Blackbeard's Ghost stars Dean Jones as GoDolphin College's new track coach. On his first night arriving, he stays at Blackbeard's Inn and discovers said ghost after accidentally conjuring the spell that makes him visible only to him. The rest of the story centers on the relationship between the two and how they help the ancestors of Blackbeard's crew retain ownership of the Inn from the clutches of the local casino-running gangster. Richard Deacon plays the Dean of the college and Suzanne Pleshette plays the psychology professor assigned to keep an eye on their new track coach once they notice he seems to be talking to himself a lot (although it is really to Peter Ustinov as Blackbeard, who is invisible to everybody else). You have to suspend some disbelief in the beginning that this track coach comes in to town knowing very little about the school or the team of track misfits he inherits and that there is no athletic director character or anybody that enters the story that actually hired him, but oh well, I digress... Ustinov does a great job with the character, taking full advantage of the opportunities he gets to show off his comedic skills, and Dean Jones does a sneaky good job too with the role he's given, playing the good man going crazy over dealing with the ghost he didn't sign up for. There are plenty of special effects and sight gags, and some are entertaining to watch, but overall it's just not that funny. Suzanne Pleshette plays the straight woman to perfection, which you can see becomes the precursor to her role on The Bob Newhart Show. Overall a watchable show with some slow patches and some good performances, but I wanted to leave it with a few more belly laughs than what I got. Maybe I needed to be ten years old again to enjoy it more.

at first sigh, a comedy who use the skills, obvious in many other films, of two good actors. in fact, only a great comedy. who gives to Peter Ustinov to create a lovely character who conquer entire story. and that is the basic fact who gives color and force and charm to a film who remains seductive decade by decade. the small pieces of history. the cliché of bad guy. the mediocre sport team , the pressure to lost their tradition to a small community. tradition, legends and hilarious meeting are only the best ingredients for a story for every age. one of films useful for rediscover the taste of a period. and the flavor of an age. and, sure, to enjoy one interesting performances of Peter Ustinov. who gives a memorable hero portrait , fascinating, seductive, nice scene by scene.

Peter Ustinov has a ball and the rest of the cast are most enjoyable in this fun Disney flick which is ideal for young audiences.Director Robert Stevenson brings Ben Stahl's novel to the screen as he tells the story of legendary pirate Captain Blackbeard, who was cursed by his wicked wife to walk the earth in limbo until such a time as some small portion of good might be found in him. Disney released similar films around the late sixties and early seventies including "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" with much success at the time.This enjoyable, merry fun also stars Elsa Lanchester, Dean Jones (of "Herbie" fame) and Suzanne Pleshette.Sunday, January 18, 1998 - Video

Though this movie isn't a well-known classic, it is still most certainly a shining example of why Disney films were once so enjoyable. The movie features an interesting, offbeat plot of the new coach of a rather dismal track team unwittingly summons the ghost of the vicious pirate, Edward Teach (Peter Ustinov). After centuries caught in limbo, the pirate has evolved into a lovable ne'r-do-well, and does his best to "help" his new companion, much to the consternation of the coach.Disney regulars Dean Jones, Suzanne Pleshette, Elsa Lanchester, George Murdock, and Richard Deacon star in this little gem. They play their usual character types, but the move is truly made by Peter Ustinov, who plays the role perfectly.The movie features a lot of slapstick, though it's cleverly presented and plays host to wry dialogue. All in all, a very enjoyable film