‘I did a little bit of research: more whites believe in ghosts than believe in racism’

“That’s why we have shows like Ghostbusters and not shows like Racistbusters.”

Is this where his research came from?

Funny, my research led me to different conclusions…

“It’s these comedies that were the most likely of the race films to feature horror elements — primarily haunted houses or voodoo curses. Comedians Mantan Moreland (Lucky Ghost, Mr. Washington Goes to Town, Professor Creeps) and Pigmeat Markham (Mr. Smith Goes Ghost, Fight That Ghost) in particular headlined several such movies.

The use of black comedians in horror comedies even extended to major studio productions, with Moreland featured in King of the Zombies, Revenge of the Zombies and several Charlie Chan mysteries. Additionally, Willie Best costarred in The Ghost Breakers with Bob Hope, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson played a significant role in Topper Returns and Nick Stewart spiced up Zombies on Broadway with his wit. As prominent as these comedic roles were, though, they tended to reinforce African-American stereotypes (including an overly superstitious fear of ghosts).