Whispering Ghosts

Van Buren (Berle) "The Man Who Lifts the Veil" in a weekly radio mystery series, attempts to solve an actual murder that occurred several years before. This film is VERY much like the film "Mystery Broadcast", but the latter is a MUCH better film. Berle seems "out of place" here, and his wisecracks tend to "fall flat" in many scenes (esp. aboard the ship, the "Black Joker"). What saves this film from being mediocre is the "scared reaction " comedy of Willie Best, and the strange assortment of characters. It's quite enjoyable to watch, but is NOT a "classic mystery"! Norm

Whispering Ghosts (1942)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Radio host H.H. Van Buren (Milton Berle) does a weekly show where he introduces a cold case and then the following week gives away the real murderer. With the latest mystery expected to bring him a ton a new listeners he realizes that he really doesn't know who the killer is so he heads out to a creepy boat where he comes under attack from a man with a hatchet.

WHISPERING GHOSTS is a comedy that has several of the "old dark house" elements thrown in for fun. Of course, the biggest difference is that they involve a ship instead of a house but for the most part this Fox comedy is entertaining enough if you enjoy these old time mysteries. It certainly helps that you've got a pretty good cast of characters and plenty of horror elements.

We should be honest that the entire story isn't anything too great but at just 75 minutes the director and cast get enough out of it to make for an entertaining movie. Berle appears to be having fun playing this wannabe detective and he and Willie Best actually have a very good chemistry together. Their work certainly brings a few laughs from the screenplay. Also on hand is Brenda Joyce as the new owner of the ship of John Carradine gets to play a weird man who ends up on the ship.

The horror elements are a plenty as there's a lot of fog, mysterious figures walking around, scary glowing eyes and other items. WHISPERING GHOSTS certainly isn't a masterpiece but it's a solid entertaining.

This is my second consecutive review of a movie starring a comedian who'd eventually become a bigger success on a new phenomenon called television several years later. Milton Berle made one of his few starring features during the '40s in a vehicle which would have been suitable for Bob Hope or Red Skelton-except he seems to play the role mostly straight with whatever wisecracks only intermittently funny. Still, this was a pretty intriguing mystery he did and there's still some pleasures like some of his banter with Willie Best as his servant as well as a player from my favorite movie-It's a Wonderful LIfe-in this case, Charles Halton, appearing in an early scene. Actually, there are also some nice visually chilling and occasionally funny touches to recommend as well. I was surprised to see someone else other than Berle dressed in drag here. Oh, and seeing John Carradine was also a hoot to see! So on that note, Whispering Ghosts is worth a look for any Berle completists out there.

A radio detective and his sidekick investigate the death of a ship captain a decade earlier, and head to a ghost ship to pick up on some clues. An unusual group of people gather on the wreck of a ship, and so does the murderer who likes brandishing his hatchet.

Fast-paced mystery with some good gags. Got a soft spot old dark house mystery, only difference it's on a ship. Though the role of the radio detective was tailor made for Bob Hope, Milton does a good job, his rapport with his sidekick is amusing. Fun mystery.

Whispering Ghosts boasts some interesting credits, among them screenwriter Lou Breslow, who had a flair for offbeat comedy, journeyman director Alfred Werker, who made some decent films, B producer Sol Wurtzel, and star Milton Berle. Miltie was still a few years away from his his great television success, and here plays a radio actor out to solve a murder mystery aboard a pirate ship. The supporting cast, as is so often the case in this kind of lighthearted borderline horror fare, is first rate: Brenda Joyce, John Carradine, Edmund McDonald, and another Milton, Parsons, without whom this kind of movie wouldn't seem complete. This is an agreeable comedy, not so much hilarious as pleasingly familiar in nearly every respect, as everything about it feels recycled, including the sets, and this is not in itself a bad thing, as Hollywood excelled at this kind of formula in the forties, and handled it better in this sort of cramped, intimate second feature than in bigger budgeted films. This one's done just right, not too big, not too small.