The Mouse Factory - Episode 4- Spooks & Magic, Hosted by Phyllis Diller
"Spooks and Magic" is a Halloween episode of the syndicated Disney series The Mouse Factory, originally aired in 1972.
Plot
The episode opens on a dark, stormy night. Soon, the host of the episode, Phyllis Diller, the hostess of Midnight Manor, greets and welcomes the viewers and introduces herself as their "ghost host". Phyllis explains that the manor is a retirement home for worn out witches, ghosts, goblins, and similar "death of the party" types, where every night is Halloween. But before the tour of the manor, Phyllis shows the viewers around the grounds of the manor, while also telling the gate keeper/grounds keeper, Clyde, to watch the gate. Phyllis shows the viewers the security patrol that watches the grounds, and the pet vultures that keep an eye on the security patrol. She then tells the viewers to "watch their step", since they just poured in some new quicksand.
Soon, Phyllis shows the viewers the manor's recreational facilities for a physical fitness program. Soon, the tour comes to the house "jazz group". Phyllis then says that the manor's retirement plan is the "living end". Soon, Phyllis and the viewers come to the front door of the manor, but Phyllis forgot her key to unlock the door, however, she soon gets an idea, and disappears. Turns out, she actually teleported herself to the other side of the door, opens it, and tells the viewers, who are supposedly surprised, or baffled, or even a little spooked by what they just saw, to come on in instead of just standing where they are. Once they enter, Phyllis shows them the art gallery.
Then, after seeing the guest room, Phyllis brings the tour to the combination dining hall and rumpus room, where the "Over 400 Club" is having a party for the lately departed. Afterwards, Phyllis asks the viewers how they like the tour, and adds that, it may not look like it, but the manor is still as solid as a tombstone. She slams her hand on a small table, but it falls apart upon impact. Phyllis, surprised, suspects that termites are to blame. Right then and there, Phyllis decides to call in some exterminators to get rid of them, specifically, Ajax Exterminators. And who should pick up the phone? None other than Mickey Mouse.
Phyllis explains the situation, and Mickey and the gang head on over, while Phyllis heads up to the belfry to feed the bats, wondering if she was talking to a person or to a mouse on the phone. Soon, Mickey and the others arrive, and soon learn that the place is haunted (visualized by footage from the cartoon Lonesome Ghosts) and the person who hired them is a witch who gives them a real fright by appearing right in front of them, evidenced by the three running through a wall in fright.
Later, Phyllis is explaining to the viewers that some friends of hers are dropping in for a night of television in the parlor of the manor, and tells the viewers that her television, which is a crystal ball, is a unique kind, one that gets a different variety of shows. She adds to it by saying its a genuine "ghost to ghost" hookup. Soon the guests arrive, and after seeing clips of Phyllis's "family", the Wizard's Duel between Madam Mim and Merlin the Magician from the film The Sword in the Stone is seen. After the clip, the guests don't respond when Phyllis tells them its time to leave.
So, Phyllis decides to let her singing do the work as she sits at the piano and starts to both play and sing, and she manages to drive them out and cause the roof to rumble like it was about to cave in. After they leave, Phyllis tells the viewers that her singing never fails to bring the house down. Soon, Phyllis shows the viewers what she calls the best for last, the "infamous" Diller kitchen. Soon, a scent catches Phyllis's nose. Phyllis says its a delicious smell, and adds that it'll never do. She soon finds the source of the smell, a giant pot that three other witches are brewing something in. Phyllis investigates, and discovers that they're making soup.
She soon adds in some ingredients that they forgot to put in from the beginning: frozen scorpion tails, and a dash of brimstone. After a smell, which causes Phyllis to make sounds of disgust, Phyllis declares that its perfect. She then tell the three witches that they can't have any until their work is finished, and she leads them to a map of the town that the manor sits near. Phyllis tells the witches their flight areas and their brooms. Goofy is to take the east side of town, Martha is to take the north side, and Hazel is to take the depressed area of town where Donald Duck lives. Soon, the three leave the room and take to the air, with Phyllis telling the viewers that they love a night out on the town.
Soon, the show follows Witch Hazel and her flight plan. After the flight, the show returns to Midnight Manor where Phyllis is about to close the show, until the doorbell rings. Turns out someone dressed as Snow White is out Trick-or-Treating, evidencing that the episode takes place on Halloween. However, Phyllis decides to play a trick instead of giving a treat, but she ends up turning herself into Snow White as the episode ends.