''The Ghost Comes Home'' is a 1940 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Wilhelm Thiele Wilhelm Thiele (1890–1975) was an Austrian screenwriter and film director. He directed over 40 films between 1921 and 1960. Life and career Thiele started his show career as a stage actor. He got his start in Austrian and German film during t ...

and written by

Richard Maibaum Richard Maibaum (May 26, 1909 – January 4, 1991) was an American film producer, playwright and screenwriter best known for his screenplay adaptations of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. Among his works are the first anti-lynching play on Bro ...

and Harry Ruskin. The film stars

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous soun ...

Billie Burke Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke (August 7, 1884 – May 14, 1970) was an American actress who was famous on Broadway and radio, and in silent and sound films. She is best known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of the North ...

Ann Rutherford Therese Ann Rutherford (November 2, 1917 – June 11, 2012) was a Canadian-born American actress in film, radio, and television. She had a long career starring and co-starring in films, playing Polly Benedict during the 1930s and 1940s in the An ...

, John Shelton,

Reginald Owen John Reginald Owen (5 August 1887 – 5 November 1972) was a British actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American films and television programs. Career The son of Joseph and Frances Owen, Reginald Owen studied at Sir Herbert ...

and

Donald Meek Thomas Donald Meek (14 July 1878 – 18 November 1946) was a Scottish-American actor. He first performed publicly at the age of eight and began appearing on Broadway in 1903. Meek is perhaps best known for his roles in the films '' You Can't T ...

. The film was released on March 8, 1940, by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

. It was based on a play by

Georg Kaiser Friedrich Carl Georg Kaiser, called Georg Kaiser, (25 November 1878 – 4 June 1945) was a German dramatist. Biography Kaiser was born in Magdeburg. He was highly prolific and wrote in a number of different styles. An Expressionist dramatist, ...

which had previously been made into the 1935 German film ''

The Valiant Navigator ''The Valiant Navigator'' or ''The Brave Seafarer'' (German: ''Der mutige Seefahrer'') is a 1935 German comedy film directed by Hans Deppe and starring Paul Kemp, Lucie Englisch and Maria Krahn.Waldman p.101 It was based on a play by Georg Kaiser ...

'' by

Hans Deppe Hans Deppe (; 12 November 1897 – 23 September 1969) was a German actor and film director. Filmography As director As actor References External links * 1897 births 1969 deaths German male film actors German television dire ...

Plot

Pet store owner Vern Adams is going to catch a ship to help out his friend John Thomas, however he still has time before it ships, so Vern goes to a nightclub and ends up being arrested for 60 days. When he gets out he finds out that the ship sank and that his family is using the insurance money. Now Vern hides out, so his family is not arrested for fraud.

Cast

as Vern Adams *

as Cora Adams *

as Billie Adams * John Shelton as Lanny Shea *

as Hemingway *

as Mortimer Hopkins, Sr. *

Nat Pendleton Nathaniel Greene Pendleton (August 9, 1895 – October 12, 1967) was an American Olympic wrestler, film actor, and stage performer. His younger brother, Edmund J. Pendleton (1899-1987), was a well-known music composer and choir maste ...

as Roscoe *

Frank Albertson Francis Healey Albertson (February 2, 1909 – February 29, 1964) was an American actor who had supporting roles in films such as ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) and '' Psycho'' (1960). Early life Albertson was a native of Fergus Falls ...

as Ernest *

Harold Huber Harold Huber (born Harold Joseph Huberman, December 5, 1909September 29, 1959) was an American actor who appeared on film, radio and television. Early life Huber was born in the Bronx to Jewish immigrants from Imperial Russia, who had arrived in ...

as Tony *

Hobart Cavanaugh Hobart Cavanaugh (September 22, 1886 – April 26, 1950 ) was an American character actor in films and on stage. Biography He was born in Virginia City, Nevada on September 22, 1886. Cavanaugh attended the University of California. He worked i ...

as Ambrose Bundy * Ann Morriss as Myra *

Don Castle Don Castle (September 29, 1917 – May 26, 1966) was an American film actor of the 1930s and 1940s. Biography Castle was born in Beaumont, Texas. He started his acting career as a stage actor, then moved to films. The actor, who resembled Clar ...

as 'Spig' * Tom Rutherford as Mortimer Hopkins, Jr. *

Renie Riano Renie Isabel Riano (August 7, 1899 – July 3, 1971) was an English-born American actress who, with the exception of the Jiggs and Maggie comedies, had minor roles in 1940s and 1950s films. She was sometimes credited as Reine Riano, Renee R ...

as Sarah Osborn *

Richard Carle Richard Carle (born Charles Nicholas Carleton, July 7, 1871 – June 28, 1941) was an American stage and film actor as well as a playwright and stage director. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1915 and 1941. Carle was born in Som ...

as John Reed Thomas

References

External links

* * * * 1940 films 1940 comedy films American comedy films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Wilhelm Thiele Films based on works by Georg Kaiser American films based on plays American remakes of German films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American black-and-white films Films with screenplays by Richard Maibaum 1940s American films {{1940s-comedy-film-stub