The MacClaggan clan and the Glourie clan have been at odds for centuries. During a war with the English the patriarchs of the two clans send their sons off to fight the English. Young Murdoch Glourie (Robert Donat) would rather be playing riddles with young maidens in order to garner kisses than to fight but he honors his father’s wishes and heads off to war. As soon as Murdoch leaves, the laird of the castle (Morton Selten) dies.
While the Scottish fighters are at an encampment Murdoch is accosted by several of the MacClaggan clan. To escape from them he hides behind a barrel of gunpowder. A misplaced cannonball explodes the gunpowder and kills Murdoch. Murdoch is suspended in limbo. His father’s spirit tells him that since he was a coward and hid from the MacClaggan clan he is not allowed to enter heaven until he atones for his cowardice. To do that, he must have a MacClaggan admit that one Glourie can thrash fifty MacClaggans. Until then his ghost is doomed to haunt the family castle forever. Everyone in the area comes to realize that the castle is haunted.
Two hundred years later the laird of the castle is Donald Glourie (Robert Donat). Donald is broke and owes money to various tradesmen in the area. He is forced to put the castle up for sale. Peggy Martin (Jean Parker) sees the castle and convinces her father, Joe Martin (Eugene Pallette) to buy it. Joe wants the castle dismantled and shipped to America where it will be reassembled in Miami, Florida. Donald is hired to supervise the entire process. He only agrees because he has fallen in love with Peggy and likes spending time with her. The castle is packed up and put on a ship bound for America. Along with the castle comes the ghost of Murdoch Glourie.
“The Ghost Goes West” was released in 1935 and was directed by Rene Clair. It is a British rom/com fantasy. The film was originally an hour and 35 minutes long but the only copies I could find were the trimmed down 78-minute films. Even those copies were a little muddy and the sound quality wasn’t all that great.
The movie is sort of a version of the “The Canterville Ghost”. It is a typical rom/com, both charming and light. Robert Donat plays both main characters, Murdoch and Donald Glourie and does a fine job of both. It’s not a spooky or eerie film. There is some humor, but it’s not the main point of the film. The focus is on the romance. If you are looking for something in the boy meets girl style, then this will scratch your itch.
The burning question that the movie does not reveal is; what is the answer to the riddle?
Director Rene Clair is a French director. This was his first English speaking film. The movie is based on Eric Keown's short story "Sir Tristam Goes West".