Of course it's not a freaking ghost. In fact, you can see the cardboard cutout in the scene where Ted Danson/Jack is talking to Sylvia, and she tells him she's moving back to London. He walks up to the window, and there's a cutout of him with a top hat on standing right there next to the same window, wearing the same clothes as the supposed ghost boy.
But more importantly, People see an image of a weird boyish figure in a window in a movie and their first thought is "well, that's clearly evidence of the supernatural"?
No. Just no.

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This reminds me of the wizard of Oz urban legend and after carefully viewing both films I have to say both of them are false just go on youtube and find some videos it's likely that some person with a lot of time on their hands have posted videos of this "ghost" with zoom editing.

Can't be a ghost as ghosts don't exist ~ they're just figments of people's overeactive minds.

I remember a story going around about this scene and it was reported that a boy found his father's gun and shot himself in that room. When they filmed the scene he was there 'haunting' the room. I spoke to someone who worked at the movie distributor and they informed me that it was a cardboard cut out and that the story was circulated to sell papers.

It may be because it's so far away, but that doesn't look like the same cardboard cutout to me. The face and position look slightly different in my opinion (although it is partially covered by curtains). The tophat also looks smaller. I'm not saying it is a ghost, I'm just saying it looks different than the cutout of Ted.
Come, fly the teeth of the wind. Share my wings.

damn right its a cardboard cutout, here it is > http://i41.tinypic.com/99exvo.jpg
here it is again on the floor after the apartment gets turned over by the drug dealers > http://i44.tinypic.com/1z6l52.png
picture of the cutout from later on in the film > http://i41.tinypic.com/23qzyxc.png
i think whats most confusing is that loads of images online are low res and help add to the myth (wikipedia/snopes article for instance) they just make people think it is a ghost when they go on wiki or snopes and see the picture of the "boy".
i believe the picture featured on the wikipedia page does look like a ghost
probably intentional so people would believe it was a ghost>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:3MenBabyGhost.jpg
it is such low quality its impossible to tell what it is.

Was the intention to cause controversy and make people want to see it?

It's a cardboard cut of of Ted Danson or Steve Guttenburg, I can't remember which, but they discussed it on a TV documentary years ago, when 'Little Lady' came out I think.

congratulations you can read the trivia section!!!
"how do you write women so well?"
"i think of a man, then i take away reason and accountability."

There's no evidence its' not a ghost so it must be a ghost? With sound logic like that you just might be the dumbest person online. There's no evidence I'm not a unicorn, so I must be one right?
it looks like a boy because a cardboard cutout is SHORTER than a man you idiot.
EVERY person who's worked on the film has confirmed it and the cutout is seen later in the film.
D
Joseph Chastain
me
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marks-the-series/806493646056177

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They re released it in 1987 with the cardboard cut out
what about the shot gun in the scene standing on end? That is in the original VHS release, the camera pans over there is a gunthe camera keeps going then it rolls back and later there is a kid.
I remember back in 1987 when it was a big deal they made up a story to try and cover it up and made a new VHS tape because our local store had to send theirs back?
Why would they go through all that trouble for a Ted Danson cut out?

Its obviously a ghost. There are simply no other plausable explanations.
I am quite happy to dismiss the fact that we live in a universe filled with many scientific possibilities, in favour of "ghost" being the only explanation I am willing to stand by 100%.
I am equally happy to dismiss the complete lack of evidence supporting the existance of supernatural beings, together with all the arguments to the contrary. I really am that ignorant.
A Ted Danson cutout?! An actual living boy!?! bah, it is quite obviously the disembodied spectral form of a dead child.
Ps this wasnt aimed at anyone, just putting it out there.
Terrible, terrible film btw. As is anything with Steve Gutenburgggggg.

Jess! Its been like more of 20 years and still no evidences, real evidences, its not a ghost. Lot of people were at the set, so why all the ghost-boy-story so in the first place? if everyone on the set knew it was Ted Dansons standee.
Then.
All we have is peoples theories.
Jess!! how can it be Ted Danson that figure? it is a boy, not a man.
Second: In the same scene you clearly see the windows is empty then suddenly, not cuts, no people adding stuff, then, it appears the boy.
A real fact many people saw would never create a ghost story in the first place.
So
This story will remain in mysterie forever as all stories like this
Some people just can not stand this stuff may happens. They will deny it forever.
Do you recognize my voice?

plus if you zoom in (something you couldn't do on the old VHS versions) it's even more obvious that it is a cut-out of Ted Danson.
The full story has been debunked and explained at snopes.com: http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/3menbaby.asp

Growing up, I swore this was a ghost too. If you look very quickly it is a very creepy image of a little boy. However, i finally bought the dvd and paused it during this scene and could not believe that it was in fact the cardboard cutout of Ted Danson. You can see the top hat and the white tuxedo shirt. I think it was more fun when I thought it was a real ghost:(

There is a ghost! When they are singing the baby to sleep listen to when they say "Well its 3 o'clock in the morning" look in the top right hand corner you will see it come in !!!

The truth is that Celeste Holm was forced to say this as the ghost had already threatened her and the other stars in the movie on many occasions,

It was about 1991 when I heard the story about the ghost. I had the video so I ran home to check it out. Amazingly enough, Celeste Holm was performing next door at the Walter Kerr Theatre (I lived in the building next door - The The Ritz Plaza). I met her one night. I looked real bad and was horribly embarrased and told her so. I asked her about the scene and she laughed. She was with an entourage of young people and she explained that "the take was suppose to be a filmed rehearsal". No one would have guessed we would get it right on the first try. The boy "WAS NOT" a "GHOST" or "CUT OUT" it was the nephew of one of the crew members who wanted to see a film being made. They had seen it in the screening but no one had caught it and there was no alternative take to use.
This is what I was told. Of all the great things I could have asked this great actress, I wasted the oppurtunity on this crap.
Macklin Crew
Macklin Crew

what was a cardboard cut out doing there? was this a marketing ploy? we'll plant a story about the ghost of a kid.

the post below is off-topic.

thank you..
im glad someone notice it to..:)

Well, you seem to be making the most sense here in this whole 'is it a ghost' debate.
I watched the film this morning, and I saw the top hat too. It's clear as day when you focus your attention on the cutout just as it goes off the right of the screen. It's just a trick of the light, funny camera angles and the power of suggestion making people think it's a little 'ghost' boy.
I believe in ghosts, but in this case it wouldn't make sense, as why wouldn't 'he' be there all the time in the film? The 'ghost' doesn't even appear until Jack comes back from Turkey. Anyway there is a very clear shot of the cutout later in the film in roughly the same place, so surely that should be proof enough.
"Murphy you are a elf uncontrollably I think"