During the 1910s and 20s, Mack Sennett was on top of the world. He was churning out hundreds of amazingly funny slapstick films and was responsible for films from such comedy legends as Fatty Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin! And, when people think of slapstick, they usually are thinking about Sennett's films. However, although he made a lot of swell films, his status in Hollywood really took a hit when the talkies approached. By then, the sort of crazy humor and pratfalls were pretty much passé. This wasn't just because of sound, but silent comedies had become a lot more sophisticated--with intricate plots instead the usual filmed on the cuff style Sennett was known for doing.
The film "Ghost Parade" is one of several sound comedies by Sennett I have seen and it's probably the worst--though none of them was particularly good. It is totally devoid of humor, is amateurish at times and really, really stupid. You know you're in trouble when a film features a talking dog and a guy in a gorilla suit! If you care, the film stars Andy Clyde and Harry Gribbon and is about some folks' attempt to scare some folks out of their home. It only succeeded in making me scared to watch another Sennett talkie! Oh, and by the way, the film mentions George Washington's son. Washington had no children and it's assumed by historians that he was sterile. Odd, then, that he's often referred to as the Father of Our Country!