The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1 Viewer)

[Mark-W]

Ordered it online today at BestBuy.com for $7.99 and then applied at $5.00 coupon.

$2.99 and the price of gas to go 5 miles to get it. Nice!

Picking it up tonight!

 

[J. Casey]

I must concur with others.....the transfer looks really solid. This one has a soft spot for me in that it is the first film that I remember seeing at the cinema (in its first run!). I would have loved some supplements, but for 10 bucks I got my money's worth. Please enough that I ordered a second copy today for the sale price!

 

[ChristopherG]

Currently sold out on BB.com

 

[Will Krupp]

I watched it last night. Great fun! Good solid transfer with good sound. My only complaint is that darn Universal timeline menu. If you pause it to go to the bathroom it makes you start at the beginning and select Resume. You can't just un-pause and be in the right spot.

Is this player specific, perhaps? I was able to pause it on my Sony and then start right back up where I left off by just hitting "play." Even if it stayed on pause long enough to trigger the the Universal sleep screen, i just had to hit any key to "wake" it up and I was right back where I was. No "resume" required. Strange.

This was a favorite of mine as a kid. When it was going to air on TV (circa 1976 it played on TV a LOT, especially since we all had cable TV by then and, in addition to our three local affiliates plus PBS, we had access to multiple independent stations out of New York City, New Jersey, and Philadelphia as well) it would be quite an event in my neighborhood because all the kids would get really excited and watch it as a group. Good innocent days. I think it looks great and it's such fun to revisit as an adult (that INSANELY incredible CAST!!)

I had no idea it was 2.35:1 as I've never seen it in wide screen and was quite surprised when it started as it seemed an odd choice to see such a wide aspect ratio on a low-budget mid-60's comedy. I then saw the TECHNISCOPE credit and understood why. Considering the inherent limitations of the height reduced image, I'm even MORE impressed with the solid transfer they produced. For those who may not be familiar with TECHNISCOPE, it was a filming process developed by Technicolor Rome in the 60's as a cost cutting measure for low budget productions, most famously used in spaghetti westerns of the era like "FISTFUL OF LASAGNA," to quote James Coburn in THE LAST OF SHEILA The negative height of the image was reduced from four sprockets high to two sprockets high so that two 2.35:1 images stacked on top of each other fit in a traditional 4:3 frame using plain, spherical lenses. Projection prints were then generated by blowing each frame up to the specifications of traditional scope prints and projecting them anamorphically. The dye transfer process was supposed to hide these limitations and produce an acceptable image but the jury is out on whether or not they succeeded. I think the image on this looks great!

I'd love to have bonus features but, for $8 plus shipping, it was wonderful to be transported back to being a happy 9 year old again!

 

[Rodney]

I'd love to have bonus features but, for $8 plus shipping, it was wonderful to be transported back to being a happy 9 year old again!

I have the same nostalgic feelings for this as well, plus I think it is Don Knott's best film. I just think that it would have been great to have some extras on this one. That it doesn't even have a proper menu screen and is missing the trailer really bugs me.
However, I didn't mean to come off as harshly as I might have, as the image looks the best I have ever seen it.

 

[Will Krupp]

I didn't mean to come off as harshly as I might have, as the image looks the best I have ever seen it.

Gosh Rodney, I didn't think you came across as harsh at all and I hope I didn't give the impression that I thought you did. I agree with you!!

 

[Mark-P]

...I think it looks great and it's such fun to revisit as an adult (that INSANELY incredible CAST!!)...

I just watched the BD a couple days ago. I counted the Bewitched stars while I watched: Dick Sargent, Sandra Gould, Reta Shaw, Charles Lane...

On a recent Leonard Maltin podcast, actor Samm Levine had highly recommended this movie describing it as if they had made a movie about Mayberry.

 

[Will Krupp]

I just watched the BD a couple days ago. I counted the Bewitched stars while I watched: Dick Sargent, Sandra Gould, Reta Shaw, Charles Lane...

On a recent Leonard Maltin podcast, actor Samm Levine had highly recommended this movie describing it as if they had made a movie about Mayberry.

MURDER IN MAYBERRY!!!!

 

[Rodney]

MURDER IN MAYBERRY!!!!

You know why you thought you saw a murder out there in Mayberry, Will? 'Cause that's a moy-der town.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

No, no, the murder came later when Joan Staley and Dick Sargent appeared together on Adam-12.

Anyway, I had never saw the film, but $7.99 was a price I couldn't pass up. And it was definitely worth it.

I wound up a bit disappointed at lack of extras, but it was $7.99, so I understand.

 

[Randy Korstick]

Is this player specific, perhaps? I was able to pause it on my Sony and then start right back up where I left off by just hitting "play." Even if it stayed on pause long enough to trigger the the Universal sleep screen, i just had to hit any key to "wake" it up and I was right back where I was. No "resume" required. Strange.

This was a favorite of mine as a kid. When it was going to air on TV (circa 1976 it played on TV a LOT, especially since we all had cable TV by then and, in addition to our three local affiliates plus PBS, we had access to multiple independent stations out of New York City, New Jersey, and Philadelphia as well) it would be quite an event in my neighborhood because all the kids would get really excited and watch it as a group. Good innocent days. I think it looks great and it's such fun to revisit as an adult (that INSANELY incredible CAST!!)

I had no idea it was 2.35:1 as I've never seen it in wide screen and was quite surprised when it started as it seemed an odd choice to see such a wide aspect ratio on a low-budget mid-60's comedy. I then saw the TECHNISCOPE credit and understood why. Considering the inherent limitations of the height reduced image, I'm even MORE impressed with the solid transfer they produced. For those who may not be familiar with TECHNISCOPE, it was a filming process developed by Technicolor Rome in the 60's as a cost cutting measure for low budget productions, most famously used in spaghetti westerns of the era like "FISTFUL OF LASAGNA," to quote James Coburn in THE LAST OF SHEILA The negative height of the image was reduced from four sprockets high to two sprockets high so that two 2.35:1 images stacked on top of each other fit in a traditional 4:3 frame using plain, spherical lenses. Projection prints were then generated by blowing each frame up to the specifications of traditional scope prints and projecting them anamorphically. The dye transfer process was supposed to hide these limitations and produce an acceptable image but the jury is out on whether or not they succeeded. I think the image on this looks great!

I'd love to have bonus features but, for $8 plus shipping, it was wonderful to be transported back to being a happy 9 year old again!

Don Knott's The Shakiest Gun in the west from 1968 was also 2.35:1 and I believe Techniscope. It seems Universal kept going back and forth between 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 for the Don Knott's comedies.

 

[Rodney]

Don Knott's The Shakiest Gun in the west from 1968 was also 2.35:1 and I believe Techniscope. It seems Universal kept going back and forth between 1.85:1 and 2.35:1 for the Don Knott's comedies.

You had to mention his other comedies, didn't you? Now I want them all in blu-ray too!!!