Frank Morgan is a unique presence in all his films, especially the ones he made at MGM. After his success in THE WIZARD OF OZ, the studio created light-hearted vehicles that would continue to showcase his talents. These were modestly budgeted programmers featuring some of the best contract players. They included young up-and-comers as well as established pros who specialized in offbeat characterizations like Mr. Morgan's stock in trade.
In THE GHOST COMES HOME, he is married to Billie Burke and they run a pet shop. Scenes where we see him at work feature a bunch of lovable animals, including a penguin. Morgan is not very successful selling pets and his wife worries what the townsfolk must think of them. She says his failure as a small business owner is an embarrassment, and she can no longer walk in public with her head held high!
In addition to marital discord, Morgan has to deal with moocher relatives (Nat Pendleton and Frank Albertson) who don't help at the pet shot or around the house. If he could get rid of them, he would.
There is a bright spot. Morgan and Burke have a daughter (Ann Rutherford) who inherited dear old dad's genial nature, even though she's being pushed by mother to marry a rich banker's son (Tom Rutherford, no relation off screen).
The main plot kicks into gear when Morgan is summoned from their humble berg of Edenville (probably down the road from Carvel) to a dying man's estate in Australia. It seems an old pal wants to leave a fortune to the town, and he's chosen Morgan to handle the transaction. Of course, the greedy banker (Donald Meek, in a villainous turn) intends to oversee this.
However, when Morgan leaves for down under, he ends up in New York City where he encounters trouble with the police. Locked in jail for two months, he misses the boat, literally, which is a good thing since it sinks like the Titanic.
This leads to a set of unexpected consequences. While he's presumed dead, Morgan's family cashes a life insurance policy and lives it up. Meanwhile, Morgan receives help from a handsome bandleader (John Shelton) after he's sprung from the slammer. It facilitates Morgan's return to Edenville as a very much alive ghost.
Shelton falls in love with the family's daughter which saves her from marrying the banker's son. But they all have to work together to find a way to reimburse the insurance company, so life can go back to normal.
There's a fun sequence near the end where Shelton and his band pull a scam on the banker, who had previously swindled Morgan. Because of this, they are able to obtain the dough needed for the family to get out of debt.
THE GHOST COMES HOME is not exactly a screwball comedy, but several silly situations take place. And order is restored in the end. In these kinds of feel-good studio programmers, that's the most important thing.
In THE GHOST COMES HOME, he is married to Billie Burke and they run a pet shop. Scenes where we see him at work feature a bunch of lovable animals, including a penguin. Morgan is not very successful selling pets and his wife worries what the townsfolk must think of them. She says his failure as a small business owner is an embarrassment, and she can no longer walk in public with her head held high!
In addition to marital discord, Morgan has to deal with moocher relatives (Nat Pendleton and Frank Albertson) who don't help at the pet shot or around the house. If he could get rid of them, he would.
There is a bright spot. Morgan and Burke have a daughter (Ann Rutherford) who inherited dear old dad's genial nature, even though she's being pushed by mother to marry a rich banker's son (Tom Rutherford, no relation off screen).
The main plot kicks into gear when Morgan is summoned from their humble berg of Edenville (probably down the road from Carvel) to a dying man's estate in Australia. It seems an old pal wants to leave a fortune to the town, and he's chosen Morgan to handle the transaction. Of course, the greedy banker (Donald Meek, in a villainous turn) intends to oversee this.
However, when Morgan leaves for down under, he ends up in New York City where he encounters trouble with the police. Locked in jail for two months, he misses the boat, literally, which is a good thing since it sinks like the Titanic.
This leads to a set of unexpected consequences. While he's presumed dead, Morgan's family cashes a life insurance policy and lives it up. Meanwhile, Morgan receives help from a handsome bandleader (John Shelton) after he's sprung from the slammer. It facilitates Morgan's return to Edenville as a very much alive ghost.
Shelton falls in love with the family's daughter which saves her from marrying the banker's son. But they all have to work together to find a way to reimburse the insurance company, so life can go back to normal.
There's a fun sequence near the end where Shelton and his band pull a scam on the banker, who had previously swindled Morgan. Because of this, they are able to obtain the dough needed for the family to get out of debt.
THE GHOST COMES HOME is not exactly a screwball comedy, but several silly situations take place. And order is restored in the end. In these kinds of feel-good studio programmers, that's the most important thing.