Beware, Spooks! (1939)
Directed by Edward Sedgwick
Genres - Comedy, Crime |
Sub-Genres - Police Comedy |
Release Date - Oct 24, 1939 (USA - Unknown), Oct 24, 1939 (USA) |
Run Time - 65 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
Share on
Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Though Joe E. Brown's starring vehicles of the late 1930s-early 1940s were on the whole decidedly inferior to his earlier Warner Bros. films, some were better than others. In the "better" category is Columbia's Beware Spooks!, a hectic comedy-mystery set on Coney Island. On the strength of the reputation of his famous police-officer father, hapless Roy Gifford (Brown) is invited to join the "boys in blue". He soon proves himself an inept peacekeeper, and by mid-film he's been booted off the force. Cutting his losses, Roy heads to Coney Island for a honeymoon with his new bride Betty Lou (Mary Carlisle), and while in the fun house-which turns out to be a criminal hideaway--manages to solve a baffling murder. The zany climactic chase through the darkened "spook house" is the funniest scene in the picture, leaving no tried-and-true slapstick gag unturned.
Characteristics
Keywords
arrest, bumbler, chase, detective, family-feud, father, haunted, honeymoon, honor [recognition], house, investigation, murder, police, rival, thug, trapped