10 Stars.
Laurel and Hardy's later efforts WERE good comedies. They have survived the test of time and, in fact, were the first to be released to television. Critics come and go, but their films have staying power. A HAUNTING WE WILL GO was the boys second film for Fox, and was designed to keep up with the antics of Abbott and Costello (who had released HOLD THAT GHOST!), so they had a bigger budget and a solid cast of character actors, including world famous Dante, the Magician in this episode.
Fox that same year ended the Charlie Chan series, however they placed Laurel and Hardy in the middle of a Chan-like mystery, possibly a proposed script that was never filmed, replete with mysterious suspects, a coffin and a missing corpse. Some classic scenes have the boys "assisting" Dante in his magic act, which is quite good. The setting is also very elaborate, boasting a large cast of extras in the audience.
After watching this comedy for decades, and for some reason, always on a Sunday afternoon, it's still a treat, particularly the whodunit ending. These films had a devout following and made millions for Fox, something critics never ever mention, which would prove them flat out wrong. In fact, these were some of Oliver Hardy's favorite films.
Funny dialogue and one-liners thrown in, written by Lou Breslow, who also wrote the original story. Oliver Hardy, you can tell, is enjoying his part, especially the costumes. The phony money machine bit with bug-eyed waiter Mantan Moreland is a gem.
Look for the (blank) backward statue. Ollie's double-take is hilarious. Note the cartoon character artistry at the start of the film credits, which showed the art department really loved their work. This film also holds the distinction of having many publicity photos of the boys in costume, still in circulation to this day. Some of the photos have been restored in color and they look great.
In box sets of three films each, released by Cinema Classics, 2006.
