Topic: Ghost Parade (1931) - Andy Clyde and Harry Gribbon

[Paul Pain]

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0228331/

Jeepers creepers, what a short!  This is a Mack Sennett scare comedy, and boy does it have a ton "scare" in the actors but little comedy.  From start to finish, it's just a vignette of people sitting scared, getting scared, and then reacting bizarrely.  Boy, oh boy, does it fall flat when the comedic highlight is the dog walking out of the dining room, turning around, and saying, "Save a bone for me."  This short nicely highlights Sennett's ability to take advantage of cameras and scenery to create various effects, but it's just a lousy short.

The acting here is fine.  Andy Clyde and Harry Gribbon get some groans out of the audience with their reactions, and Marjorie Beebe screams a lot.  OK, but... the plot is lousy; there are many jumps, and nothing in the plot ever gets resolved.  Everything, including the facts that apparently justify the plot, come out as random surprises at the end.

3/10

[metaldams]

My review I just posted in this thread at The Classic Horror Film Board.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/monsterkidclassichorrorforum/viewtopic.php?p=1674449#p1674449

Turn the brain off, ignore the plot, soak in the atmosphere, watch the scare reactions.  That was my attitude going into this and I enjoyed it.  Simple entertainment.

The Cat and the Canary hairy hand reaching out of the wall is comfort food at this point for me and the shadow scenes of the hanging puppet/stuffed animal (whatever it was) and the devil girl and gorilla were pretty cool.

Also, there was a point later in the short where the leading lady had all this dripping black eye make up.  Looked like a trial run for Gene Simmons demon.

[HomokHarcos]

This is the first Sennett talkie I've ever seen. It definitely looks much more primitive than the comedies Hal Roach was producing during this same time. The atmosphere was pretty cool, I liked how the first scene of the house was obviously a cartoon drawing. Did I see that wrong or did a cat hang himself in this short in the curtains? I know somebody who actually lost a cat that way, but I like dark comedy so I can handle it. It's always funny seeing people scared.

[metaldams]

This is the first Sennett talkie I've ever seen. It definitely looks much more primitive than the comedies Hal Roach was producing during this same time. The atmosphere was pretty cool, I liked how the first scene of the house was obviously a cartoon drawing. Did I see that wrong or did a cat hang himself in this short in the curtains? I know somebody who actually lost a cat that way, but I like dark comedy so I can handle it. It's always funny seeing people scared.

Have you ever seen the W.C. Fields talkie shorts with Sennett?  If not, check them out..

[Paul Pain]

My review I just posted in this thread at The Classic Horror Film Board.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/monsterkidclassichorrorforum/viewtopic.php?p=1674449#p1674449

Turn the brain off, ignore the plot, soak in the atmosphere, watch the scare reactions.  That was my attitude going into this and I enjoyed it.  Simple entertainment.

The Cat and the Canary hairy hand reaching out of the wall is comfort food at this point for me and the shadow scenes of the hanging puppet/stuffed animal (whatever it was) and the devil girl and gorilla were pretty cool.

Also, there was a point later in the short where the leading lady had all this dripping black eye make up.  Looked like a trial run for Gene Simmons demon.

I had to turn my brain off more than I like.  As I said, though, the effects were genius.  It just wasn't a good "comedy short."

This is the first Sennett talkie I've ever seen. It definitely looks much more primitive than the comedies Hal Roach was producing during this same time. The atmosphere was pretty cool, I liked how the first scene of the house was obviously a cartoon drawing. Did I see that wrong or did a cat hang himself in this short in the curtains? I know somebody who actually lost a cat that way, but I like dark comedy so I can handle it. It's always funny seeing people scared.

Yes, the cat hung itself.  Grim, but appropriate

[HomokHarcos]

Have you ever seen the W.C. Fields talkie shorts with Sennett?  If not, check them out..

Oh I forgot about those. I have seen all four of them.