weezeralfalfa Review of The Gold Ghost

The Gold Ghost (1934)

Buster as acting sheriff of a reawakening ghost town : a largely silent talkie

[5/10 · 12 December 2018]

Mostly for Buster Keaton aficionados. His first picture for poverty row Educational Pictures, after his hated MGM period.. Thus, like his character in the film, he feels like he has a chance to start over. Keaton largely returns to his silent film character, being by himself in a Nevada ghost town for most of the first half of this 20 min. short. For a brief moment, he has ghostly images, presumably of past inhabitants, to interact a bit with. He doesn't seem to be afraid of them. In fact, he shoots the several ghosts who draw their guns on him, and they disappear. The ghost of a saloon girl also appears after he starts the player piano....... Soon after this, Buster, as Wally, encounters a real man who seems lost. It's derby-wearing Bugs Kelly(Warren Hymer). Unlike Wally, who prefers to be alone at present, Bugs likes the bustle of city life.(So what's he doing here?) As Wally discovered, it's not a good idea to trust any of the furniture or doors. They may fall apart if you try to interact with them. They've been setting unattended since 1890. The interiors are covered by a thick layer of dust, as brought home in the card game played by the 2 men, on a table........ . Eventually, 2 old sourdoughs arrive in the street and say they'd better hurray and register their claim for their gold strike. However, they don't meet Wally and Bugs, but later there is a headline that there's a gold strike near Vulture City(this ghost town)......... Soon, hoards of autos and people descend on their once peaceful town. As the self-appointed sheriff of this town, Wally suddenly is much in demand. Incredibly, even his ex-girlfriend(Dorothy Dix, as Gloria) and her father, from Boston, arrive. Seems he owns the nearby Marietta gold mine(What this has to do with the present gold strike isn't clear). Gloria rejected him as husband material, because he was too wimpy. Perhaps, in this situation , he can prove that he can take charge of a crisis situation. Wally discovers that gangsters hope to steal the Marietta from Gloria's father. Wally refuses to 'play ball' with them. Hence, when he steps out of the saloon, several men begin firing at him, and he at them. Incredibly, no one is hurt. Must be using blanks. He returns to the saloon, and soon 3 men from outside jump him. He holds them off until Bugs decides to crown them with a mallet he found. Then, a bigger gang attacks him in the saloon. He crawls out from the bottom of the pile, while the others hit each other. Then, he rolls a number of small barrels at them, like bowling balls, that trip them up. He falls over one barrel, and hits the arm of a shot machine, collecting a pile of coins in his hat. Meanwhile, Bugs again beans the men with his mallet. ........Gloria shows up, and he tells her that the Marietta is safe from thieves. The film ends too quickly, as Gloria doesn't get a chance to exclaim "My Hero", and kiss him.........You may not think any parts are terribly funny, but parts are reasonably amusing........See it at YouTube.