Fifty Before '50: HOLD THAT GHOST (1941)

Fifty Before '50: HOLD THAT GHOST (1941)

From F This Movie! by fthismovie.com

May 5, 2026

About this episode

JB discusses the film 'Hold That Ghost' and its connection to Abbott & Costello's comedic style.

  by JB Another seminal film has slipped through my brain cracks... Although I count Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein among my very favorite horror films—I usually begin every Scary Movie Month with a rewatch—I remained in the dark about Hold That Ghost , the film every A&C book and documentary claimed as the inspiration for much of the “Lou Costello is so funny when he is scared” shtick in the Frankenstein picture. Because I have seen ...Meet Frankenstein so many times, the earlier Hold That Ghost came across as a sort of "alternate dimension" version: In Hold That Ghost , the Bud Abbott character is named Chuck, leading to scene after scene of Costello yelling for his friend to come to his aid with “Oh, Chuck!” In ...Meet Frankenstein , Abbott's character is named Chick, leading to a similar chorus of Costello screaming, “Oh, Chick!” This similarity has to have been intentional. THE PLOT IN BRIEF: Chuck Murray and Ferdy Jones (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello) are gas station attendants who work a one-night only gig as waiters at a fancy nightclub. The nightclub is frequented by gangsters like Moose Matson (William B. Davidson) and features top-notch entertainment…

People in this episode

Host: JB

Topics covered

  • Abbott and Costello
  • horror films
  • classic cinema
  • film analysis
  • comedy

Keywords

  • Hold That Ghost
  • Abbott and Costello
  • horror comedy
  • classic film
  • film review

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Andrews Sisters, Ted Lewis

Books & works: Hold That Ghost, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, Scary Movie Month

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