Summary
A nightclub singer and his partner escape mobsters by fleeing to Cuba with a beautiful heiress, who has inherited a haunted castle on an isolated island. The trio hunt for a hidden treasure and encounter a ghost, a zombie, and a mysterious killer...
Cast
Dean Martin
Larry Todd
Jerry Lewis
Myron Mertz
Lizabeth Scott
Mary Carroll
Carmen Miranda
Carmelita Castinha
George Dolenz
Mr. Cortega
Dorothy Malone
Rosie
William Ching
Tony Warren
Paul Marion
Ramon Cariso / Francisco Cariso
Jack Lambert
Zombie
Tony Barr
Trigger
Leonard Strong
Shorty
Henry Brandon
Pierre
Hugh Sanders
Cop on Pier
Bess Flowers
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Fred Aldrich
Dockworker (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor
Man with Spaghetti's Wife (uncredited)
Chester Clute
Man with Spaghetti on Head (uncredited)
Bing Crosby
Skeleton (uncredited)
Joe Gray
Longshoreman (uncredited)
Earl Holliman
Elevator Operator (uncredited)
Bob Hope
Skeleton (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Harold Miller
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Jane Novak
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Billy Daniel
Dancer
Percy Helton
Man in Hotel Hallway (uncredited)
Tom Coleman
Man in Hotel Hallway (uncredited)
Herschel Graham
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Lyle Latell
Ship Captain (uncredited)
Manuel París
Cuban Headwaiter (uncredited)
Dick Winslow
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Ernö Verebes
Headwaiter (uncredited)
Cosmo Sardo
Man in Hotel Hallway (uncredited)
Ric Roman
Gangster (uncredited)
Suzanne Ridgway
Night Club Patron (uncredited)
Waclaw Rekwart
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Tom Powers
Police Lieutenant (uncredited)
Danny Arnold
Gangster (uncredited)
Frank Branda
Gangster (uncredited)
Jimmie Dundee
Ship Steward/Porter (uncredited)
Charles Evans
Man Next to Spaghetti Customer (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum
Passerby (uncredited)
Charles Flynn
Policeman (uncredited)
Jesslyn Fax
Woman in Hotel Hallway (uncredited)
Frank Fontaine
Drunk on Pier (uncredited)
Herb Golden
Gangster (uncredited)
Sam Harris
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Richard Karlan
Gangster (uncredited)
Nolan Leary
Policeman (uncredited)
Jack Low
Sam - Trunk Mover (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack
Ship Passenger (uncredited)
Alphonse Martell
Maitre d'
Thomas Martin
Waiter (uncredited)
David O. McCall
Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Frank McLure
Nightclub Patron
Belle Mitchell
Zombie's Mother (uncredited)
Robin Morse
Gangster (uncredited)
Murray Pollack
Ship Passenger (uncredited)
José Portugal
Ship Passenger (uncredited)
Crew
Director
George Marshall
Screenplay
Herbert Baker
Screenplay
Walter DeLeon
Theatre Play
Paul Dickey
Theatre Play
Charles W. Goddard
Reviews
John Chard
July 13, 2020
7
It's worse than horrible because a zombie has no will of his own.
Larry Todd (Dean Martin), and Myron Mertz (Jerry Lewis) run a foul of gangster "Shorty" and are forced to flee the hotel when suspicion of murder falls on Larry. Hooking up with heiress Mary Carroll (Lizabeth Scott) who is sailing for Cuba, the guys find that Cuba is one mysterious place, full of weird goings on and Zombies!
Scared Stiff was Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis' ninth picture, a remake of Paramount's 1940 comedy spooker, The Ghost Breakers that starred Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard, it's also directed by the same man, George Marshall. Though both Lewis and Martin are on record as saying they didn't want to remake The Ghost Breakers since the Hope movie was fine the way it is. The guys were bound to do it by their Paramount contract, and thus producer Hal B. Wallis, rightly assuming that it was viable material for the duo, got the film made.
In the pantheon of Martin/Lewis films, Scared Stiff ranks as one of the better efforts that the guys did. Larks and songs and a Carmen Miranda cameo make up the main body of Scared Stiff. Standard slap-stick to none fans of the intrepid duo, but essential viewing for those that have a kink for such shenanigans. From a ventriloquist dummy skit to Lewis' delightful take on Miranda, and containing an hilarious sequence with Jerry stuck in a trunk, there's enough guffaws to keep the grin on ones face. Fans of the singing side of Deano are however short changed here, and there is no getting away from the fact that Scared Stiff is ultimately a rushed cash in job. So with that in mind newcomers to the pair are advised to possibly give the film a miss and head for the likes of Artists And Models and Hollywood or Bust instead. 7/10
Media
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00
Keywords
Recommendations
PlayTime
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Naked City
Artists and Models
Rancho Notorious
Cinderfella
Smorgasbord
3 Ring Circus
Love at First Bite
Z for Zachariah
The Great Dictator
The Shawshank Redemption
The Lighthouse
Annie Hall
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Fight Club
The Seventh Seal
Spirited Away
The Untouchables
