Rex Harrison and Gene Tierney are “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir”

Set in the early 1900s, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, follows Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney), a headstrong young widow determined to escape her overbearing in-laws and forge an independent life. Against the advice of a skeptical real estate agent, she rents Gull Cottage, a secluded seaside home with a reputation for being haunted. Lucy is unfazed by the rumors, seeking the house’s salt-aired solitude to raise her young daughter (Natalie Wood), but she soon discovers that the stories of a restless spirit are very much true.

The cottage is “occupied” by the ghost of its former owner, Captain Daniel Gregg (Rex Harrison), a blustery and foul-mouthed sea captain who supposedly committed suicide. While he initially attempts to scare Lucy away with standard ghostly theatrics, he finds himself begrudgingly impressed by her lack of fear and her stubborn resolve. An unlikely truce forms between the living woman and the spectral sailor, evolving into a profound, intellectual companionship as they collaborate on writing his salty memoirs to save the cottage from financial ruin.

As their bond deepens, the film explores the poignant limitations of their relationship. Lucy must navigate the challenges of the physical world—including a charming but slick “earthly” author (George Sanders)—while the Captain remains a constant, invisible presence in her heart. It is a sophisticated and atmospheric blend of romance and fantasy, trading traditional scares for a melancholic reflection on loneliness, independence, and the idea that a soulmate might not necessarily belong to the world of the living.

Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison

Joseph Mankiewicz (1909 – 1993) was a cerebral and sophisticated force in Hollywood’s Golden Age, celebrated as a “literary” director who prioritized razor-sharp dialogue and complex character psychology over visual spectacle. After a successful tenure as a producer at MGM, he transitioned to directing and achieved the unprecedented feat of winning consecutive Academy Awards for both Screenplay and Direction for A Letter to Three Wives (1949) and All About Eve (1950). His work often explored the intricacies of social status and the art of performance, utilizing intricate flashback structures and witty, cynical narration that became his professional hallmark. Despite the turbulent production of the epic Cleopatra (1963), Mankiewicz’s legacy remains defined by his ability to translate the depth of the theater to the silver screen, cementing his status as one of cinema’s most eloquent storytellers.

Gene Tierney (1920–1991) was a captivating leading lady of the 1940s whose ethereal beauty and refined poise masked a formidable dramatic range. After rising to stardom at 20th Century-Fox, she became an immortal icon of film noir in the title role of Laura (1944) and earned an Academy Award nomination for her chilling portrayal of a possessive socialite in Leave Her to Heaven (1945). Despite her professional success, Tierney’s life was marked by immense personal tragedy, including her daughter’s disability and her own harrowing battle with bipolar disorder. By courageously sharing her experiences with mental illness and shock therapy in her autobiography Self-Portrait, she became a pioneering advocate for mental health awareness, ensuring her legacy was defined by both her cinematic elegance and her profound human resilience.

Natalie Wood and Gene Tierney

Sir Rex Harrison (1908–1990) was an acclaimed English actor of stage and screen, celebrated for his suave delivery and mastery of high comedy. Born Reginald Carey Harrison, he began his career at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1924 and achieved a major breakthrough in the 1936 West End play French Without Tears. Harrison became internationally iconic for his definitive portrayal of Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, a role that earned him a Tony Award for the 1956 Broadway production and the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1964 film adaptation. Throughout his six-decade career, he delivered notable performances in films such as The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Cleopatra (1963), and Doctor Dolittle (1967), while continuing to perform on stage until just weeks before his death. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989, Harrison remains one of the most distinguished figures of the Golden Age of cinema and theater.

Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison between takes on location

George Sanders (1906–1972) was a Russian-born British actor and singer renowned for his smooth, bass voice and his definitive portrayal of sophisticated, cynical, and often villainous characters. Throughout a prolific career spanning over 40 years, he became a fixture of Hollywood’s Golden Age, starring in classics such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940) and Foreign Correspondent (1940), and the fantasy-romance The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947). His career reached its pinnacle with his performance as the acid-tongued theater critic Addison DeWitt in All About Eve (1950), a role that won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Beyond his live-action work, Sanders is fondly remembered by younger generations as the voice of the malevolent tiger Shere Khan in Disney’s The Jungle Book (1967). Known off-screen for his wit and self-described persona as a “professional cad,” Sanders remained a distinguished and in-demand talent until he died in Spain in 1972.

 

Gene Tierney with Natalie Wood and Tierney’s dog

Click HERE to watch the movie.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on February 9, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time.

The Ghost in Mrs. Muir trivia

• Composer Bernard Herrmann considered his work for The Ghost and Mrs. Muir to be his personal favorite. Unlike his later tension-filled scores for Hitchcock (like Psycho), this music was lush and romantic, designed to bridge the gap between the living and the dead. He even reused some of its haunting themes for his only opera, Wuthering Heights.
• Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz famously directed Rex Harrison to play the ghost of Captain Daniel Gregg as if he were actually alive. He instructed Harrison to speak his lines with a booming, physical presence rather than a traditional spectral or whispered voice. This choice emphasized that, to Lucy Muir, the Captain was a very real, vital force in her life.
• The film’s popularity led to a 1960s sitcom of the same name. While the movie is a poignant, bittersweet romance, the TV show (starring Hope Lange and Edward Mulhare) leaned much further into comedy. Despite the tonal shift, the series was a hit and ran for two seasons, keeping the story of Gull Cottage in the public consciousness for a new generation.
• A very young Natalie Wood appears in the film as Lucy Muir’s daughter, Anna. At just eight years old, Wood delivered a remarkably natural performance. It would be another eight years before her breakout role in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), but her work here showed the early promise of the legendary star she would become.

 

Discussion questions

1. Lucy Muir’s move to Gull Cottage is her first act of rebellion against her in-laws. In what ways does her relationship with Captain Gregg help her find her own voice, and in what ways does it keep her tethered? Does she achieve true independence, or has she simply swapped the control of her living family for that of a ghost?
2. The romance between Lucy and Daniel Gregg is entirely non-physical, built on shared secrets, intellectual collaboration, and mutual respect. How does the film use the supernatural to comment on the nature of companionship? Does the film suggest that a “soulmate” is defined by a connection of the mind and spirit rather than a physical presence?
3. Compare the characters of Captain Gregg and Miles Fairley (the “real” suitor). Miles is charming and physically present but ultimately deceptive, while Daniel is gruff and invisible but honest. What is the film saying about the romanticized ideals we hold versus the disappointing realities of the people we encounter in the world?
4. The final act of the film covers several decades of Lucy’s life. How does the passage of time—shown through the aging of Lucy and the growing up of her daughter—affect the audience's perception of the ghost? Is Captain Gregg's decision to “recede” from Lucy’s mind an act of love or a tragic necessity for her to live a human life?

 

Margaret Lockwood and Rex Harrison take the "Night Train to Munich"

Night Train to Munich (1940) is a British-American war thriller directed by Carol Reed and starring Margaret Lockwood and Rex Harrison.

When German forces take over Czechoslovakia in 1939, Axel Bomasch (James Harcourt) is flown to Britain for his own protection. His daughter, Anna (Lockwood) is arrested and sent to a concentration camp. At the concentration camp, she meets a fellow prisoner, Karl Marsen (Paul (von) Henried who befriends her. The two escape from the concentration camp, but Marsen is really a Gestapo agent assigned to befriend Anna and find out where her father is.

Dickie Randall (Harrison), a British intelligence officer attempts to rescue Anna and her father from the Nazis. Will his efforts be successful or will Anna and her father be turned over to the Gestapo?

Rex Harrison and Margaret Lockwood

Carol Reed (1906 – 1976) was an English film director. He directed several classic films including The Fallen Idol (1948), The Third Man (1949), and Oliver! (1968). Reed worked in a theatrical company in his teens. He eventually entered the film business in the UK where he worked his way up to the position of assistant director. He got his big break as a director with The Stars Look Down (1940) based on a novel by A. J. Cronin and starring Michael Redgrave. Other British films followed including Night Train to Munich (1940) starring Margaret Lockwood and Rex Harrison, Kipps (1941) with Redgrave again, and The Young Mr. Pitt (1942) starring Robert Donat.

Margaret Lockwood and Paul Henreid

Margaret Lockwood (1916 – 1990) was an English actress who began her career on the stage but gained fame as one of Britain’s most popular movie stars during the 1930s and 1940s. She had a starring role in Bank Holiday (1938), directed by Carol Reed. The movie was a huge success and made Lockwood a star. Next up would be The Lady Vanishes (1938), which brought her to the attention of Hollywood. Lockwood didn’t take to Hollywood and soon returned to England where she made a series of popular costume dramas including The Wicked Lady (1945) co-starring James Mason.

Rex Harrison (1908 - 1990) was an English stage and screen actor. He won a Best Actor Academy Award for his role as Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (1964). He created the role of Higgins on Broadway in 1957. Harrison established himself as a film star in England in the 1930s but he also found success in Hollywood in films like Anna and the King of Siam (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Cleopatra (1963), Doctor Dolittle (1967). He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989.

Paul Henreid (1909 - 1992) was an Austrian-British-American actor, producer, writer, and director. Henreid is probably best known for two films released in 1942: Casablanca and Now, Voyager. Henreid was under contract with Warner Bros. where he was a popular leading man starring opposite the studio's top actresses including Bette Davis, Ida Lupino, and Eleanor Parker. After he left Warner Bros. Henreid made a series of adventure films. He later directed films and television shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Maverick, and The Big Valley.

Night Train to Munich trivia

• This was the last of seven films that Lockwood made with director Reed.
• Paul Henreid was billed as Paul von Henreid, his real name.
• The film debut of Hugh Griffith (uncredited) as a sailor.
• The film is considered the first to have an actor depicting Adolph Hitler (Billy Russell).
• In some publicity for the film, it was referred to as a sequel of The Lady Vanishes (1938).

To watch the movie on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on February 27, 2023, at 6 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. This film is often compared to The Lady Vanishes (1938). Do you see the comparison?
2. The movie was released a year before the United States entered World War II. Do the events in this movie seem realistic, based on your knowledge of the war?
3. What did you think of the performances of Margaret Lockwood and Rex Harrison? Did they have on-screen chemistry?
4. Did you recognize Charters and Caldicott from The Lady Vanishes?
5. Was the ending believable and/or satisfying?

Rex Harrison and Linda Darnell in Preston Sturges's "Unfaithfully Yours"

Unfaithfully Yours (1948) is a black comedy written and directed by Preston Sturges and starring Rex Harrison and Linda Darnell. Rudy Vallee and Barbara Lawrence costar.

Sir Alfred de Carter (Harrison) is a famous conductor who is suspicious that his beautiful, young wife, Daphne (Darnell) has been unfaithful while he was away on tour. So obsessed is he about the possibility that she might be unfaithful that he fantasizes about how he might possibly avenge her betrayal.

Is Sir Alfred correct in his suspicions or has Daphne been faithful all along?

Linda Darnell and Rex Harrison

Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. Sturges was one of the first film directors to direct his own screenplays, opening up the door for Billy Wilder and Joseph L. Mankiewicz to do the same. Sturges was a successful playwright and Hollywood screenwriter and script doctor. As a writer-director, Sturges had an amazing output of films in a period of five years, all considered classics today. These films include The Great McGinty (1940), Christmas in July (1940), The Lady Eve (1941), Sullivan's Travels (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944). After leaving Paramount Pictures in a dispute with upper management, Sturges's career declined and he never produced anything close to the quality of his earlier successes. In spite of this decline, Sturges is considered one of the greatest talents to come out of Hollywood.

Rex Harrison (1908 - 1990) was an English stage and screen actor. He won a Best Actor Academy Award for his role as Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (1964). He created the role of Higgins on Broadway in 1957. Harrison established himself as a film star in England in the 1930s but he also found success in Hollywood in films like Anna and the King of Siam (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), Cleopatra (1963), Doctor Dolittle (1967). He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989.

Linda Darnell (1923 – 1965) was an American film actress. She signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox at age 15 and became a star almost overnight. She was immediately cast opposite Tyrone Power in Day-Time Wife (1939). She made two films with Power in 1940: Brigham Young and The Mark of Zorro. In 1941, she was again paired with Power in Blood and Sand, which also starred an up-and-coming Rita Hayworth. Darnell’s most famous role was that of Amber St. Clair in Forever Amber (1946), which turned out the be the biggest hit of the year. The role of Amber was the most sought-after female role since the casting of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939). Other important films she starred in include Unfaithfully Yours (1948), A Letter to Three Wives (1949), and No Way Out (1950). She died tragically at age 41 in a fire while visiting friends in Glenview, Illinois

Unfaithfully Yours trivia

• Linda Darnell was so excited at the prospect of working with Preston Sturges that she accepted the role of Daphne without seeing a script.
• Darnell and Barbara Lawrence played sisters again in A Letter to Three Wives (1949).
• Darnell played one of Harrison's many wives in Anna and the King of Siam (1946).
• The film is considered a classic today but was a bit of a box office disappointment when released.
• Harrison was having an affair with actress Carole Landis who committed suicide supposedly because he would not divorce his wife to marry her. This may have contributed to the film's performance at the box office.

Why watch this movie?

• Any film written and directed by Preston Sturges is worth watching.
• This was one of Rex Harrison's early Hollywood films.
• Linda Darnell gets to show off her versatility as an actress and not just a great beauty.
• Like all Sturges films, it is populated with a great supporting cast and bit players.
• Unfaithfully Yours is often overlooked when reviewing the films of Preston Sturges.

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on March 7, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you'll receive an invitation with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. What genre would you categorize this film?
2. What do you think motivated Harrison's character to think his wife is unfaithful?
3. Was Harrison believable as a symphony conductor?
4. What did you think of Darnell? 
5. Did this film remind you of other films you've seen?

Halloween film series at Daystar Center starting October 8 with “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir”

The Chicago Film Club’s Halloween series begins with a screening of the classic The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) Saturday October 8, 2016 at the Daystar Center, 1550 S. State St. All movies start at 6:45 p.m.

A haunted cottage by the sea
When a young widow Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney) rents a house by the sea, she finds that it’s haunted by the ghost of Captain Gregg (Rex Harrison), the home's original owner. The two clash at first, but come to an understanding that turns into friendship and eventually love. When a flesh-and-blood suitor (George Sanders) makes a play for Lucy, what will become of the captain? This beautifully filmed movie (Charles Lang’s black and white cinematography was Oscar nominated) gave Tierney the chance to play a woman of warmth and character, rather than the icy, aloof beauty she was too often cast as.

Gene Tierney as Lucy Muir and Rex Harrison as Captain Gregg in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

Top-flight talent
Besides the cast, the film has quite the pedigree. The film score was composed by the legendary Bernard Herrmann (Vertigo, Psycho, Taxi Driver). Charles Lang (Sabrina, Some Like it Hot) was in charge of the black and white cinematography. Lang was nominated for 18 Academy Awards. Film editor Dorothy Spencer (Stagecoach, Foreign Correspondent) worked with some of the best directors in Hollywood, including Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, and Elia Kazan edited the film. Fred Sersen who was in charge of the photographic effects department at Twentieth Century-Fox created the film’s special effects. Sersen won two Academy Awards for Best Effects (Crash Dive, The Rains Came). Gene Tierney’s husband, Oleg Cassini, designed the actress’s costumes. Cassini dressed Jacqueline Kennedy when she was First Lady. And last, but not least, the director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Makiewicz is most famous for writing and directing All About Eve (1950), but he also directed A Letter to Three Wives (1949), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), Guys and Dolls (1955), Cleopatra (1963), and Sleuth (1972).

Other movies scheduled below:

October 15—The Innocents (1961) starring Deborah Kerr
October 22—The Body Snatcher (1945) starring Boris Karloff
October 29—Psycho (1960) starring Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Janet Leigh

Have some Joe and Enjoy the Show!

Before the movie, grab a cup of coffee from Overflow Coffee Bar, located within the Daystar Center. You can bring food and beverages into the auditorium; we even have small tables set up next to some of the seats. General Admission: $5 Students and Senior Citizens: $3.

Join the Chicago Film club; join the discussion

Twice a month we screen classic films and have a brief discussion afterward. For more information, including how to join (it’s free), click here. The Venue 1550 is easily accessible by the CTA. Please visit Transit Chicago for more information on transportation options.

Stephen Reginald is a freelance writer and editor. He has worked at various positions within the publishing industry for over 25 years. Most recently he was executive editor for McGraw-Hill’s The Learning Group Division. A long-time amateur student of film, Reginald hosts “Chicago Film Club,” a monthly movie event held in the South Loop, for the past two years. Reginald has also taught several adult education film classes at Facets Film School, Chicago.

Daystar Center located at 1550 S. State St. works through a grassroots network of collaborations and partnerships with individuals and other nonprofit organizations. Through this web, they’re able to provide educational, cultural, and civic activities that enrich and empower their clients, guests, and community members. To learn more about classes and events offered at the Daystar Center, please visit their Web site.