I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Producer: Sol M. Wurtzel. Copyright 22 May 1942 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York release at the Rialto: 17 May 1942. U.S. release: 22 May 1942. Sydney release at the Civic: 7 August 1942. Australian release: 13 August 1942. U.S. length: 6,745 feet (75 minutes). Australian length: 6,948 feet (77 minutes).SYNOPSIS: Radio comic solves mystery of haunted treasure ship.COMMENT: A most enjoyable B-picture with an amusing, intriguing script, a top-flight cast and excellent production values. Milton Berle is at the top of his form and delivers the script's many wisecracks with the same brilliant timing and dexterity as he manually disarms Abner Biberman (whom he mistakenly supposes to be an actor).Speaking of actors, there are two deliciously hammy performances from John Carradine and Renie Riano which are spot on in character and reveal a range of subtlety unmarked elsewhere in their careers. Grady Sutton too for one brief flash shows an unexpected capacity to be a menacing heavy. Frank Faylen has a nice cameo as a replacement announcer (the script device that works Faylen into the plot has us puzzling for a while but it turns out to be a typically brilliant piece of Philip N. MacDonald plot construction). Milton Parsons has another of his sinister sepulchral roles which Arthur Hohl gives a typical portrayal as the harassing detective — and Harry Hayden as the harassed sponsor. We like Charles Halton's scared lawyer and Abner Biberman scuttling about in the shadows.Brenda Joyce gives an attractive performance and whilst her Herschel costumes are now somewhat dated, she still looks pretty good to us. Many of Berle's jokes are made at the expense of Willie Best who provides plenty of chuckles with his deft portrait of a cowardly valet.Alfred Werker's direction is considerably above his usual standard — the close-up on Halton as he waits nervously for the lift and glances over his shoulder will knock audiences to the back of their seats, while the tracking and panning shots with torch beams over the rotting hulk keep suspense high.The art direction is masterly and is arguably the most lavishly atmospheric ever achieved in a "B" picture and is ably abetted by Lucien Ballard's superbly calculated-for-thrills cinematography. Other production credits are A-1 and production values, even by Fox's high B-feature standards, are exceptional.

Whispering Ghosts (1942) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Radio host H.H. Van Buren (Milton Berle) does a weekly show where he introduces a cold case and then the following week gives away the real murderer. With the latest mystery expected to bring him a ton a new listeners he realizes that he really doesn't know who the killer is so he heads out to a creepy boat where he comes under attack from a man with a hatchet.WHISPERING GHOSTS is a comedy that has several of the "old dark house" elements thrown in for fun. Of course, the biggest difference is that they involve a ship instead of a house but for the most part this Fox comedy is entertaining enough if you enjoy these old time mysteries. It certainly helps that you've got a pretty good cast of characters and plenty of horror elements.We should be honest that the entire story isn't anything too great but at just 75 minutes the director and cast get enough out of it to make for an entertaining movie. Berle appears to be having fun playing this wannabe detective and he and Willie Best actually have a very good chemistry together. Their work certainly brings a few laughs from the screenplay. Also on hand is Brenda Joyce as the new owner of the ship of John Carradine gets to play a weird man who ends up on the ship.The horror elements are a plenty as there's a lot of fog, mysterious figures walking around, scary glowing eyes and other items. WHISPERING GHOSTS certainly isn't a masterpiece but it's a solid entertaining.

This is my second consecutive review of a movie starring a comedian who'd eventually become a bigger success on a new phenomenon called television several years later. Milton Berle made one of his few starring features during the '40s in a vehicle which would have been suitable for Bob Hope or Red Skelton-except he seems to play the role mostly straight with whatever wisecracks only intermittently funny. Still, this was a pretty intriguing mystery he did and there's still some pleasures like some of his banter with Willie Best as his servant as well as a player from my favorite movie-It's a Wonderful LIfe-in this case, Charles Halton, appearing in an early scene. Actually, there are also some nice visually chilling and occasionally funny touches to recommend as well. I was surprised to see someone else other than Berle dressed in drag here. Oh, and seeing John Carradine was also a hoot to see! So on that note, Whispering Ghosts is worth a look for any Berle completists out there.

Obviously made as an attempt to cash in on similar themes (comical radio show host solves mystery), this enjoyable comedy replaces Bob Hope (who made similar themed movies with "The Cat and the Canary" and "The Ghost Breakers") and Red Skelton (the "Whistling" series) with Milton Berle whose early film career was a brief blip in his over-all list of works. He's trying to solve an old murder on a seemingly haunted ship, left to pretty Brenda Joyce by her late great-uncle whose mysterious death remains unsolved. Most of the action takes place on this ghost ship, filled with all sorts of creepy people, including two eccentric characters (John Carradine and Renie Riano) who are almost ghost-like in their creepy demeanors.Berle gets in a few good wisecracks at Riano's expense (refering to her as "Moronica Lake"), but his slurs towards valet Willie Best (obviously spoofing Eddie "Rochester" Anderson's relationship with Berle's "friendly" rival Jack Benny) are quite racist, even if on occasion quite funny. One gag between Berle and Best is obviously lifted straight from the Humphrey Bogart comedy thriller "All Through the Night", taken from a scene where Bogart's valet (Sam McDaniel) is amusingly confronted for wearing Bogart's clothes. Best takes each stereotype tossed at him in stride, making his cowardice hysterically funny even if it tears away at his dignity. While I wish these actors had been treated better in playing less dignified parts, I have to give them credit for their personal integrity in adding a soul underneath the writers' interpretations of these parts, sometimes adding in a silent look or attitude that makes their obvious intelligence come through even in spite of the deliberate slurs tossed their way.As for who the guilty party is in the gruesome murder (involving a hatchet), there are so many red herrings that it is surprising that the water surrounding the ship doesn't look like blood. One funny theory is thought of with the suicide of the victim (how does one stab themselves in the back with a hatchet? Toss it up in the air and bend over so their back will catch it?) John Shelton is wasted as Joyce's love interest who seems to be the obvious killer, while funny man Grady Sutton has some amusing lines as a milquetoast visitor on the boat who seems to really have no reason for being there. The rapport between Berle and the detective (Arthur Hohl) investigating the case is also amusing. While this is certainly an overall enjoyable comedy thriller, it is the chilling photography and eerie atmosphere which makes it work and makes it more than just another rip-off of a plot line you've seen many, many times.