I was just a regular, satisfied TV viewer until the Ghost and Mrs. Muir hit me like a slap in the face. In a good way. Kind of like a reminder that there are many hidden gems in this era that I need to check out instead of wasting my time trying to justify, for example, the reboot of iCarly. Anyway, The Ghost and Mrs Muir tells the story of a young widow who moved into a house near the sea which she later finds out is haunted by the ghost of a sea captain. She also finds out that this ghost is rather cantankerous and has something against females in general. Hence begins the unexpected bonding of two souls who didn’t know they needed company until they met one another.
In short, The Ghost and Mrs Muir is like an adult version of Casper.
Originally a novel by R.A. Dick, adapted into a film in 1947 with Rex Harrison and Gene Tierney. Later, it was made into a TV show (1968) with Edward Mulhare and Hope Lange.
I enjoyed all three and a comparison of the adaptations is inevitable.
THE FILM
For a story about a tragic love that we know can only have a happy ending when both people involved die, I’d say this movie does pretty well.
Regarding the female protagonist Lucy Muir, I haven’t seen Gene Tierny’s other works, but in this particular film, her acting can be formulaic at times. While her silent and deep moments are great, her other scenes are less convincing. You can see that she’s clearly… well, acting.
But if Tierny is unable to carry out her part well, her costar Rex Harrison certainly makes up for it big time with his subtle looks, voice-acting (no way he talked like a pirate in real life), and nuanced expressions, masterfully conveying Captain Gregg’s fascination with Lucy Muir.
Overall, it’s a beautiful film that makes perfect use of music and the best camera angles and takes you through a series of hauntingly memorable visuals, from Captain Gregg’s first appearance to the closing scene. Hey, it did get nominated for a cinematography Oscar.
The one real complaint I have about this movie is Lucy Muir’s careless little fling with the other guy (played by George Sanders), which kind of makes you question the purpose of her character.
Basically, she goes to town once, meets a man who won’t take his hands off her, and falls hard. The reason given is: Lucy longs for company and her feelings for Captain Gregg make her even more lonely and in need of real blood-and-flesh company, but I wouldn’t say it’s good justification for the kind of company she chooses.
I could understand if it was a good man with a few flaws, but the man Lucy falls head over heels for is – in the words of Captain Gregg – a “perfumed parlor snake” – with red flags basically painted all over his face. He is pushy, has no respect for her personal space, tries to pull her away from the people she loves including her little daughter, and is filled to the brim with tacky pickup lines. The charm and the suaveness can sway Lucy, but shouldn’t she draw the line when he tells her to forget about her child whenever she’s with him? It’s quite inconsistent with Lucy’s character to tolerate this.
The character is purposely written this way, so why a woman of Lucy’s class and independent tendencies would give this guy the time of her day is beyond me.This may not be the film’s fault since the exact same thing happens in the book. But since the film takes liberty with many plot points, one wonders why they didn’t try to improve the quality of the one human suitor Lucy Muir has in her life.
THE TV SHOW
The 1968 TV Show takes all the little details it could get from the book and expands them into sit-com style episodes: kids and school problems, landlord and tenant relationships, family, etc.
While the TV Show focuses more on comedy, the central theme is still the romantic tension between Captain Gregg and Mrs Muir – named Carolyn here. No matter what problem an episode deals with, they always find a way to sneak in some longing glances and subtle flirting.
In all fairness, I can’t say that Edward Mulhare is a match for Rex Harrison when it comes to Captain Gregg, but that has nothing to do with his acting. It is more about the fact that Harrison’s powerful screen presence was his natural unique strength and therefore just could not be matched. But for that tiny, tiny shortcoming (which is not really a shortcoming, to be honest), Mulhare more than compensates for with his own unique spin on the character. Mulhare’s Captain Gregg is everything you could imagine a 19th-century testy yet well-read seaman who is stuck in the modern work to be plus a healthy dose of comedy.
Then, there is his perfect chemistry with Hope Lange – a Mrs Muir who is clever, reliable, active, and involved in everything that happens, but at the same time has plenty of graceful femininity. They take turns solving problems, making mistakes, and trolling the people around them. Their interactions are more fleshed out, their relationship more developed, and their connection more believable.
In the end, while I question Captain Gregg’s love for Lucy in the film, I have no doubt that Captain Gregg and Carolyn are perfect for each other in the show.
Aside from this, the supporting cast – Martha, Claymore, the children – are all entertaining in their roles, making this show a one-of-a-kind gem. Occasionally, some episodes can be repetitive, but what show doesn’t have these episodes?
As you can tell by now that when it comes down to it, I prefer the TV show to the film, but I highly recommend both along with the original novel.