A-Haunting We Will Go 20th Century Fox 68 mins Series: Laurel and Hardy @ Fox Released: 07 August 1942 Prod. No. Filmed: March 15 - early April, 1942 My rating: 4/10

Director: Alfred L. Worker    Executive producer: Sol M. Wurtzel    Photography: Glen Williams    Editor: Alfred Day    Art direction: Lewis H. Creber, Richard Day Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Dante the Magician, Sheila Ryan, John Shelton, Don Costello, Elisha Cook Jr.

Plot summary: After being released from jail, Stan and Ollie answer a newspaper advert offering an all expenses trip to Dayton, Ohio. They are employed by some gangsters to transport a coffin containing one of their members who is using the stunt as a means of skipping town without detection. The boys get the casket mixed up with that of a stage magician's prop. As the villains try to reclaim their coffin from the magician Stan and Ollie find themselves inadvertently caught up in the whole mess.

My favourite bit: One of those rare times where a slight smile is raised by the viewing audience is when Stan is introduced to the stage manager Tommy White (John Shelton). Tommy (to Stan): "Glad to know you" Stan: "Why?"

My opinion: Laurel and Hardy do the best they can with the material they were given but it's a rather lacklustre feature which is barely watchable for the most part, though there are the occasional good scenes. However, the laughs and magical moments usually associated with Laurel and Hardy are pretty non existent here. Widely regarded as one of their least-best features.

Available on DVD:

Trivia: •Lou Lubin bravely performed his own stunts at the end of the film when he is trapped in the cage with the lion. •Sheila Ryan was recruited for the film at the insistence of Stan and Ollie, after she impressed them on the previous film, Great Guns. •Director Alfred Werker was more suited to dramatic pictures, so to be involved in the front line of making a comedy he was a bit out of his depth. •Mantan Moreland was given the role of the train porter after he was working on the 20th Century Fox lot at the time of shooting. He came over to watch the boys shooting their scenes and was put in the one scene where he gives Stan and Ollie their bill. Their scene was largely improvised. •When the boys cannot pay for their meal on the train, the conductor instructs the train to stop at Milledgeville to let them off. Millidgeville was a real town in Georgia, where Ollie grew up as a kid. •The film begins with a fade-in. •The opening scenes of the film are set in Atlanta, Georgia. •The police station at the beginning of the film where Stan and Ollie spend the night is Hamilton. There are five steps leading up to the main entrance from street level. •Stan says he had oatmeal for breakfast before being released from the police station. •After their move to 20th Century Fox, Stan was particularly frustrated over the lack of say he had in their pictures. Therefore it's nice to note that the boys were able to retain some of their famous mannerisms from their earlier pictures with a slightly different take on Ollie's famous "mess" phrase: "Well, here's another predicament you've gotten us into." •When Stan and Ollie start hitch-hiking by the side of the road, Stan thumbs for a lift in the opposite direction as to what Ollie is. This was a gag they used previously in their brief cameo in On The Wrong Trek. •The license plate of the car the boys push back to the owner's house is Georgia C16-326 (1942 plate). •The newspaper that is thrown at Ollie by the paperboy is The Atlanta Constitution. The main headline reads: "Japanese, Nazi Stores Are Wrecked, Axis Aliens Mauled As Brazilians Rio". The advert reads: "Free transportation and expenses to Dayton. Phone Evergreen 42120". •The ticket attached to the Dante's coffin at the train station is M07-746. •The charge for the boys' meal on the train comes to $6.80. •Dante is performing at the Palace Theater in Dayton, Ohio. •When Stan drops the weighted bag on Ollie's head, Ollie tells him to "let that alone". Stan releases the rope which is holding the bag and it falls on Ollie's head a second time. Watch Ollie close his eyes in anticipation before the bag hits the second time. •When Ollie gives Stan two dimes for his nickel during the telephone booth illusion, Ollie doesn't even check his change to make sure he is giving Stan the correct amount. Stan Laurel Stan Oliver Hardy Ollie Dante the Magician Himself Sheila Ryan Margo John Shelton Tommy White Elisha Cook Jr. Frank Lucas/Aunt Mary James Bush Joe Morgan George Lynn Darby Mason Lou Lubin Dixie Beeler Edward Gargan Police Lieutenant Foster Addison Richards Malcolm Kilgore, attorney Don Costello Doc Lake Edgar Dearing Policeman Ralph Dunn Policeman Wade Boteler Police announcer Tom Dugan Motorist Mantan Moreland Porter Willie Best Waiter Richard Lane Phillips Robert Emmett Keane Parker Frank Faylen Train detective Eddy Waller Wilcox, baggage handler Terry Moore Dante's young admirer Mary Lou Harrington Dante's young admirer Buz Buckley Dante's young admirer Leon Tyler Dante's young admirer Margaret Roach Showgirl UNIDENTIFIED SCREENSHOTS FROM THE FILM CREDITS POSTERS LOBBY CARDS STILLS SELECTED DVD COMPARISONS Acknowledgements: Laurel And Hardy: The Magic Behind The Movies by Randy Skretvedt (book) From The Forties Forward by Scott MacGillivray (book) Jorge Finkielman (cleaning poster) John Field (images + restoration) Scott MacGillivray (help identifying Mary Lou Harrington) Rick Greene (8 lobby cards) This page was last updated on: 06 January 2021