The Live Ghost (1934)

A gruff sea captain, who absolutely detests the word 'ghost,' is having trouble manning his ship because of the rumor it's...well...haunted. He inveigles Stanley and Oliver into helping him shanghai a crew from the sailors at a dockside bar. The comic duo accomplish this by using one of the funniest devices ever put into a movie, and of course it all goes wrong. Once aboard, the captain warns them that whoever says the word 'ghost' will get his head twisted from north to south. After much time at sea and many port stops later, one of the drunken sailors falls into a trough of whitewash, terrorizing Stanley and Oliver into blurting out 'ghost' in front of the enraged captain, which brings about the story's Laurel and Hardy trademark 'another fine mess' ending.