Editor beckett dick sargent gives luther his big break and assigns him to spend the night in a house generally considered to be haunted. Chicken was the last traditional horrorcomedy, devoid of pg elements that would pepper later efforts, said castiglia. Colonial street harvey house adam12 adam 12 tv series 19681975. In fact, many of the actors went on to star in many other movies during their careers. In the next profile shot, the dish is once again full and shes just then taking her first bite. Chicken as a matinee or earlyevening feature on blackandwhite weekend tv of the early 70s. The mansion shown is the harvey house, now seen in desperate housewives. Originally published october 26th, 20 we interrupt our weekly foray into the disney vault which ill be posting later to look at a liveaction film starring one of disneys beloved actors, don knotts. He gets his big break when the editor asks him to spend the night at the simmons mansion that, 20 years before, was the site of a now famous murdersuicide. Hed like to become an actual reporter and covets the the town beauty, alma staley, who of course is. Don knotts stars as a timid typesetter who hasnt a ghost of a chance of becoming a reporter until he decides to solve a murder mystery and ends up spending a frightfilled night in a haunted house. I recently saw this for the first time after channel 43 in cleveland burned it into my consciousness by running the bon ami line in a promo hundreds of times thirty years ago. Luther heggs knotts is the jerky oddball typesetter for the town paper. Figuring the answers to the mystery lie in the old simmons mansion, luther heggs knotts visits the estate at the witching hour of midnight.
With don knotts, joan staley, liam redmond, dick sargent. The cast, led by knotts is terrific, the production full of charm, and the musical score by the estimable vic mizzy, perfect. The outside street scenes in the opening credits to the ghost and mr chicken were filmed at universal studios back lot. First in the series of comedies knotts made for the big screen following his emmywinning role as deputy barney fife of mayberry. Chicken is a 1966 american comedydrama film starring don knotts as luther heggs, a newspaper typesetter who spends a night in a. Chicken original motion picture soundtrack on discogs. But i have a great deal of affection for the ghost and mr. Chicken, the 1966 don knotts vehicle that might have been the first motion picture i saw all by myself, unfettered by parents or older siblings, in an honesttogoodness movie house. A babyboomer favorite from the mid60s universal studios assembly line. Chicken, 1966, directed by alan rafkin, with don knotts, joan staley, liam redmond, at turner classic movies.
Don knotts, joan staley, liam redmond, dick sargent, skip homeier, alan rafkin, edward j. After establishing his credentials as a master of the ookie and kookie with his indelible theme song for the television gothcom the addams family, composer vic mizzy lent his playfully macabre sensibility to the likeminded 1966 camp classic the ghost and mr. Chicken 1966 looking to score a break as a newspaper reporter and impress beautiful alma parker joan staley, milquetoast typesetter luther heggs don knotts pitches a. Its just the thing to watch when you are sick of foulmouthed puppets and flatulent gradeschoolers.
Chicken was written by jim fritzell and everett greenbaum. Luther heggs aspires to being a reporter for his small town newspaper. Chicken as a timid typesetter who hasnt a ghost of a chance of becoming a reporter until he decides to solve a murder mystery and ends up spending a frightfilled night in a haunted house. The following information has been provided by the distributor. Backlot apartments set was featured, along with colonial street harvey house, cleaver house, cromwell house. Chicken 1965 alan rafkin on allmovie luther heggs don knotts is a typesetter at a. The movie is a spooky comedy and its score is light and jazzy in the henry mancini vein. The plot nebbish don knotts bumbles his way through a haunted house is a perfect vehicle for mizzys. Extremely tame mysterycomedy from an era of apparently less demanding audiences.
Chicken 1966 torrent or any other torrent from category. Aside from its stars peerless, bugeyed takes and curiously endearing persona, what make this unpretentious trifle of a movie so pleasurable are. Chicken the 1966 movie, trailers, videos and more at yidio. The reluctant astronaut 1967 followed the formula of mr. When his editor dick sargent insists luther spend a night alone in the spooky mansion, where a grisly murdersuicide had taken place decades earlier, the timid reporter. Castiglias blog and book will offer readers a fun overview of horrorcomedy films spanning the 1920s through 1966, the year don knotts the ghost and mr. When the shot switches to a headon shot, the dish is nearly empty. The famous simmons mansion was a longstanding structure originally built in the 1940s and used for many universal classics. Luthers account of his wild, ghostridden night in the house leads simmons to sue for libel, but with the aid of his friend kelsey they determines. Australia lacked americas seasonal focal point of halloween, and the fullness of its monster craze of the late. Despite the low budget, it looks like every penny got on the screen, and the film. Since the picture had a lowbudget most of it was filmed on the universal backlot. I grew up in the sixties and remember watching this as a small child. Amazingly, this 36minute score was written in four days.
If middleamerica had a healthy turnover of weekend doublefeatures at the local fleapit, here in australia a kid was more likely introduced to alan rafkins 1966 the ghost and mr. Chicken, american screwball comedy, released in 1966, that was don knottss first feature film after he left the hit television program the andy griffith show. Chicken don knotts joan staley liam redmond 1966 a meek kansas typesetter don knotts who wants to be a reporter spends the night in a haunted house. The street used for the film was also used in the burbs. Chicken is as much a nostalgic picture of small town life as is the music man as it is a family horrormystery. Chicken, and i am happy to report that i still find it enjoyable. The ghost of mr chicken and other wildlife grannys. Luther heggs don knotts is a typesetter at a newspaper who longs for a chance to be a reporter. Chicken is a 1966 american comedydrama film starring don knotts as luther heggs, a newspaper typesetter who spends a night in a haunted house, which is located in the fictitious community of rachel, kansas.
Chicken 1966 starring don knotts and joan staley on dvd and bluray. Chicken began in july 1965 and wrapped up within seventeen days, thanks to a swift television crew behind the cameras. Don knotts, joan staley, liam redmond, dick sargent. In the first shot, a profile shot, the dish is full. Chicken isnt a disney movie, knotts created several enduring characters for that studio, and it.
The title is presumably a humorous variation of the film the ghost and mrs. Those are only the beginning of the connections and fun trivia relating mayberry and don knotts first movie. Comic actor don knotts perfected the nervous nellie character type on television well before his iconic portrayal of deputy barney. Chicken is the beloved 1966 family comedy mystery featuring the comic talents of one of americas most loved motion picture and. Chicken would influence much of the work he would get for the next ten years. Don knotts stars as a timid typesetter who decides to solve a murder mystery by spending a night in a haunted house. Andy griffith also helped rewrite the script but is uncredited for his efforts. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. He plays luther heggs, a timid typesetter who gets the chance to become a reporter by spending a night in a house which was allegedly the site of a murdersuicide nearly twenty years before. Knotts played nervous luther heggs, a newspaper typesetter who, in. Looking to score a break as a newspaper reporter and impress beautiful alma parker joan staley, milquetoast typesetter luther heggs don knotts pitches a story about his small towns haunted house. I would recommend this movie as a great family movie. Chicken, dvd, comedyclassic, mystery suspense, 025192354427. Maxwell, the head of the occult society, is arguing with her husband milo, watch her dish of tapioca.
340 1432 48 53 753 517 1330 1204 808 1139 1278 1312 885 1255 267 271 1281 176 939 938 1090 329 398 1107 874 1225 488 1167 644 600 803 1244 1109 789 613 867 697 426 264 218 1090