Crazy Knights

Crazy Knights
Crazy Knights
Directed by	William Beaudine
Written by	Tim Ryan
Produced by	Jack Dietz ; Sam Katzman
Starring	Billy Gilbert ; Shemp Howard ; Max Rosenbloom ; Tim Ryan
Cinematography	Marcel Le Picard
Edited by	Richard C. Currier
Music by	Edward J. Kay
Production; company	Banner Productions
Distributed by	Monogram Pictures
Release date	December 18, 1944;
Running time	63 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Crazy Knights (also known as Ghost Crazy) is a 1944 American comedy horror film directed by William Beaudine and starring Billy Gilbert, Shemp Howard and Max Rosenbloom.^[1]

The film focuses on a trio of traveling carnival performers who offer help to a stranded man and his daughter. They accompany the man to his estate, which seems to be haunted by ghosts. They discover a murder shortly after arriving.

Plot

Billy Gilbert, Shemp Howard and Dave Hammond (Bernard Sell) manage a carnival act with a live gorilla named Barny with Shemp posing as the gorilla during the actual act. While driving to their next carnival performance, they are side tracked by picking up stranded Mr. Gardner (John Hamilton) and his daughter Joan Gardner (Jayne Hazard) whom Dave seems quite smitten with.

Joan's father is convinced that someone is trying to kill him and the actions of his suspicious secretary, Mr. Williams (Tay Dunn) seem to confirm this. Gardner insists that the carnival trio take him and his entourage to one of his residences that is close by, though his daughter is upset by the idea. The Gardner's chauffeur (Max Rosenbloom) is left to stay with their broken down car.

When they arrive at the Gardner estate, they are met by a mysterious and strange house servant Mrs. Benson (Minerva Urical) and an Electrician (Dan White) who is roaming about the house. Billy and Shemp are terrorized by ghostly voices, transforming pictures and figures dressed in sheets. Maxie finally arrives at the estate shortly after a suspicious character named Mr. Grogan (Tim Ryan) does. As things get stranger, Maxie teams up with Gilbert and Howard, Shemp dons the gorilla outfit and Barny the real gorilla gets free from his mobile cage trailer. Soon after a body is discovered and it is clearly a case of murder. The film is 63 minutes with the story wrapping up in the final two minutes. Billy Gilbert, Shemp Howard and Max "Maxie" Rosenbloom all use their actual names in the movie. The alternate title for this movie is "Ghost Crazy".

Cast

Billy Gilbert as Billy
Shemp Howard as Shemp
Max Rosenbloom as Maxie
Tim Ryan as Grogan
Jayne Hazard as Joan Gardner
Tay Dunn as Ralph Williams
Minerva Urecal as Mrs. Benson
John Hamilton as Mr. Gardner
Bernard Sell as Dave Hammon
Betty Sinclair as Girl
Buster Brodie as Baldy
Art Miles as Barney the Gorilla
Dan White as Electrician

References

^ Rigby p.256

Bibliography

Rigby, Jonathan. American Gothic: Sixty Years of Horror Cinema. Reynolds & Hearn, 2007.
Marshall, Wendy L. William Beaudine: From Silents to Television. Scarecrow Press, 2005.