The Ghost Goes Gear is a 1966 British pop music comedy starring the Spenser Davis Group, Acker Bilk, The Lorne Gibson Trio, The St Louis Union, Dave Berry, The Three Bells, and The M6. I knew of the first two but the rest are all strangers to me. There are a lot of numbers in the movie. They're all pretty short but the movie is only 79 minutes and there's barely any time for the story that supports the music.
The manager of the Spenser Davis Group is the son of Lady Rowthorpe. She's broke but she owns a haunted manor. The son works for the cash to help keep the estate afloat. The band comes to visit and suggest charging the public for a look around. Maybe they'll see the ghost. Another idea to attract crowds is to have a pop concert. All the talent above show up and there's oodles of lip synced singing.
Hugh Gladwish and Roger Dunton wrote the thing and Hugh directed. They do a good job getting something to look at up on the screen but they fall short on the story. I wanted to like the movie more but the haunted house story is weak, the jokes are weak and except for Spenser and Acker, the rest of the musical acts are kind of weak too. They aren't awful, they're just bland. I never laughed out loud but I snickered a couple of times. I found a copy online, there's a DVD on Amazon UK but it's £28 and there's only the one. I'm not getting that. You can see the movie, or download it, by following the link in the title above. I just wish it was better.
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