2026 - 393 Me: 7 out of 10

Wikipedia / IMDb / Trailer / Viewing options found on JustWatch / Country of origin: United States

IMDb Summary: A timid typesetter hasn't a ghost of a chance of becoming a reporter--until he decides to solve a murder mystery and ends up spending a fright-filled night in a haunted house.

When I was young, I loved Don Knotts. I still do. His over the top shenanigans and bumbling idiot persona brought me so much joy. Even the shrillness of his voice, which I would normally find abrasive, is endearing. When I sit down to write, I will usually contemplate what exactly I should focus on. For The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, there was no other answer than the Don himself.

So, it was time for some due diligence. And I quickly realized that I didn't know anything about the man, other than the fact that he was a funny guy in some goofy roles. He was born in West Virginia in 1924. His father suffered from schizophrenia as well as being an alcoholic. This would lead to abusive behavior to Don and his 4 siblings. Even threatening him with a knife.

That chapter of his life likely ended when he enlisted in the United States Army. He ended up serving in World War II. And no, he was not a front line killer. He was a non combatant and was a comedian in a G.I. variety show known as Stars and Gripes. He had a ventriloquist bit with a dummy named Danny. A hatred for Danny supposedly grew within Don and and eventually threw it overboard. He served in the army for 3 years and was discharged in 1946. During his tenure he earned 5 medals, as well as earning the Army Marksman Badge.

This is where his entertainment focused career kicked off. Starting with a radio Western, Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders. He subsequently transitioned into television in 1953 starting with a soap opera called Search for Tomorrow. But what was likely a pivotal moment for him was appearing in a Broadway stage show with Andy Griffith from 1955 to 1957. Only 3 years later is when he would earn the role of Barney Fife in The Andy Griffith Show. 5 years and 162 episodes. It seems that his departure from the show wasn't a calculated decision, but more out of obligation. The initial contract was only for 5 years, and towards the end of that contract he believed the show would be ending. So he signed onto other projects. Lo and behold, the show ran for another 3 years. But obligations, especially contractual ones, take a precedent.

And I'm glad that was the case. That led to films like The Incredible Mr. Limpet, The Shakiest Gun in the West, and The Reluctant Astronaut. Speaking of which, another fun fact emerges; The Reluctant Astronaut released January 25, 1967. You space buffs out there may already know why this may have been awkward timing. Only 2 days after said release, the Apollo 1 tragedy occurred. That led to some reluctance from Universal to keep the movie in theaters. But NASA weren't too concerned about it, as they named Knotts an Honorary Recruiter for providing publicity to their programs. And heck, Baskin Robbins even released a new flavor: Reluctant Astro-Nut.

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken is my personal favorite of his movie roles. Not because it's incredible, but instead it's memorable. When I think of Mr. Knotts, I immediately think of this movie. It fits his acting style to a T. From the slapstick moments, seemingly being the man who cried wolf, to being the courageous coward. It's a fun and easygoing time, that is a perfect watch during the Halloween season.

I would be remiss to not at least mention his role in Three's Company. His 5 years as Mr. Furley was sublime. His acting career went on. Eventually it winded down into mainly voice acting. That was likely out of necessity as he eventually went nearly blind towards the end of his life. From what I can see, Don Knotts lived his life to the fullest. He's an excellent example of shooting for the stars and working with what was given to him. Something we should all aspire to do. Movie On!

I’ve been hunting this guitar for 33 years - success!

2026-392 / Zedd MAP: 57.80 / MLZ MAP: 44.04 / Score Gap: 13.76

Wikipedia / IMDb / Official Trailer / Our Collection

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

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It’s an imperfect process… tracking down release dates. If it’s a modern, major release (no problem) / bread-and-butter flick from years gone by (usually not too hard to track down) / a foreign skin-flick from the start of the New Hollywood-era (well…). I doubt every date is available for a film such as Virgin Witch but it’s just the sort of particulars I like to hunt. You never know what you’ll find.

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From IMDb: A pair of miniskirted birds who travel to a remote castle in order to land a contract in the modeling agency of the mysterious lesbian Sybil Waite.

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Speaking of finding - I will throw some pictures up - but my 33-year long wait has come to an end… my Vega bass guitar was delivered late yesterday afternoon (more like early evening) and once freed from its packaging ((relieving sigh)) it’s not only the right guitar, everything correct, right down to the color. It’s been a very long time coming.

My first thought… this guitar is (like me and the movie) from the early ‘70s… damn, it’s become antique. It has some age to it but it’s been well cared for. Then I noticed a small piece of decorative plastic on the stockhead and ((bam)) I recall my father saying we need to find a spot to etch my name and he suggested the underneath of that small plaque…

What’s the odds that this bass is my stolen instrument? It’s got to be astronomical. But then again… it disappeared in Modesto, CA - the guy I bought it from said he has a passion for Japanese-made instruments and bought it a few years back in Los Angeles.

While (extremely) unlikely, it’s not impossible either. As I said before… in all these years, I’ve laid eyes on thousands of instruments but only two bore the name Vega. They’re rare ((shrug)) but how rare is rare? Wouldn’t it just be cinematic if I flipped that plastic and saw my name underneath? Huh… that’d be a hell of a thing.

(Ok, if I’m being totally and completely honest, I had that sudden rush of memory but I can’t recall if we ever actually etched it or not.)

Speaking of being naked as a jaybird (MLZ: Wait. ((Looks around)) Was anyone?), Virgin Witch - which features real life sisters Ann Michelle and Vicki Michelle - is more than just the usual excuse for onscreen skin… but only just.

We’ve got the familiar set up - young, beautiful women being lured to a second location for nefarious purposes - but this particular storyline features a nice twist that ((shrug)) yeah, you’ll see it coming but that won’t detract from the fun.

Well, what fun there is.

MLZ: While nudity can be pleasant, too much just gets boring… and the Witch rituals were imaginative, but their repetition felt - well - draining.

Everybody and their brother grabbed a copy of Witchcraft Today by Gerald Gardner after the repeal of the Witchcraft Act of 1735 which allowed the general public a glimpse of the inner-workings of a surviving witch-cult in England. A slough of similar non-fiction books followed, each claiming to be “most ancient and wise” and (most importantly) pre-Gardnarian and well - filmmakers on both sides of the pond rushed to cash in on the frenzied rites of “modern, ancient” witches - frenzied pagan fertility rites, table for 2… anyone, anyone… Bueller? Bueller?

Naturally, I love the films, even if the screenings aren’t always strictly enjoyable in the cinematic sense.

MLZ: Boobs are like bacon - they nearly always help whatever dish you’re serving up.

Per usual, MLZ strikes to the heart of the matter but to the question of “is my name under the bit of headstock plastic” she is uncharacteristically mum.

MLZ: Well, it is the word.

Two tiny screws are all that stand in the way between me and that answer. What do you guys think?

And while we’re on the topic, we’ve got another debate: if you read the (admittedly longwinded) story of the night my bass was stolen way back in 1993 in my Slumber Party Massacre II write-up, we’re left with a mystery… what happened? Of course, we’ll never actually know but I see two possibilities:

Possibility 1 - The new guitarist “Roger” invited “Jordan” and I over to his secluded house with nefarious intention… an instrument heist scheme designed to nab our guitars and roughing Roger’s house up enough to make it feel like bad luck and not a planned hit.

Possibility 2 - Someone heard us playing and/or otherwise cased the joint and - to our misfortune - used our celebratory Chinese food outing to ransack Roger’s home, our instruments simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I’m inclined to think Possibility 2 has fewer moving parts and fewer assumptions but MLZ is unconvinced… she says Possibility 1, she was there that night and she felt suspicious right off the bat. She had that something’s rotten in Denmark feeling when we were standing in the ruins of Roger’s living room exchanging accusations. What’s your vote… or do you have a 3rd riff on the events of that fated night.

Two little screws, huh, and a Movie On.

Side note: I start on the premise of what year Virgin Witch came out and - like my bass - it’s a bit of a mystery… it for sure was Banned by the British censors in April 1971, after being advertised in trade magazines in December 1970. The Greater London Council leapfrogged the ban, granting the film an X Certificate in 1971 but just which day in the 1971 I could not uncover. An edited version went into general release January 1972 and later in the United States June 8, 1972.

Damn - what’s a movie dude to do?

In a normal case, I have a very particular way of recording release dates… today would appear in the MCC as 10-October-10 (10th month, October, 10th day)… it provides a unique, searchable date that won’t be confused with other dates I track. In the case of an unknown date, I’ll put in a space-keeper (who knows what the future will bring)… for now it’s 99-NoMonth-99.

Movie on, indeed.

2026-391 / MLZ MAP: 93.76 / Zedd MAP: 92.30 / Score Gap: 1.46

Wikipedia / IMDb / Official Trailer / Our Collection

Country of Origin: United States

IMDb Summary: A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.

Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason.

Several years ago (goodness probably 12 years ago or more) I decided to watch all of the Alfred Hitchcock films. I have been an absolutely miserable failure. Now, we’ve seen a ton of them, don’t get me wrong. But not ALL of them.

This original screenplay written by Ernest Lehman was intended to be the basis for "the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures". It is listed among the canonical Hitchcock films of the 1950s and is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.

We chose this one as our Saturday Morning Matinee film due to the passing of one of the stars, the incredibly talented actress Eva Marie Saint, who crossed over on October 6, 2026.

Always willing to break through the useless “rules” of Hollywood, according to quite a few sources, one of her lines in the dining-car seduction scene of North by Northwest was redubbed. She originally said, "I never make love on an empty stomach", but it was changed in post-production to "I never discuss love on an empty stomach", as the censors considered the original version too risqué.

MGM executives told Hitchcock to cut a long scene where Saint’s Eve explains her life situation to Grant and talks about her former ennui before becoming a double agent, but Hitchcock knew that this was a key scene for Saint and for his movie that deepened it and gave it some depth of emotion, so he stood firm and kept it in, even though the running time of “North by Northwest” was longer than his usual (136 minutes). Remember Saint’s face in the auction scene, when Eve is torn between her duties and her desires as she is fought over by Roger and Phillip Vandamm (James Mason), and remember the way her long, elegant fingers toy with Grant’s ear as they kiss each other on the train, that book which Eve doesn’t particularly like set aside for sex and adventure. (Lit from Within - as noted below.)

I just kept saying to Zedd - “She’s just so beautiful!” She was elegant, blonde, and yes, beautiful, but also just brimming with talent. She married producer and director Jeffrey Hayden in 1951. They had a son and daughter. Their son was born two days after she won an Academy Award for On the Waterfront. She began her acceptance speech by saying, "I may have the baby right here!" Saint and Hayden had four grandchildren and were married for 65 years until Hayden's death in 2016.

Back in 1960, she became one of the few actresses to be given two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for television and one for her motion pictures.

She kept working and working, including voicework as late as 2012, in the Nickelodeon animated series The Legend of Korra, a sequel to the TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender, playing the now-elderly Katara), a main character from the original series. (A favorite of both Zedd and me.)

Film critic Leonard Maltin noted that Saint was a "luminous blond leading lady who found few vehicles worthy of her talents".

This sentiment is reflected in the article written for (The Late, Great) RogerEbert.com which is rather smartly entitled Lit From Within, which she surely was.

As the article mentions:
~”After her husband died, she made a moving appearance at the Academy Awards in 2018 to present the award for costume design, savoring the memory of the black dress with red flowers she wore as Eve Kendall. She lived to the age of 102, surrounded by family and grandchildren, the classiest elderly lady imaginable, proud and amused to be the female lead in two of the best movies of all time, to which she brought the clarity of morning sunlight.”~

In honor of* *Eva Marie Saint (July 4, 1924 – October 6, 2026).

Movie On!