The Ghost of St. Michael's

The Ghost of St. Michael's
DVD of The Ghost of St. Michael's
Directed by	Marcel Varnel
Written by	John Dighton Angus MacPhail
Starring	Will Hay Claude Hulbert Charles Hawtrey John Laurie Raymond Huntley
Cinematography	Derek Williams
Edited by	Edward B. Jarvis
Distributed by	Ealing Studios
Release date	April 1941
Running time	82 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Ghost of St. Michael’s is a 1941 British comedy-thriller film, produced by Ealing Studios.

An ineffectual science teacher William Lamb (Will Hay) is hired by a school recently transferred because of World War II to the remote Dunbain Castle on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Posing as (amongst many other things) an Old Etonian, Lamb settles down into his new surroundings and becomes acquainted with the various local Scottish traditions and legends that abound and strikes up a friendship with one of the other masters, Hilary Teasdale (Claude Hulbert).

However, shortly after his arrival an ancient curse returns to Dunbain Castle. The sound of bagpipes signals the death of a member of staff. Two die and Lamb is initially regarded as a suspect. With his friend appointed as the new headmaster (and the next potential victim), Lamb must solve the mystery of the mysterious murders with the assistance of mischievous know-all schoolboy Percy Thorne (Charles Hawtrey). A Nazi spy ring proves to be behind the killings, and is defeated by a British agent hidden amongst the staff.

In one of the more memorable scenes Lamb is trapped inside a secret room with the ceiling slowly descending upon him.

At the very end of the film Hay can be heard calling the character Teasdale "Claude", the actor's real name. This may have been intentional as Hay had just told the cinema audience that it was "all clear" and that they could all go home. Note that Charles Hawtrey was 26 years old when he portrayed Percy Thorne.