Blackbeard's Ghost (1968)
Overview
The eponymous wraith returns to Earth to aid his descendant, elderly Emily Stowecroft. The villains want to kick Emily and her friends out of their group home so that they can build a crooked casino. Good guy Steve Walker gets caught in the middle of the squabble after evoking Blackbeard's ghost.
Cast
Peter Ustinov
Captain Blackbeard
Dean Jones
Steve Walker
Suzanne Pleshette
Jo Anne Baker
Elsa Lanchester
Emily Stowecroft
Richard Deacon
Dean Wheaton
Joby Baker
Silky Seymour
Elliott Reid
TV Commentator
Norman Grabowski
Virgil
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r96sk
Is this good or bad? I'm genuinely not even sure, but it's hard to doubt that it does suitably entertain.
It constantly hops between cringe/chucklesome and overacted/finely acted. The plot is mindless and impossible to take seriously, though the shenanigans that occur are mostly amusing. It would be a lot worse off without the likeable leads, that's for certain.
Peter Ustinov brings fun as Blackbeard, sometimes his acting is a little too over the top for my personal liking but he has more funny moments than lame ones. He and Dean Jones (Steve) join up well enough, as does Jones with Suzanne Pleshette (Jo Anne) - as already seen two years prior in <em>'The Ugly Dachshund'</em>.
Not what I had expected, I come away probably wanting something different from <em>'Blackbeard's Ghost'</em>. However, there is humour in there that's just about enjoyable.
CinemaSerf
Dean Jones ("Steve Walker") arrives at Godolphin College to take charge of their pretty shocking track team. They put him up at "Blackbeard's Inn" where he encounters the Daughters of The Buccaneers - allegedly descendants of "Blackbeard" and his crew. Their inn is about to be torn down and replaced by a casino by an unscrupulous gangster so the ladies have an auction to try to raise the funds they need to stop this development. "Walker" ends up in possession of an antique bedpan that contains a parchment with a spell that he, rather stupidly as it turns out, reads aloud.... enter the ghost of "Blackbeard" (Peter Ustinov) who is cursed to remain in limbo until he does something nice for someone - the gauntlet has been laid down... This is a fun fantasy adventure; Ustinov is great as the mischievous and recalcitrant ghost having quite a good time with all the people and mod cons of 1960s America - especially as only Jones can see him. It's a bit slapstick at times, and pretty uncomplicated - so don't expect your grey matter to be unduly taxed; it's just best to let the talent wash over you and smile occasionally at the really pretty basic, but acceptable, SFX.
