Blackbeard's Ghost (1968)

★ 6.7 1h 46m IMDb

Comedy Fantasy Family

The eponymous wraith returns to Earth to aid his descendant, elderly Emily Stowecroft. The villains want to kick Emily and her friends out of their group home so that they can build a crooked casino. Good guy Steve Walker gets caught in the middle of the squabble after evoking Blackbeard's ghost.

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Cast

Peter Ustinov as Captain Blackbeard Died 2004 · Camden, London, England, UK Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE (16 April 1921 – 28 March 2004) was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, scr...

Dean Jones as Steve Walker Died 2015 · Decatur, Alabama, USA Dean Carroll Jones (January 25, 1931 – September 1, 2015) was an American actor. He is best known for his leading roles in several Walt Disney movies between 1965 and 1977, most notably The Love Bug..

Suzanne Pleshette as Jo Anne Baker Died 2008 · Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA Suzanne Pleshette (January 31, 1937 – January 19, 2008) was an American actress, on stage, screen and television. After beginning her career in theatre, she began appearing in films in the early 1960...

Elsa Lanchester as Emily Stowecroft Died 1986 · Lewisham, London, England, UK Elsa Sullivan Lanchester (October 28, 1902 – December 26, 1986) was a British actress with a long career in theatre, film and television and former dancer. Lanchester studied dance as a child and af...

Richard Deacon as Dean Wheaton Died 1984 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Richard Lewis Deacon (May 14, 1922 – August 8, 1984) was an American actor, best known for playing supporting roles in television shows on The Dick Van Dyke Show (as milksop producer Mel Cooley) and L...

Joby Baker as Silky Seymour Age 92 · Montreal, Quebec, Canada Joby Baker is a Canadian actor and writer..

Director Robert Stevenson

Cast Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones, Suzanne Pleshette, Elsa Lanchester, Richard Deacon, Joby Baker, Elliott Reid, Norman Grabowski, Kelly Thordsen, Michael Conrad

r96sk 7/10 Jul 30, 2020

Is this good or bad? I'm genuinely not even sure, but it's hard to doubt that it does suitably entertain.

It constantly hops between cringe/chucklesome and overacted/finely acted. The plot is mindless and impossible to take seriously, though the shenanigans that occur are mostly amusing. It would be a lot worse off without the likeable leads, that's for certain.

Peter Ustinov brings fun as Blackbeard, sometimes his acting is a little too over the top for my personal liking but he has more funny moments than lame ones. He and Dean Jones (Steve) join up well enough, as does Jones with Suzanne Pleshette (Jo Anne) - as already seen two years prior in <em>'The Ugly Dachshund'</em>.

Not what I had expected, I come away probably wanting something different from <em>'Blackbeard's Ghost'</em>. However, there is humour in there that's just about enjoyable.

CinemaSerf 7/10 Jun 03, 2023

Dean Jones ("Steve Walker") arrives at Godolphin College to take charge of their pretty shocking track team. They put him up at "Blackbeard's Inn" where he encounters the Daughters of The Buccaneers - allegedly descendants of "Blackbeard" and his crew. Their inn is about to be torn down and replaced by a casino by an unscrupulous gangster so the ladies have an auction to try to raise the funds they need to stop this development. "Walker" ends up in possession of an antique bedpan that contains a parchment with a spell that he, rather stupidly as it turns out, reads aloud.... enter the ghost of "Blackbeard" (Peter Ustinov) who is cursed to remain in limbo until he does something nice for someone - the gauntlet has been laid down... This is a fun fantasy adventure; Ustinov is great as the mischievous and recalcitrant ghost having quite a good time with all the people and mod cons of 1960s America - especially as only Jones can see him. It's a bit slapstick at times, and pretty uncomplicated - so don't expect your grey matter to be unduly taxed; it's just best to let the talent wash over you and smile occasionally at the really pretty basic, but acceptable, SFX.