Tonight on MeTV- we bring back a hilarious haunting that many viewers have been requesting for quite a while- an Abbott and Costello vehicle, but NOT the one with Frankenstein! It’s also unique, with the boys not as a pair, but in separate roles. It all begins during the Revolutionary War and ends with ghosts plaguing a mansion in modern day (if your modern day is 1946) in an attempt to free their spirits from this earthly realm. This ghost story sets Lou Costello, as one of the earthbound spirits, against an ancestor of a colonial rat (both played by Bud Abbott) who's partially responsible for his fate- guaranteeing both the “Time of Their Lives”!

Back in 1780, we witness the arrival at the Danbury estate of one Horatio Prim-a bumbling but good-hearted tinker by trade. Horatio carries with him a letter of recommendation from the great General George Washington- which he plans to present to Tom Danbury, master of the estate, in an attempt to convince him to free Horatio's own true love Nora, an indentured housemaid- making her a free woman- and free to become his wife! Unfortunately, Danbury's evil butler, the slimy Cuthbert, is Horatio’s rival for the fair Nora- and, upon hearing the plan, makes his own plan to keep the tinker from showing the letter to Danbury, in hopes of winning Nora for himself.

What Cuthbert doesn't know is that Nora already has taken possession of the letter, and Horatio doesn't have it! Still oblivious to the fact, Cuthbert continues to carry out his heartless scheme, while Nora happens to overhear master Danbury revealing he is actually a British sympathizer and enemy of the colonists. He plans to join another turncoat, Benedict Arnold, in a surprise attack against Washington's army. Sadly, she is caught eavesdropping -but Nora isn't the only one who overheard the dastardly plan- Danbury’s beautiful fiancée Melody has also learned of the scheme, and her loyalty to the common good of America is greater than that to her intended. Heartbroken but resolute, she plans to ride and warn the army. As she prepares to go, Danbury, having taken Horatio's letter from Nora, hides it safely in the secret compartment of a mantle clock.

Melody, in the barn preparing for her midnight ride, encounters Horatio, who has escaped from Cuthbert's trap- and convinces him to join her. They ride off but are mistaken for traitors by their own troops arriving at the estate -and shot! Their bodies are disposed of down the estate’s well, while the troops and angry patriots ransack the estate and set it ablaze.

Decades pass- and the story picks up in the 1940s. Along the passage of time, the Danbury estate has been rebuilt and restored to its former grandeur, complete with the original furnishings taken before the place burned to the ground. Horatio and Melody have a rude wakening to their fate- they are now ghosts, condemned to virtual imprisonment on the grounds of the estate, unable to leave and proceed to the afterlife- unless they are proven innocent of being traitors to Washington and America. New physical tenants have arrived- the earnest young Sheldon Gage with his fiancée, plus her aunt- a typical 40s wise-cracking dame. Also dropping in is Sheldon’s psychiatrist (please note: it seems the reason for his having a psychiatrist has been removed from the film – you'll notice a jump cut in the scene where they first enter the house and discuss the psychiatrist's impending arrival- perhaps the film censors felt any hint of mental illness was unbecoming the young hero). Horatio gets quite a shock when he sees the psychiatrist-who not only is a descendant of his sneaky nemesis Cuthbert- but also looks exactly like him! Horatio and Melody decide, since they are ghosts, they can use their unearthly powers to playfully put a scare into the manor's new residents- with the exception of housekeeper Emily, who is sensitive to the supernatural and can sense the spirits' presence!

Horatio and Melody begin their search for the hidden letter, checking the furnishings for the Washington document which can finally set them free. It comes down to a seance, aided by Emily's psychic power, to reveal to the new tenants just who is haunting them-and where to find the letter that will set things right! Will Cuthbert's ancestor stand in the way- or will other earthly roadblocks keep the two ghosts from finally reaching the hereafter?

This charming ghost story seems most appropriate as we approach the 250th birthdate of our nation and is one of the few features with Lou (as Horatio) and Bud (as Cuthbert and his psychiatrist descendant) as opposing individuals, and not as a team! Lou teams with Marjorie Reynolds, as his "straight woman" and fellow ghost. We have already have some viewers ask “why didn’t you save this for the 4th of July?” The reason is simple- we did not want to waste this much-requested movie on the holiday night when many people will be out enjoying festivities and fireworks.

In the show tonight, we’ll go over the stories that supposedly reveal why the boys were not a team in this film (and the word of an expert who disputes them). As usual, we'll give some background on the cast, including Gale Sondergaard playing a role like others we've seen her play-as well as popular actress of the era Binnie Barnes. Plus, we’ll introduce you to a sort of soap opera, a special bit with Horatio, a visit from the Sven Squad, a song, and, as a bonus- another redubbed riot of a silent film courtesy of “Fracture Flickers”!

You’ll also see an encore look at an event celebrating my 40th anniversary- and, coincidentally, I want to thank everyone for the kind congratulations this past week on my 47th anniversary!

“Time of Their Lives” appears tonight on MeTV at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central, or check your local listings (or at www.metv.com) for correct channel and time in your area. MeTV invites you to join in the live-Tweeting on X/Twitter (my account is @svengoolie) or on Bluesky tonight during our program- just use the hashtag #svengoolie. In the Chicago viewing area, WCIU, the U, will hand viewers a second look at the Sven Squad presenting “Idle Hands” at 11 am.

Join us for the ghostly fun tonight- and, dads, please enjoy your Father’s Day!