The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) starring Don Knotts, Joan Staley, Dick Sargent

In The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, Luther Heggs (played by Don Knotts), is a typesetter for his small town newspaper, the Rachel Courier Express. He aspires to be a reporter however and gets his big break when the editor (played by Dick Sargent of Bewitched fame) asks him to spend the night at the old Simmons mansion that, 20 years before, was the site of a now-famous murder-suicide. The case has aroused local interest not only because of the anniversary but because the nephew of the murdered couple, Nicholas Simmons, has returned to Rachel aiming to tear the mansion down.

Luther’s night in the mansion

Luther’s night in the mansion is nothing less that spending the night in a haunted house, complete with ghostly organ music (with bloody fingerprints on the organ keys), a sliding bookshelf that reveals a hidden staircase, and a painting of the murdered woman with a pair of garden shears stabbing the painting in the neck. Luther writes his first-person account for the newspaper, and has the respect that he longed for — and helps with his romance with his would-be girlfriend, Alma (played by the beautiful Joan Staley).

Luther’s account of his wild, ghost-ridden night in the house leads Nicholas Simmons to sue for libel. In the courtroom, Luther is made to look the fool, but the judge orders the courtroom to the Simmons House at midnight to allow Luther to prove his story. Nothing happens, of course, but after everyone except Luther and Alma leave, the old organ begins to play and he finds Mr. Kelsey, the newspaper’s janitor, playing the keys. With the aid of Mr. Kelsey, they reveal what really happened that night many years ago, and Luthor, with Don Knott’s trademark nervous bravery and inept attempt at judo, rescues the girl and reveals the identity of the real killer.

Happy ending

All ends well, with the confident Luther strutting like a peacock and demonstrate to the police what happened, and why Nicholas Simmons wanted to destroy the old house. The movie ends with the marriage of Luther and Alma (“Atta boy, Luther!”) and with the organ at the wedding playing the theme music .. all by itself.

(Editor’s note: Don Knotts’ The Ghost and Mr. Chicken is available as part of the Don Knotts Reluctant Hero Pack)

In this film, Don Knotts is clearly playing a variation on his Barney Fife character from “The Andy Griffith Show.” In fact, this was the first movie that Don Knotts made after leaving that landmark TV series. A very funny film, complete with the running joke of someone from the audience shouting out “Attaboy, Luther!” whenever Don Knotts starts a speech.

I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

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Trivia from Don Knotts’ The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

• According to Don Knotts ‘ autobiography, the off-screen voice yelling, “Attaboy, Luther!” belongs to screenwriter Everett Greenbaum.
• This film inspired a short-lived craze for yelling out “Attaboy, (name)” during speeches and other situations. This came from a running gag used in this film.
• Released in the U.S. in mid-summer 1966, this film was frequently double-billed with the similarly themed Munster, Go Home (1966)
• One of the few American films shot in the Technicolor Corporation’s Techniscope widescreen process. The wide screen effect was achieved by essentially splitting the usual film frame horizontally into two smaller frames with a greater width to height ratio. It was inexpensive but yielded a grainy image, which probably explains why it was seldom used in Hollywood.

Updated January 20, 2022

Cast of characters

• Don Knotts (The Andy Griffith Show; The Incredible Mr. Limpet) … Luther Heggs
• Joan Staley (Valley of the Dragons) … Alma Parker
• Liam Redmond … Kelsey
• Dick Sargent (Bewitched; Operation: Petticoat) … George Beckett
• Skip Homeier (Sailor Beware) … Ollie Weaver
• Reta Shaw (Mary Poppins) … Mrs. Halcyon Maxwell
• Lurene Tuttle (Never Wave at a WAC) … Mrs. Natalie Miller
• Philip Ober (North by Northwest) … Nicholas Simmons (as Phil Ober)
• Harry Hickox … Police Chief Art Fuller
• Charles Lane (The Aristocats) … Lawyer Whitlow
• Jesslyn Fax … Mrs. Hutchinson
• Nydia Westman (The Reluctant Astronaut) … Mrs. Cobb
• George Chandler (The Paleface) … Judge Harley Nast
• Robert Cornthwaite (Futureworld) … Lawyer Springer
• Jim Begg (The Cat from Outer Space) … Deputy Herkie (as James Begg)
• Sandra Gould … Loretta Pine
• James Millhollin (No Time for Sergeants) … Mr. Milo Maxwell
• Cliff Norton (It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World) … Charlie, the Bailiff
• Ellen Corby (Sabrina) … Miss Neva Tremaine
• Jim Boles … Billy Ray Fox