the details of his story to the Chief of Police, the murder "victim" walks into the room. The next morning, Heggs walks downstairs to the dining room at the Natalie Miller boarding house and overhears Ollie Weaver (Homeir), a full-time reporter at the newspaper, mocking his mistakes of the night before. According to a legend noted in the film, the Simmons mansion was a "murder house" 20 years earlier, when Mr. Simmons murdered
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
his wife, then jumped from the organ loft to his death. Legend says that you can hear the ghost of Mr. Simmons playing the organ at night. To increase newspaper sales, Luther Heggs (Knotts) is assigned to spend the night in the house on the 20th anniversary of the murders. At midnight, Heggs sees the old organ begin to play by itself as well as other ghostly happenings. His story gets the town abuzz and Nicholas Simmons (Philip Ober
Philip Ober
Philip Ober was an American actor.Ober often appeared in roles as a straight man in farcical circumstances. One of his most memorable stage role was in Lawrence Riley's Broadway hit Personal Appearance opposite Gladys George. From 1954 to 1967 he frequently appeared in television series...
), nephew of the deceased couple, sues Heggs for libel. In the courtroom, Heggs is made out to be a fool, but the judge orders the courtroom to the Simmons house at midnight to allow Heggs to prove his story. Nothing happens, and everyone leaves except for Heggs. Soon after, when he notices the old organ playing again, Heggs discovers Mr. Kelsey (Liam Redmond
Liam Redmond
Liam Redmond was an Irish actor known for his stage, film and television roles.-Early life:Redmond was one of four children born to carpenter Thomas and Eileen Redmond...
), the newspaper's janitor
Janitor
A janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...
, producing the creepy tune from an additional keyboard located under the pipes. The typesetter and janitor then confront Nicholas Simmons, who killed his aunt and uncle and has been trying to cover up the story all this time. A secret passage from the study up to the organ loft had been Simmons' alibi, and Mr. Kelsey was the last one who knew the secret. Luther knocks Simmons out with a body slam, and the case is closed. At the end of the film, Heggs marries his sweetheart, Alma Parker (Joan Staley
Joan Staley
Joan Staley is an American actress and model. She is perhaps best known for being Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for its November 1958 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Lawrence Schiller and Ron Vogel...
) and the church organ begins to play the same spooky tune that came from the Simmons house, with the keys moving but no one there.
Production
Andy GriffithAndy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
, Knotts' costar on "The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
", suggested expanding on an episode from the television show involving a deserted house (the old Rimshaw house in the episode "Haunted House" aired Oct. 1963) in which Barney, Gomer
Gomer Pyle
Gomer Pyle is a bubbly, gentle, rural auto mechanic character played by American singer/ television actor Jim Nabors. Gomer Pyle became a character on the TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, when actor Howard McNear, who played Floyd the barber, suffered a stroke and took a respite from acting. Jim...
, and Andy retrieve a baseball of Opie and his friend from the house.
The Simmons Mansion stands on Colonial Street
Colonial Street
Colonial Street is one of the backlot street sets at Universal Studios Hollywood. The street set has a long history, spanning over 60 years of movies and television...
on the Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
lot in California and was built for the 1946 film So Goes My Love
So Goes My Love
So Goes My Love is an American 1946 comedy film, produced by Universal Pictures. It is based on A Genius in the Family, the memoir of Hiram Percy Maxim, and focusing on the relationship between Maxim and his father, Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim.- Cast :*Don Ameche as Hiram Stephens Maxim*Bobby...
. It appeared as the Dowd house in the 1950 film Harvey
Harvey
- People :* Harvey , a given name and family name* William Harvey, 16th century physician, first to describe circulation of blood- Places :In the United States* Harvey, Illinois* Harvey, Iowa* Harvey, Louisiana* Harvey, Michigan* Harvey, North Dakota...
, and currently serves as the home of Gabrielle Solis in Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
.
Al Checco, Don Knotts' Army-days comedy partner, had an uncredited appearance in the film.
Don Knotts personally called the Bon Ami
Bon Ami
Bon Ami, French for "Good Friend", is a powdered household cleaner sold by the Faultless Starch/Bon Ami Company of Kansas City, Missouri, USA. The product's slogan is "Hasn't scratched yet" referring to the fact that it does not scratch surfaces...
company president to get permission to mention the cleaning product's name in one of the film's running gags.
Universal contract star Joan Staley was known by Alan Rafkin
Alan Rafkin
Alan Rafkin was an American Emmy Award-winning director, producer, and actor for television.-Biography:Born in New York City, Rafkin attended Admiral Farragut Academy in Pine Beach, New Jersey....
from their work together in Broadside
Broadside (TV series)
Broadside is an American sitcom that aired on ABC during the 1964-1965 TV season. The series, produced by McHale's Navy creator Edward Montagne, starred Kathleen Nolan, formerly of The Real McCoys .-Synopsis:The series centered around the women of the Navy circa World War II,...
. Normally a blond, she had to wear a dark wig because the producers felt she was "too sexy" as a blonde and the part called for a brunette. She wore the same wig previously worn by Claudia Cardinale
Claudia Cardinale
Claudia Cardinale is an Italian actress, and has appeared in some of the most prominent European films of the 1960s and 1970s. The majority of Cardinale's films have been either Italian or French...
in Blindfold
Blindfold (film)
Blindfold is an American movie from 1965, by Universal Pictures, starring Rock Hudson and Claudia Cardinale that was based on Lucille Fletcher's 1960 novel of the same name....
.
Cast
- Don KnottsDon KnottsJesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
as Luther Heggs - Joan StaleyJoan StaleyJoan Staley is an American actress and model. She is perhaps best known for being Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for its November 1958 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Lawrence Schiller and Ron Vogel...
as Alma Parker (Luther's love interest) - Liam RedmondLiam RedmondLiam Redmond was an Irish actor known for his stage, film and television roles.-Early life:Redmond was one of four children born to carpenter Thomas and Eileen Redmond...
as Kelsey - Skip HomeierSkip Homeier-Career:Homeier began acting as Skippy Homeier at the age of six, on the radio show Portia Faces Life. From 1943 until 1944 he played the role of Emil in the Broadway play, Tomorrow the World. Cast as a child indoctrinated into Nazism, who is brought to the United States from Germany following the...
as Ollie Weaver - Lurene TuttleLurene TuttleLurene Tuttle was a character actress, who made transitions from vaudeville to radio, to films and television. Her most enduring impact was as one of network radio's most versatile actresses...
as Mrs. Natalie Miller - Dick SargentDick SargentRichard Stanford Cox , known professionally as Dick Sargent, was an American actor, notable as the second actor to portray Darrin Stephens on the television series Bewitched...
as George Beckett - Harry Hickox as Police Chief Art Fuller
- Charles LaneCharles Lane (actor)Charles Gerstle Levison , better known as Charles Lane, was an American character actor seen in many movies and TV shows, and at the time of his death may have been the oldest living professional American actor. Lane appeared in many Frank Capra films, including You Can't Take It With You , Mr...
as Whitlow - Nydia WestmanNydia WestmanNydia Eileen Westman was an American actress and singer of stage, screen and television.-Career:Westman's career ranged from episodic appearances on TV sitcoms and uncredited bit roles in movies to appearances in groundbreaking films Nydia Eileen Westman (February 19, 1902 – May 23, 1970) was an...
as Mrs. Cobb - Robert Cornthwaite as Springer
- Sandra GouldSandra GouldSandra Gould was an American actress, who appeared mainly in television. Among her many credits was a regular role on the sitcom Bewitched as the second Gladys Kravitz....
as Loretta Pine - Cliff NortonCliff NortonClifford Charles "Cliff" Norton was an American character actor and radio announcer who had appeared in various movies and television series over a career that spanned over 40 years. He was probably best known as the announcer for Dave Garroway's radio program...
as Charlie, the Bailiff - Jim Boles as Billy Ray Fox
- Ceil Cabot as Bit/clubwoman
Home video releases
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken was released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
on April 30, 1996. Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
released the film on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
September 2, 2003 and again January 9, 2007.
Soundtrack
On July 12, 2005, Percepto released the soundtrack on Compact DiscCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. Composer Vic Mizzy
Vic Mizzy
Vic Mizzy was an American composer for television and movies whose best-known works are the themes to the 1960s television sitcoms Green Acres and The Addams Family. He also penned top-20 songs from the 1930s to 1940s.-Biography:Vic Mizzy was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended New York...
used the old tune Mr. Ghost Goes to Town as his main theme. Mizzy's haunted house organ theme also appeared in the 1967 film Games
Games (film)
Games is a 1967 psychological thriller, directed by Curtis Harrington and starring James Caan, Katharine Ross, and Simone Signoret.-Plot:...
.
The track listing is as follows:
- Gaseous Globe
- Main Title
- Luther Has a Scoop
- Laugh's on Luther
- Bashful One
- Kelsey's Tale
- Twenty Years Ago
- Super S'Luther
- Clock Watchers
- Oh, Chute
- Rickety Tik Phono
- Creepy Jeepers
- Haunted Organ
- Hero to the
- Hero's Picnic
- Picnic Table
- Speech Is Over
- Alma Matters
- Back to the Mansion
- Chick-Napped
- Plucky Chicken
- Wedding & Finale
- When in Southern California, Visit Universal City Studios (promotional)