Spook Louder

Scriptwriters for the Three Stooges dug deep in their memory holes to dig up comedy skits of the past to give the comedy team material to work with. Early film historians can trace some of the Stooges' brilliant routines from past movies. A prime example is April 1943's "Spook Louder," set in an old dark house where the boys are scared every second by disguised enemy spies dressed in Halloween costumes intent on capturing a top scientist's 'Death Ray.' Film reviewer Dave Sindelar notes, "The Stooges had a way of packing a whole movie's worth of gags into a seventeen minute short, and this one is great fun." One of the key mysteries in "Spook Louder" is why and who is throwing pies at the Stooges and the professor who relates the tale to a reporter of the trio's adventures. Diligent research reveals the answer to the mysterious pie throwing can be traced to the 1931 Mack Sennett comedy, 'The Great Pie Mystery,' with Harry Gribbon and May Boley. Writer Clyde Bruckman, who had a habit of modifying older movie gags for the Stooges, was credited for adopting the pie-in-the-face gag into the story of their night in the inventor's house. Coincidentally, Del Lord directed both the Sennett film and "Spook Louder." The Stooges open "Spook Louder" as weight reduction machine salesmen who knock on the door on the house of an inventor who's planning to drum up interest of his a 'death-ray' machine to government officials in Washington, D. C. His butler answering the door is played by actor Charles Middleton in his only Stooges' film. Fans of the "Flash Gordon" serials will recognize him as Ming the Merciless. Meanwhile the inventor is acted by Ted Torch, who played the High Priest in the same Flash Gordon serial. The inventor asks the three to housesit for the weekend while he's away in D. C. That evening, three spies, intent on stealing the machine, go about scaring the Stooges. Writer Bruckman sketched the gag showing Curly unknowingly tethered to a balloon with a face drawn on it. The balloon, hooked onto the back of his sweater, frightens everyone he meets, a skit taken from Harry Langdon's 1929 comedy film "The Big Kick." The movie is also the first to show Moe's hair rising when scared.

" Who, threw those pies? "

Here we have the episode SPOOK LOUDER, quite a unique and unusually structured short. Having seen it dozens of times over many years, this one for me has unlimited replay value and I rate it as their funniest short. Zany and riotous from beginning to end, LOTS OF LAUGHS are promised. SPOOK LOUDER was filmed in 42', which for me, finds the boys at the peak of their artistic powers. Possessing great vitality and pace and containing numerous unexpected twists, turns and segues SPOOK LOUDER is OMNIPOTENT STOOGERY at it's zany best. Chocked full of sight-jags at every turn, the boys are on edge and running scared through most of it. So what else, oh yeah, the beloved and quite hilarious "balloon gag" is my favorite part - you'll see. Just fun, fun, fun - a marvelous way to spend 16 minutes of your time.

To the would-be buyers and Stooge-Newbies out there, the Sony DVD box-sets are all you need, when putting together a Three Stooges video library; they simply look and sound the best.

Side-note: SPOOK LOUDER easily takes the award for MESSIEST PIES! Including a spectacular triple pie-throw near the end.

Spook Louder!Its a great one to watch around Halloween time.I love what happens in the house.The clocks and noises in the house are very funny.I think this is a great one and its so good to watch over and over and over again!

I recall an extremely cold February afternoon. I went over to Freddie's house to mess around and read the playboy magazines his Father has stashed away. Obviously Freddie's folks went to some party and we thought the house was ours but to our surprise Freddie's Mom at the last minute hired a baby sitter to watch his two younger siblings. The babysitter wasn't very friendly and wanted to corner the only color set in the living room. We were mad that she took over our territory so we went outside and decided to harass her. Throwing crab apples on the roof and ringing the front door bell while hiding in the adjacent bushes. Just an all out onslaught against the helpless sitter. SPOOK LOUDER is definitely my favorite of all the Three Stooges shorts. Our story begins with what appears to be a young impressionable reporter (Stanley Brown) hearing a tale about three master salesman (The Stooges) peddling a weight reduction machine to would be house wives from the lips of Professor Dunkfeather (Lew Kelly) narration. The deplorable Professor is interrupted by the inquiring hack as to what does selling a weight machine have to do with the story? Our eccentric story teller continues spinning a goofy yarn how our Three Stooges stumble upon a mansion. They meet the owner of this spacious dwelling Inventor deluxe,Mr. Graves (Theodore Lorch) as they are instantly hired as caretakers. While the inventor Mr. Graves has to travel to Washington. Foul play ensues outside unbeknownst to the three newly hires. The foils enter the house in Halloween garb and try to scare off Moe Larry and Curly. Chase scenes, balloons, prat falls and plenty of pies get thrown at crucial parts of this comedy. Just a funny collection of non- stop comedy only the Stooges could provide. Plenty of belly laughs in this unforgettable short. I grade this 8 nyuk nyuks. Who threw those pies? I threw the crab apples!

The 3 Stooges (no matter what the trio consisted of) were some of the most gifted actors/comedians ever to hit the silver screen and this short is all the proof I need. Related in flashback, the Stooges are travelling salesmen who are rejected by one homeowner after another until they finally come across a spooky inventor's mansion who enlists them to keep an eye on the place while he steps out. No sooner do the Stooges agree when a group of spies break in disguised as frightening spooks. Each hair-raising (and hilarious) encounter the Stooges experience tops the other and the action hits its peak with its explosive, bomb-throwing (and pie throwing) finale. Fans take note: Curly is also at his funniest in this short particularly when he takes down the morse code message (Moe: "What'd it say?" Curly: "Eh-eh-eh-eh-eh...."). Another Stooges short guaranteed to have their fans rolling in the aisles!